Motivation for Online Education of Members of Gen Z Based on their Gender

Abstract

Generation Z includes the largest group of pupils and students affected by the crisis of educational interactions caused by the measures against the Covid-19 spread. In addition, researchers consider the cohort to be the most affected globally by events such as the economic, climate and security crisis, the reorganization of traditions or the digitization. Thanks to these factors, these individuals move to the virtual world, where they focus primarily on their own interests. However, these factors also support flexibility and responsibility. Thus, the conditions for online education should be ideal for this generation, thanks to which the motivation for education could be increased. The research is based on 336 questionnaire surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021, the participants of which were primary school pupils, secondary school students and university students from Prague and the Central Bohemian, South Bohemian and Ústí nad Labem Regions who belong to the Z generation according to their date of birth. The aim of the article is to evaluate the motivation and incentives for the education of Generation Z representatives with an emphasis on their gender using the following criteria: a crisis situation, parents, teachers, importance of education, further education and online education preferences. In the case of both groups, the year-on-year approach to these criteria has undergone significant changes towards the differences widening. Moreover, the high correlation of all the factors examined in relation to gender confirmed its important role in the motivation for education.