Generational Theory, a theoretical framework
Aiming at the youngest segments of society is exciting because these segments have the largest time horizon ahead of them, which might provide the research outcomes with a longer useful life. For practical means however, the younger a generation is the less information available there is, thus increasing the challenge to find support for the claims the study requires.
The concept of generations groups people born within a time span –usually from 15 to 20 years– identifying characteristics that differentiate their generation from previous ones. The sociology of generations has reached the point where a global concept of generations applies (Edmunds & Turner, 2005, December), particularly as a result of the way electronic communications technology has brought people together around the globe. Edmunds and Turner (2005) also referred to the change of century marking the era of international generations which became united through printed media, and afterwards transformed the concept into global generations via instant broadcasts that take place worldwide.
As it usually happens in many regards, generation groups are referred to by names that condense their features to distinguish each group from the rest. For instance, Robinson (2018) provides a timeline including ten generations of which the two most recent ones are the Generation Alpha, which goes from 2013 to 2025 and, preceding that, the iGen or GenZ –also called Centennials– goes from 1995 to 2012. The author clarified that the classification used corresponds to Western Cultural Generations, and that Asian and European cultures might have their own generational definitions (Robinson, 2018).
The topic of my paper focuses on pre-school children from 3 to 5 years of age, exploring their developmental characteristics to identify ways to help them cope better with their transition from home to formal school.
I consider the Generational Theory an adequate framework for my research paper, because there might be aspects in recent generations that could present new possibilities either for further study, or for innovative ways of learning.
I kindly appreciate your time and your comments.
References
Edmunds, J., & Turner, B.S., (2005, December). Global generations: social change in the twentieth century. The British Journal of Sociology, 56(4), 559-577. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2005.00083.x
Robinson, M.T., (2018). The generations: What generation are you? Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://www.careerplanner.com/Career-Articles/Generations.cfm
