Generational Perspective of Higher Education Online Student Learning Styles

Abstract

A study was conducted of students participating in on-line academic courses in institutions of higher education to ascertain if there was a generational influence on learning styles. The specific research question was: What, if any, relationships exist among learning styles, generational groups, and satisfaction with online learning? Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to determine there was a statistically significant differences between Baby Boomers and the Millennial Generation as well as Generation X. Baby Boomers were found to have significantly lower scores on this subscale as compared with both the Millennial Generation and Generation X. In addition, the Millennial Generation reported lower scores on overall satisfaction survey components as compared with both Generation Xers and Baby Boomers.