GENERATION Z IN HIGHER EDUCATION – INVESTIGATING THE PREFERRED MEDIUM OF TEXT IN ACADEMIC READING

Abstract

According to Nugin et al. (2016) it is not always easy to determine the exact date of birth of every generation as the transitions have been found to be difficult to pinpoint. (9). According to Seemiller and Grace (2015), the representatives of generation Z were born between 1995 to 2010 and have already entered higher education. Reading online has become one of the most widely used sources of knowledge for learners, especially in the academic contexts (Zarrabi, 2015), thus it is not surprising that for generation Z visual media may as well have the most substantial impact whereas internet and smart devices are the main means of communication making it possible for every question to be answered immediately. Teachers nowadays are faced with a somewhat challenging task to meet the information obtaining needs and preferences of the new generation while belonging to the previous generation themselves. In order to cast light into the process of choosing the most suitable methods and materials as well as the devices for the learners of Generation Z, a research was started in Tallinn Health Care College, with an aim to investigate different generations´ text searching and reading strategies. Current article focuses on describing the preferred medium of text among the representatives of Generation Z. An online semi-structured questionnaire was conducted descriptive analysis conducted. The results direct authors toward further research to investigate the strategies of working with texts keeping in mind the characteristics of Generation Z in order to use the mediums and strategies to create effective learning possibilities in higher education.