Millennial Instructional Preferences in Post-Secondary Business Programs

• Main Author: West, Cynthia Elaine
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest LLC 2017
• Subjects: Business Administration Education; College Students; Correlation; Experience; Generational Differences; Interviews; Mixed Methods Research; Phenomenology; Postsecondary Education; Preferences; Student Needs
• ISBN: 0355082128; 9780355082128

The purpose of this mixed method study was to examine the instructional preferences of millennial learners and how their instructional preferences affect their choice in post-secondary business programs. The instructional preferences of millennial learners are an important question for post-secondary business programs enrolling learners from diverse generational backgrounds. The generations represented in the post-secondary classroom are the baby boomer generation, generation X and the millennial generation. However, millennials are the largest student population currently entering post-secondary programs. The study included participants from three post-secondary business programs in the upper mid-west. The statistical tests used included descriptive analysis and frequencies; a two-tailed independent sample t-test; and Pearson correlation coefficients. This study also used phenomenological methodology to form descriptive themes from one-on-one interviews. The interview data was analyzed using the Hycner's phenomenological research. The role of work experience appeared to impact a focused program choice and instructional preferences. The study provided evidence for the value and need for knowledge-based and interactive learning to meet the millennials' educational goals. A theme identified in the phenomenological analysis of the interviews was the millennial generation cohort was not tightly defined. Millennial learners in post-secondary business degree programs, regardless of age, based instructional preferences primarily on varying amounts of work experience. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]