The impact of the first millennial teachers on education: views held by different generations of teachers

Abstract

The first people considered digital natives, the millennials, have already entered the teaching profession. As a result, we are faced with a remarkable generational diversity. This survey aimed to explore the generational change in teachers and the beginning of the incorporation of the first millennials (digital natives) into teaching. It was carried out through a qualitative study using focus groups and interviews with a total of 147 teachers. The main results found establish a generational clash between migrants and digital natives. This difference is present in the use and understanding of ICTs in the teaching task across the different teaching generations and in a generational diversity within the educational centres that has not been seen so far. However, this difference between teachers is also a condition that facilitates exchange between teachers of different generations. Junior teachers help veteran teachers in the use of ICTs and veteran teachers provide the expertise that new recruits lack.