ERIC Number: ED577430
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 144
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-3550-8237-1
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Consumers and Makers: Exploring Opposing Paradigms of Millennial College Readiness
Jackson, Matthew
ProQuest LLC, D.Ed. Dissertation, University of Minnesota
The political and technological circumstances of the past two decades have culminated in opposing epistemic paradigms of college readiness, where millennial students' conceptual understanding of "learning" is both narrowed to meet the demands of school systems bound to accountability and amplified by a rapidly evolving digital world. The researcher theorized that students situated within these paradigms may have developed dispositions toward the purpose of learning as primarily either consumption-oriented (consumers) or creation-oriented (makers). This study hypothesized that correlations existed among these consumer/maker dispositions and millennial college students' epistemic beliefs and key learning skills. The researcher developed an original survey instrument that was provided to a sample of 625 first year students (primarily 18-19 years of age) at a Midwestern liberal arts university. Quantitative, statistical analyses of responses were completed to develop constructs, understand variables, and determine the nature of relationships between variables. The results of these analyses found that respondents were 3-to-28-times more likely to demonstrate consumer dispositions than maker dispositions. The data supported the hypothesis of this study: statistically significant, positive correlations were present in 13 out of 24 instances, suggesting that as one approached the likelihood of having a maker disposition, one was also more likely to exhibit sophistication of epistemic beliefs and to have initiated or developed key learning skills through both high school experiences and the use of information-communication technologies. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Age Groups, College Freshmen, Hypothesis Testing, Correlation, Student Attitudes, Educational Attitudes, Epistemology, Statistical Analysis, Student Evaluation, Cognitive Style, Prior Learning, Information Technology, Skill Development, College Readiness
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A