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ROLE OF THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE STUDY PROCESS FOR MILLENNIALS
Abstract
Millennials or generation Y is the largest and most diverse generation to ever attend university. They have high expectations towards teachers, the study environment and also to course mates when compared with previous generations of learners. Millennials rely on recommendations from peers and friends more than from experts, which refers to the importance they assign to their lives. In the present paper, the authors discuss the role of the social environment in the study process that millennial learners present. The aim of the research is to examine the role of the social environment in the study process from the perspective of the millennial generation by contrasting the values of the millennial generation with those of generation X. The research was based on a questionnaire survey, in which 365 millennial students who were studying ecology and environmental issues expressed their opinions on the roles and significance of their course mates, university teachers and families in the study process. The research found that for millennial students, support from course mates was very important during the study process, and they perceived their fellows as advisers, consultants and friends rather than competitors despite the fact that they were competing for governmental support for their studies at university. They admitted that help from their fellow students was significant. Extra-curricular events jointly held with their fellow students were important, and so was an opportunity to communicate via social networks. Also, university teachers were perceived as friends rather than authorities and as individuals who regarded students as colleagues rather than incompetent personalities. However, the support of their families as an informal group in their studies was not rated as high as the role of their course mates, even though it made a significant impact on the wellbeing of the students.
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