Millennial Instructional Preferences in Post-Secondary Business Programs

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this mixed method study was to examine the instructional preferences of millennial learners and how their instructional preferences affect their choice in post-secondary business programs. The instructional preferences of millennial learners are an important question for post-secondary business programs enrolling learners from diverse generational backgrounds. The generations represented in the post-secondary classroom are the baby boomer generation, generation X and the millennial generation. However, millennials are the largest student population currently entering post-secondary programs. The study included participants from three post-secondary business programs in the upper mid-west. The statistical tests used included descriptive analysis and frequencies; a two-tailed independent sample t-test; and Pearson correlation coefficients. This study also used phenomenological methodology to form descriptive themes from one-on-one interviews. The interview data was analyzed using the Hycner’s phenomenological research. The role of work experience appeared to impact a focused program choice and instructional preferences. The study provided evidence for the value and need for knowledge-based and interactive learning to meet the millennials’ educational goals. A theme identified in the phenomenological analysis of the interviews was the millennial generation cohort was not tightly defined. Millennial learners in post-secondary business degree programs, regardless of age, based instructional preferences primarily on varying amounts of work experience.