Alpha Generation and teaching English language: teacher’s perception about changing generational profile

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the impact of generational changes in the profile of the student of the alpha generation, the influences that they suffered from the generation Z, as well as the perceptions that teachers who work full time with members of this ‘so called’ generation, participants in this study, have of this change and about its implications for their classroom practice, especially in the teaching of the English language. Initially, a brief discussion of the generational classifications is presented, followed by a description of the profile of the alpha generation and its characteristics in relation to the learning of the English language. The data collection for this investigation involves interviews with teachers and field notes taken in classes taught to third and fifth-grade elementary school learners. The purpose of the study was to understand the current profile of the alpha generation learners, while in their elementary school days, leading professionals to reflect about the methodology applied in the classroom and its effectiveness in approaching such students.