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Who are X and Y generations? Generation Y is
known as the Millennia Generation born after
1982 and Generation X
which is commonly abbreviated as Gen
X are those born in the 1960s through to the
early 1980s. Are there any differences between
these two generations? If there are, what are
they? And what makes them different? These are
some questions that educators ask because they
have to deal with both generations of students.
These educators tend to compare and contrast
students and sometimes complain that Gen Y
students are more challenging to teach than Gen
X. They conclude that Gen X students are better
because they are more obedient, have good
manners and work hard. These Gen X students are
also easier to mould compared to Gen Y students.
What causes Gen Y students to behave
differently? There are several factors.
One factor
is the advancement of technology. Technology has
changed people's lifestyles. Today, with the
availability of online games on the Internet,
many children rarely go out and play with
friends but spend most of their time
playing online games at home. Since they do not
socialise and interact with people face-to-face,
they lack the soft skills like compromising and
negotiating and this affects their communication
and socialising skills. This is why they
sometimes have difficulty in showing respect to
others. At the same time, they have problems
sharing their opinions with others. In giving
opinions in a discussion, for example, they
think they have channelled their ideas
correctly. However,
they do not realize that there are
some cultural aspects involved in communication
such as being polite and respecting the elderly.
To them, as long as they get the message across,
their job is done. At times, the choice of words
and the non-verbal signals they use to convey
their
message are not appropriate. This affects
communication, especially with the elderly.
The second factor is lack of parental
guidance and good role models. All of us know
that today's parents are busy earning a living
to provide their children with a good education,
a good home and a comfortable life. They do not
want their children to be left behind in their
studies, but be on par if not better than other
children. As a result, children are left alone
in the care of maids or are sent to the nursery.
In the end, parents themselves complain of the
difficulty they face in raising their children.
The children themselves blame parents for not
getting sufficient love and care. Some rebel to
attract parents' attention and when they
continue their studies at university, they tend
to carry over this bad behaviour. They create
problems and become troublemakers to attract
lecturers' attention. Lecturers, therefore,
should know how to tackle these students and
help them become better persons.
Next, these children experience less
hardships in life. Today, technological
advancements have made life easier. Thus, when
these children do not experience hardships in
life, they feel they are not responsible for
certain things and are able to get what they
want easily. All they need to do is just ask.
Through observation, Gen Y students appear to
lack the willingness to help others, respect
others and also appreciate time. When
they lack
these qualities, they become bold and arrogant,
and have less respect for lecturers. There are
students who always come late to class and do
not even apologise for their tardiness. Some
even ignore the advice given by their lecturers
and talk back to them. They also tend to look
down on others since they feel other people are
not important. They do things to benefit
themselves and ignore others' feelings. This is
why it is important to let students experience
some hardships so that they learn to appreciate
things and have respect for others. These
students cannot live in isolation but are
dependent on others for survival and success. At
university, for example, they depend on
lecturers and friends for knowledge and
problem-sharing.
In conclusion, there is a gap between Gen X
and Gen Y students. In order to reduce the gap,
parents need to play
their roles. They also need to be
helped by other parties like teachers and the
community. Similarly, students themselves have
to change for the better. They cannot blame
others for who and what they are. Instead they
should improve themselves and strive to excel
both academically and socially. |
