iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us

by Jean M. Twenge

iGen’ers in the Classroom iGen’ers are different, and college faculty and staff are beginning to notice. Millennials marched onto college campuses with optimism, confidence, and a strong sense of entitlement. Faculty encountered students who expected A’s just for showing up, who argued strenuously over grades, and who believed they deserved special treatment. The story is different for iGen’ers: growing up in the shadow of the Great Recession, iGen’ers expect less and display less narcissism and entitlement. iGen’ers are more pessimistic and less confident than Millennials, with students now more willing to work hard and less likely to vociferously question their grades. On the other hand, iGen’ers are more hesitant to talk in class and to ask questions—they are scared of saying the wrong thing and not as sure of their opinions. (When McGraw-Hill Education polled more than six hundred college faculty in 2017, 70% said students were less willing to ask questions and participate in class than they were five years ago.) It takes more reassurance and trust to get them to actively participate in class.