ERIC Number: EJ1102970
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0363-4523
EISSN: N/A
FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: Hoverboards and "Hovermoms": Helicopter Parents and Their Influence on Millennial Students' Rapport with Instructors
Frey, T. Kody; Tatum, Nicholas T.
Communication Education, v65 n3 p359-361 2016
Popular culture is all too familiar with the notion of the helicopter parent. This suffocating sheltering extends students' adolescence and delays the development of independence (Price, 2010), causing millennials to rely on their parents for financial stability (White, 2015) and emotional support (Raphelson, 2014). Even in the midst of transitioning to college, millennial students "are often exceedingly close to their parents, who assume participatory roles in their children's educational pursuits" (Elam, Stratton, & Gibson, 2007, p. 22). Because college years are a complex period traditionally defined by familial, interpersonal, academic, and organizational relationships (Terenzini et al., 1994), a constant, overbearing parental presence may affect students' expectations for their relationship with their instructors. This increased sheltering of millennial students may ultimately lead to changing student needs, including a greater focus on the instructor-student relationship, and specifically, rapport (Jorgenson, 1992). If helicopter parents are truly delaying the growth, maturity, and relational expectations of their dependent children through constant hovering and ultraprotective parenting, future research needs to extend what is known about the importance of instructor-student rapport. Brownstein (2000) claimed that millennials are "poised for greatness on a global scale" (p. 71). By adapting instructional research to reflect the characteristics and values of this generation, instructional scholars will conduct better research, provide more practical findings, and offer a scholarly means by which we can help these students meet their great potential. [For the other essays in this forum: (1) FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: Scripting Knowledge and Experiences for Millennial Students (Angela M. Hosek, Scott Titsworth, EJ1102964); (2) FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: "Me"llennials and the Paralysis of Choice: Reigniting the Purpose of Higher Education (Marjorie M. Buckner and Michael G. Strawser, EJ1102967 ); (3) FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: Managing Imposter Syndrome among the "Trophy Kids": Creating Teaching Practices that Develop Independence in Millennial Students (Kirstie McAllum, EJ1102980); (4) FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: Millennial Students in the College Classroom: Adjusting to Academic Entitlement (Zachary W. Goldman and Matthew M. Martin, EJ1102950); and (5) FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: Teaching Communication to Emerging Adults (Paula S. Tompkins, EJ1102974). Responses include: (1) FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: Millennials, Teaching and Learning, and the Elephant in the College Classroom (Sherwyn P. Morreale and Constance M. Staley, EJ1102955); and (2) FORUM: Instructional Communication and Millennial Students: The Power of Language: A Constitutive Response to Millennial Student Research (Kyle C. Rudick and Scott Ellison, EJ1102961).]
Descriptors: Parent Student Relationship, Teacher Student Relationship, Parent Influence, Parent Participation, Parenting Styles, Student Development, Generational Differences, Evidence Based Practice, Research Needs, Student Experience, Curriculum Development, Delivery Systems, Educational Practices
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative; Collected Works - General
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A