Parents’ Views of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Generation Alpha: A Descriptive Study

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 439 - 448, 21.06.2023

Vildan Apaydın Cırık , Bahar Aksoy

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is a turning point for Generation Alpha. This study was conducted to determine parents’ views of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their Generation Alpha children.

Material and Method: This descriptive, comparative, and cross‐sectional study was conducted on 395 parents of Generation Alpha children between January 10 and March 10, 2021. Data were collected using a parent and child sociodemographic form and a questionnaire for generation alpha during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics and paired sample t-test were used for analysis. Effect size was calculated using Cohen's d method.

Results: Less than a quarter of the parents stated the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their children was “fear” (22.8%). Less than half the parents noted that the positive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their children was “togetherness” (39.5%). According to parents, their Generation Alpha children spent significantly more time on social media (t = -8.647, p<0.001, effect size = 0.70) and watching TV (t = -9.324, p<0.001, effect size = 0.70) during the pandemic than before the pandemic.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic will shape the life and transform the characteristics of the members of Generation Alpha. Authorities should provide parents with training and counseling about Generation Alpha. Moreover, professionals and educators should provide Generation Alpha children with education and career guidance to help them shape their own future.

Keywords

Child, COVID-19, generations, pandemic, parent

COVID-19 Pandemisinin Alfa Kuşağı Üzerindeki Etkisine İlişkin Ebeveyn Göürşleri: Tanımlayıcı Çalışma

Abstract

Amaç: COVID-19 pandemisi, alfa kuşağı için bir dönüm noktasıdır. Bu çalışma, ebeveynlerin COVID-19 pandemisinin alfa kuşağı çocukları üzerindeki etkisine ilişkin görüşlerini belirlemek için yapılmıştır.

Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu tanımlayıcı, karşılaştırmalı ve kesitsel araştırma, 10 Ocak- 10 Mart 2021 tarihleri arasında alfa kuşağı çocuğuna sahip 395 ebeveyn ile yürütülmüştür. Veriler, araştırmacılar tarafından hazırlanan “Ebeveyn ve Çocuk Sosyo-demografik Form” ve “COVID-19 Sürecinde Alfa Kuşağı Tanıtım Formu” ile toplanmıştır. Veri analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler ve eşleştirilmiş örneklem t testi kullanılmıştır. Etki büyüklüğü Cohen's d yöntemi ile hesaplanmıştır.

Bulgular: Ebeveynlerin dörtte birinden azı, COVID-19 pandemisinin çocukları üzerindeki olumsuz etkisini “korku” olduğunu belirtmiştir (%22,8). Ebeveynlerin yarısından azı, COVID-19 pandemisinin çocukları üzerindeki olumlu etkisini “beraberlik” (%39,5) olduğunu belirtmiştir. Ebeveynlerine göre alfa kuşağının COVID-19 pandemisi sırasında bir günde sosyal medyada ve televizyonda harcadıkları zaman ortalamalarının COVID-19 pandemisi öncesine göre daha yüksek olduğu ve aradaki farkın istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olduğu belirlenmiştir, sırasıyla (t = -8,647, p < 0,001, etki büyüklüğü = 0,70; t = -9,324, p < 0,001, etki büyüklüğü = 0,70).

Sonuç: COVID-19 sürecinin gelecekte alfa kuşağının yaşantısını şekillendireceği ve alfa kuşağının özelliklerini değiştirebileceği ifade edilebilir. Yetkililer, ebeveynlere alfa kuşağı hakkında eğitim ve danışmanlık sağlamalıdır. İlaveten, sağlık profesyonelleri ve eğitimciler, alfa kuşağı çocuklarına kendi geleceklerini şekillendirmelerine yardımcı olmak için eğitim ve kariyer rehberliği sağlamalıdır.

Keywords

Çocuk, COVID-19, kuşaklar, pandemi, ebeveyn

References

• dos Reis TA. Study on the alpha generation and the reflections of its behavior in the organizational environment. Quest Journals J Res Humanit Soc Sci. 2018;6(1):9-19.
• Nagy A, Kölcsey A. Generation alpha: Marketing or science? Acta Technologica Dubnicae. 2017;7(1):107-15.
• Alpha [Internet]. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press; 2021 [cited 2021 Jan 9]. Available from: https:// https://www. oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/alpha?q=alpha.
• Stefanov S, Terziev V, Banabakova V. The undertsanding of security in the postmodern society. IJASOS. 2019;4(12):570-79.
• Tootell H, Freeman M, Freeman A. Generation alpha at the intersection of technology, play and motivation. In: Sprague Jr RH, editor. 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS); 2014 Jan 6-9; Waikoloa, USA; 2014. p. 82-90. English.
• Berkowitz D. 13 Things to know about the alpha generation [Internet]. [2016 Jan] - [cited 2021 Jan 19]. Available from: https://adage.com/article/digitalnext/13-things-alpha-generation/302366.
• Toledo P, Albuquerque R, Magalhães, A. O Comportamento da geração z e a ınfluencia nas atitudes dos professores. Simpósio de Excelência em Gestão e Tecnologia; 2012 Oct 24-26; Penedo da Saudade, Portugal; 2012. p. 1-15. Portuguese.
• Williams A. Meet alpha: The next ‘next generation’[Internet]. [2015 Sep] - [cited 2021 Jan 19]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/fashion/meet-alpha-the-next-next-generation.html.
• McCrindle M. Beyond Z: Meet generation alpha. In: McCrindle M, Wolfinger E, editors. The ABC of XYZ: understanding the global generations. 3th ed. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press Ltd; 2014. p. 218-22.
• Kayıkçı YM, Bozkurt KA. Generation z and alpha in digital age, artificial intelligence and reflections on tourism. Social Sciences Texts. 2018;1:54-64.
• Schawabel D. 5 predictions for generation alpha [Internet]. [2014 Jul] - [cited 2021 Jan 20]. Available from: https://danschawbel.com/ blog/5-predictions-for-generation-alpha/.
• Raja MAS, Gurung DJ, Vincent TN. Market segmentation framework for generation alpha cohorts. Productivity. 2021;62(3):248-54.
• Carter CM. The complete guide to generation alpha, the children of millennials [Internet]. [2016 Dec] - [cited 2021 Feb 25]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecarter/2016/12/21/ the-complete-guide-togeneration- alpha-the-children-ofmillennials/# 757e337e3623.
• Bennett S, Maton K, Kervin L. The digital natives debate: A critical review of the evidence. Br J Educ Technol. 2008;39(5):775-86.
• Kaynak A. X, y, z are not enough; get some alpha [Internet]. [2017 Apr] - [cited 2021 Feb 25]. Available from: http://www.mediacatonline. com/x-y-z-yetmez-biraz-da-alfa-olsun /.
• Kryvachuk L. The influence of political processes and the war in Ukraine on the formation of generation alpha and the igeneration (Z): Defining specific features. Nowa Polityka Wschodnia. 2022;2(33):66- 89.
• Rywczyńska A, Jaroszewski P. Internet zabawek. Wsparcie dla rozwoju dziecka czy zagrożenie. NASK Państwowy Instytut Badawczy; Warszawa; 2018. p. 1-52. Polish.
• Digital kids [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2022 Dec 14]. Available from: https://www.goethe.de/ins/pl/pl/kul/med.html.
• Holroyd J. Talkin' 'bout my label [Internet]. [2011 Jul] - [cited 2021 Feb 25]. Available from: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/healthand- wellness/talkin-bout-my-label-20110720-1ho7s.html.
• McCrindle M, Fell A. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the emerging generations [Internet]. [2020 May] - [cited 2021 Feb 20]. Available from: https://generationalpha.com/.
• Huckins JF, DaSilva AW, Wang W, Hedlund E, Rogers C, Nepal SK, Wu J, et al. Mental health and behavior of college students during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal smartphone and ecological momentary assessment study. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(6):e20185.
• Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, Zhang L, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020;395(10223):497-506.
• Tang W, Hu T, Hu B, Jin C, Wang G, Xie C, Chen S, et al. Prevalence and correlates of PTSD and depressive symptoms one month after the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in a sample of home-quarantined Chinese university students. J Affect Disord. 2020;274:1-7.
• Acar MD, Ünal ŞÇ. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalized children and pediatric nurse’s roles. J. TOGU Health Sci. 2022;2(2):202-10.
• Di Giuseppe M, Miniati M, Miccoli M, Ciacchini R, Orrù G, Sterzo RL, et al. Defensive responses to stressful life events associated with cancer diagnosis. Mediterr J Clin Psychol. 2020;8(1):1-22.
• Nadeak B. The effectiveness of distance learning using social media during the pandemic period of COVID-19: A case in Universitas Kristen Indonesia. IJAST. 2020;29(7):1764-72.
• Ziatdinov R, Cilliers J. Generation Alpha: Understanding the next cohort of university students. Eur J Contemp Educ. 2021;10(3):783-89.
• Lau EY, Lee K. Parents’ views on young children’s distance learning and screen time during COVID-19 class suspension in Hong Kong. Early Educ Dev. 2020;32(6):863–880.
• Rose A, Thomas MR. Critical factors in the selection of educational toys for generation alpha. Specialusis Ugdymas. 2022;1(43):5199-218.
• Alfianto AG, Jayanti ND. Pisang gen alfa: A smartphone application to reduce parenting stress for parents with alpha generations. Media Keperawatan Indonesia. 2020;3(3):121-28.
• Chew NW, Lee GK, Tan BY, Jing M, Goh Y, Ngiam NJ, Yeo L, et al. A multinational, multicentre study on the psychological outcomes and associated physical symptoms amongst healthcare workers during COVID-19 outbreak. Brain Behav Immun. 2020;88:559-65.
• Çaykuş ET, Çaykuş TM. Ways to promote children’ resiliency to the COVID-19 pandemic suggestions for families, teachers and mental health specialists. Eurasian Journal of Researches in Social and Economics. 2020;7(5):95-113.
• Mart M, Kesicioğlu OS. Parents’ opinion to play at home during COVID-19 pandemic. Electronic Turkish Studies. 2020;15(4):945-58.
• Wang C, Pan R, Wan X, Tan Y, Xu L, Ho CS, Ho RC. Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. Int J Environ. 2020;17(5):1729-30.
• Brown SG. After gen z, meet gen alpha. What to know about the generation born 2010 to today. [Internet]. [2020 Feb] - [cited 2021 Jan 19]. Available from: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/ story/gen-meet-gen-alpha-generation-born-2010-today-68971965.
• Apaydin Ç, Kaya F. An analysis of the preschool teachers' views on alpha generation. Eur J Educ. 2020;6(11):123-41.
• Polit D, Beck C. Essentials of nursing research: Appraising evidence for nursing practice. 7th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2018.
• Polit D, Beck C, Owen S. Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations. Res Nurs Health. 2007;30(4):459-67.
• Google Privacy Policy. Privacy policy [Internet]. [2021 Jan] - [cited 2021 Jan 20]. Available from: https://policies.google.com/ privacy?hl=tr/.
• Cohen L, Manion L, Morrison K. Research methods in education. 6th ed. Routledge; 2007.
• Twenge JM. iGen: Dlaczego dzieciaki dorastające w sieci są mniej zbuntowane, bardziej tolerancyjne, mniej szczęśliwe-i zupełnie nieprzygotowane do dorosłości-i co to oznacza dla nas wszystkich. Poland: BookLab Literary Agency; 2020. p. 6-42. Polish.
• Fletcher H. Generation alpha: preparing for the future consumer [Internet]. [2019] [cited 2021 Feb 20]. Available from: https://gertkoot. files.wordpress.com/2019/10/wtc-generation-alpha-2019.pdf.
• Chitra A. Impact of socio economic status of parents’ on the emotional intelligence of generation alpha kids. IJLTEMAS. 2020;9(5):46-49.
• Sima C. Generations BB, X, Y, Z, α –the changing consumer in the hospitality industry. In: Ivanova M, Ivanov S, Magnini V, editors. Routledge handbook of hotel Chain management. 1th ed. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group; 2016; p. 471-79.
• Apaydın CV, Aksoy, B. Knowledge levels of nurses about child and adult generations: Descriptive Study. Turkiye Klinikleri J Nurs Sci. 2022;14(3):690-701.
• Fisk P. Rise of “Generation Alpha” … how the children of today’s global pandemic will shape our future through their lockdown experiences [Internet]. [2020 Sep] - [cited 2022 Dec 15]. Available from: https://www.peterfisk.com/2020/09/rise-of-generation-alphahow- the- children-of-todays-global-pandemic-will-shape-our-futurethrough- their-lockdown- experiences/.