Handling Millennials: Teachers' Lived Experiences in Students' Behavior towards Learning

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

This study sought to further characterize, analyze, and clarify the behavior of learners as a dynamic issue. This led to delving much of the lived experiences of teachers on coping with the students' behaviors towards learning.

METHODS

The researchers employed the Transcendental Phenomenology. There were three teachers who were the participants of this study and were chosen through purposive sampling. The participants have a minimum of two years of teaching experience in senior high school.

RESULTS

From the data analyzed, nine themes emerged from the extensive descriptions provided through study participants' interviews. As per the teacher's lived experiences in handling the behavior of millennial students, the themes were: Perceived Millennial Behavior, Adjusting to Millennial students, Various Ways of Disciplining Students, Polarizing Views on Imposing Rules to Millennials, Inspiring Learners. These presented the teachers' acumens on millennial behaviors, how they adapt to millennial students, the different ways of correcting learners, experiences in giving rules, and ways of inspiring the students. The remaining themes explain how teachers help students in the learning experience: Managing the Learning Environment, Making Learning Meaningful, Utilizing Learning Activities as Motivators, and Exerting effort in Classroom Management. These explained how the teachers handled the classroom, made learning important, used different tasks as inspiration, and gave effort in managing the class.

DISCUSSIONS

A primer entitled 10 Ways to Deal Better with Millennials has been developed which can be used to understand and deal with millennial behaviors.