Generation Z and Implications for Counseling
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Generation Z and Implications for Counseling Slameto Satya Wacana Christian University [email protected] Abstract Generation Z is a common name in the US and other Western countries for the group of people born from the second half of the 1990s through the late of the 2000s early 2010’s, a span of 15-20 years in the very late of the 20th Century and very early 21st Century. Gneration Z has behavioral and personality characteristics that are different from previuos generations. Characteristics of Generation Z are: 1) Fluent Technology, they are the “digital generation” who can acces the information as quickly and as easily possible, either for educational purposes or their interests in their daily lives. 2) Social, they are very intensely communicated with peers through various networking sites. They also tend to be tolerant to cultural differences and are very concerned with the environment. 3) Multitasking, are familiar with a variety of activities, read, talk, watch, or listen to music at the same time, wanting things to be done simultaneously and fast paced run. These characteristics have two opposite sides, provides benefits for themselves and their community, they can harm themselves and their environment. The presence of Generation Z has implications for education and counseling, namely: 1) Teachers and counselors are to guide and facilitate their development and use technology appropriately and wisely. 2) Teachers and counselors are to develop a Learning-Centered Approach Model in order that students are able to understand complex and dynamic world phenomenon. 3) Teachers and counselors are to utlize Face Book to support the effectiveness of guidance and counseling services in school. Keywords: Generation Z, Behavioral and Personality Characteristics, Teachers and Counselors Generation Z Who is it? Budi, a new little boy 6 years with an agile turn on the laptop and open the favorite online gaming site. He played games with serious like adults watching the news. His eyes barely blinking and full concentration. Occasionally he shouted in excitement, sometimes also complain annoyed. Very exciting. Eventually he tired too. Finally he opened the site youtube and watch his favorite cartoon Ultraman. Fun ... That phenomenon is happening around us today. It is not uncommon longer see small children can access the Internet. They also are accustomed to using mobile devices to call or sms. Even using a variety of modern gadgets like mp3, digital camera, tablet pc and the like have become their daily lives. Small children is very different this time with the children in our times. In Generation Theory known until now there are five generations, namely: (1) Generation of Baby Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, (2) Generation X, born 1965- 1980, (3) Generation Y, born from 1981 to 1994. Generation Z, born 1995-2010, and (5) Alpha Generation, born from 2011 to 2025. Generation Z (also called iGeneration, Net Generation, or Generation Internet) born of generations X and Generation Y. They were born and raised in the digital era, with a variety of complete and sophisticated technology, such as: computers / laptops, Mobile, iPads, PDAs, MP3 player, fuel, internet, and various other electronic devices. Since childhood, they already know (or may be introduced) and are familiar with a variety of sophisticated gadgets, which are directly or indirectly will affect the behavior and personality development. Taufiq Tuhana Andrianto in Jusuf AN (2011) estimates that in Indonesia will occur Generation Z boom around 2020. Generation Z (also known as Generation M for multitasking, Generation C for the Connected Generation, the Net Generation or the iGeneration) is a common name in the US and other Western nations for the group of people born roughly from the second half of the 1990s through to the late 2000s or early 2010's, a span of 15-20 years in the very late 20th and very early 21st Centuries. This generation is currently growing up in the 2010's decade, as children and younger teens, the which some citations show that the oldest members are entering adulthood as of 2012. Characteristics Generation Z Generation Z has behavioral and personality characteristics that are different from previous generations. Some common characteristics of Generation Z are: 1. Fluent Technology. They are the "digital generation" which will be devoted adept and information technology and various computer applications. They can access the information they need quickly and easily, either for educational purposes or the interests of their daily lives. 2. Social. They are very intense communicate and interact with everyone, especially with peers through various networking sites, such as FaceBook, twitter, or via SMS. Through this medium, they can express what he feels and thinks spontaneously. They also tend to be tolerant of cultural differences and are very concerned with the environment. 3. Multitasking. They are familiar with a variety of activities in the same time. They can read, talk, watch, or listen to music at the same time. They want things to be done and fast paced run. They do not want things that are long-winded and convoluted. These characteristics have two opposite sides, could Positive provide benefits for themselves and or lingkungannya- or actually even negative that can harm themselves and their environment. Generation Z Seven Core Personality Traits Neil Howe and William Strauss, best known for Reviews their book Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation (2000), identified the following seven core personality traits of the Net Generation's peer personality. 1) Special: The first members of the Millennial generation were born in the early 1980s as children of the subset of Boomer parents labeled "yuppies." Boomer dads started out by involving Themselves in the childbirth process; Attended childbirth courses and they were present at the births of Reviews their children. With the end of the Cold War, the national political focus was shifted to enhancing the development of children through educational systems. Enrichment programs such as Head Start Became popular during this time. 2) Sheltered: Parents and authority figures have this generation sheltered from harm. Efforts Reviews These have ranged from the Innocuous "Baby on Board" signs to the serious school safety changes made in the post-Columbine era (Debard, 2004; Howe & Strauss, 2003). Millennial generation Reviews their parents are concerned about children's safety and lobby for measures such as v-chip for television sets, metal detectors and security guards in schools, and spy cameras to monitor Reviews their babysitters. Younger students from the Millennial Generation are comfortable with significant parental involvement in their safety, the which is the opposite of the Gen Xers' experience. 3) Confident: Members of the Millennial Generation exude optimism and expect to hear good news (Debard, 2004; Lancaster & Stillman, 2002). Millennial generation teenagers believe that they (and their children) will be Able to Achieve the American Dream. They believe it is Easier to be a kid today than in their parents' time. They say they are optimistic about Reviews their chances of Obtaining good jobs, and many believe they will be more financially successful than Reviews their parents (Strauss & Howe, 2006). 4) Conventional: The Boomer parents of the Millennial generation rebelled against the conventional attitudes of Reviews their own parents. Members of the Millennial generation have a stronger connection to Reviews their parents and have Returned to more conventional values. Strauss and Howe (2006) report that Millennial generation teenagers and young adults are more Likely than any generation in history to share Reviews their parents' values. Debard (2004) says that members of the Millennial generation have learned to go along to get along, and they prefer not to take risks or be out of compliance with social rules. The Boomers defined social rules for the Millennial generation and they have had the power and resources to support Reviews those who Followed Reviews These rules. Codes of conduct, proper dress, and high-stakes proficiency testing are typical experiences of members of the Net Generation (Debard, 2004). 5) Team-oriented: In contrast to the disconnectedness of Generation X, the millennial generation members are connected to each other more than any previous generation. Millennial students like to congregate from, whether in person, on cell phones, or on the Internet (Debard, 2004). They seek out technology that helps them stay connected, such as instant messaging and social networking Web sites like Facebook. Teachers have capitalized on the idea of students Influencing each other in positive ways by having them work in groups and on academic teams. Academic teamwork is so common that Millennial generation students prefer to work in teams on academic projects individually Because they feel less pressure (Debard, 2004). 7) pressured: In addition to having an achievement focus, members of the Millennial generation feel pressure to perform (Debard, 2004). They believe that Reviews their long-term success hinges on the choices they make today; to them, success comes from a combination of planning and effort. In this sense, Millennial generation students feel a lot of pressure to do well on their exams and in other forms of evaluation (Strauss & Howe, 2006). High school students are aware that getting into college requires more than just good grades, so they fill with Extracurricular