Generation Z Teachers’ Reflective Thinking Skills

Abstract

Thousands of teachers join the profession every year and meet a generation that challenges the system. This study aims to examine teachers’ reflective thinking skills in the face of Generation Z. A phenomenology design was used in the study, which was designed was used in the study designed according to the qualitative model. Semi-structured interview questions were asked to the study group of 22 teachers working in Istanbul. The thematic structure determination form developed within the scope of the research was used as a data collection tool, and the data obtained were subjected to content analysis in the MAXQDA 2022 program. The findings revealed that Generation Z forces teachers to exhibit reflective thinking skills in the classroom and in the teaching-learning process. It is possible to say that the new generation is a driving force for teachers to develop this skill. This situation is thought to be due to “the characteristics of the generation individuals” and “the theoretical education received at the university is weak on teachers’ reflective thinking skills in practice”. The study’s results support the view that today’s teachers are students of the new generation. At the end of the research, some suggestions were made.