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
Hi Alphonso,
You have peeked my interest in a theory I wasn’t even thinking about as it ties into a small project I’m looking into with huge age and skill levels differences. My wife works with children as a phycologist and has discussed the challenges of the transitions as they move between the milestone of life. Generational theory appears to be a great choice and I hope it leads to the conclusions you are looking for.
Klaus
Alfonso, I agree with your selected framework. I believe it will help guide your research to achieve some coping strategies for young children.
As part of your research you may want to consider exploring the role culture and language may play in the transition to formal school. One study that may assist you is “Children’s transition to school: Voices of Bangladeshi parents in Sydney, Australia” The study speaks to the transitional challenges from a parents point of view. Look forward to seeing your final research.
Ashif
Hello Ashif,
Thank you for your comments and for your recommendation. It is important to consider the cultural surroundings in which the children must experiment their transition. There might be aspects that are commonplace for the adults, while posing considerable challenges to the little ones.
Best wishes in your project, cheers!
Alfonso
Hey Alfonso!!
I really know nothing about generational theory, so I liked learning from your blog. It’s funny how annoying I have found being called a millennial; it feels as if people use it as an insult. Despite that…..amazing to think how the youngest generation will perceive the world, completely connected. You’re definitely taking on a tough challenge–there is probably very little information on this group! But I’m excited to follow your research. 🙂
Hello Krista!
Thanks for stopping by and for your comments. In my opinion, when people call names on others (like referring to someone as millenial or baby boomer) it might be a reflection of their lack of appreciation of the true values each generation has. Each one has weaknesses and strengths, and as long as we focus on the latter we are good.
About my topic, I am finding good information to work with… the end product might turn out somewhat different than initially conceived, but I am hopeful it will work. The project has to take into account information from several fields, very different from each other like neuroscience and parenting, for instance. I find that exciting but have to make an effort to limit the scope to keep it manageable.
Thank you again, cheers!
Alfonso
Hi Alfonso. Similar to others that have commented above, I wasn’t aware that generational theory was a theoretical framework until I read your post. However, with all the generational studies out there on various subjects, it does make sense that there would be! I thought that your first paragraph was very insightful. It made me think more about my topic in terms of the future contributions it can make. Though I did do a lot of thinking on the limitations of research that my topic would take, I hadn’t considered how a new topic may have more long-term impact before! I will be mulling that over more. One consideration that you may have already thought about is defining the generations within your study. In my past work experience in analytics, I noticed how different sources classified generations under differing date ranges. This could be important for you to ensure that your research is measuring equal impacts from equal (or close to equal) generation definitions. If not, it may even be something that you suggest as a gap in research. Who knows, the sky is the limit for you 😊
Hello Nicolette!
Thanks a lot for your comments. It is nice of you to share how my paragraph made you reflect on the reach of our research studies, from that perspective we can say that we are writing history. On the description of the generations, I learned that in addition to a lack of uniformity in the names assigned to them across cultural and geographical boundaries, the generations might be regarded differently thus making the field of study a bit more complicated or entertaining (depending how you want to look at it). In any case it is interesting to discover how transcendent such classifications can be because some marketing experts really study the behaviours and profiles of each group, looking for the features that make or break the commercial and/or social trend… most of the time with an economic interest behind. In the case of my study, the motivation is facilitating the home-to-school transition to children while looking for ways to help them develop their social skills and perhaps a few cognitive skills too.
Thanks again for your feedback, cheers!
Alfonso