Abstract
This study focuses on members of Generation Z, born from the mid-1990s until the end of the first decade of the current century into a world of technology, social networks, and a culture of immediate messaging. The study seeks to examine the effect of this generation’s pragmatic outlook both in general and in the context of acquiring a higher education, on trends involving registration for undergraduate studies. The Israeli system of higher education was chosen as a case study since the rate of Israelis with a higher education is among the highest in the world. Academic studies are perceived in Israel as a crucial milestone and an essential developmental stage in the life course of many young people. Data on the distribution of students among the different disciplines shall be analyzed by correlational examination of changes in these trends in the various degree levels from 2015-2020. The research findings show that from the mid-2010s a drop is evident in the number of undergraduate students. Moreover, a conspicuous increase is evident in the number of students in the fields of medicine and allied health professions, science and mathematics, engineering and architecture, which are considered applied fields, while a decline is evident in the social sciences, the humanities, law, and business administration. These findings point to the tendency of Generation Z to practical and technological studies more than fields considered less practical. The research conclusions call for implementing several regulatory steps in order to adapt the system of higher education to the characteristics and needs of Generation Z, such as expanding the professional training program in less practical disciplines, shortening the duration of studies in technological vocational departments, increasing the use of online teaching, and others.
Highlights
Over the years, the global system of higher education has experienced many varied changes
Some were connected to changes in the system’s scope and size, some to its academic contents, and others to transitions in patterns of teaching and research (Karen, 2002; Jansen, 2004; Kyvik, 2004; Kwiek, 2014). These changes were mostly affected by demographic shifts (Treadwell, 1992; Mizikaci & Baumgartl, 2007), factors related to socioeconomic status (Rodriguez-Hernandex, Cascallar & Kyndt, 2020; Ahn & Davis, 2020), and different technological developments (Cohen & Davidovitch, 2020; Rodrigues, Cerdeira, Machado-Taylor & Alves, 2021), which left their mark on the demand for higher education and on its various features
The registration trends in these years reflect, as stated, the tendencies of Generation Z, in the assumption that those registering for undergraduate studies are young people aged 20-25 who were born from 1995-2000, defined as the beginning of Generation Z
Summary
The global system of higher education has experienced many varied changes. Some were connected to changes in the system’s scope and size, some to its academic contents, and others to transitions in patterns of teaching and research (Karen, 2002; Jansen, 2004; Kyvik, 2004; Kwiek, 2014) These changes were mostly affected by demographic shifts (Treadwell, 1992; Mizikaci & Baumgartl, 2007), factors related to socioeconomic status (Rodriguez-Hernandex, Cascallar & Kyndt, 2020; Ahn & Davis, 2020), and different technological developments (Cohen & Davidovitch, 2020; Rodrigues, Cerdeira, Machado-Taylor & Alves, 2021), which left their mark on the demand for higher education and on its various features. It is a generation normally characterized by the desire to achieve clear and viable goals in as short a time as possible (Yamane & Kaneko, 2021) as well as by the tendency to implement frequent changes in various aspects of life, such as marital relations and family (Närvänen Kirvesmies & Kahri, 2020), employment and livelihood (Kick, Contacos-Sawyer & Thomas, 2015), and education and higher education (Seemiller & Grace, 2016)
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