A Deep Dive Into Gen Alpha’s Learning Gap

Written by: Arlo Hoover Graphic by: Jazmmin Bernal

Generation Alpha, born into a digital era, risks being left behind in an ever-growing sea of knowledge. As these kids born in 2013-2025 continue to mature, are they being appropriately prepared for the challenges they will face in the future? What is causing Gen Alpha to lie so far below the average, and why? 

An elementary Reading Specialist who works closely with students who are struggling to learn how to proficiently read. In an effort to explain Gen Alpha’s reading gap, they say,

“COVID has a huge part in these students’ issues. Many of the kindergarteners in 2020, especially.”

In agreement with them, another reading specialist states,

“There was a pretty big dip academically after COVID. Many of those kids didn’t attend preschool, meaning they didn’t get that frontload in education.”

Specialists stress the important role that parents play in early learning, and many did not try. Society is different, which changes parents, which changes kids.

Showing that differences in parenting can in turn affect how children learn in the classroom. Yet, even with these two reasons: COVID and parenting, further research has another justification to add to the specialist’s Insight. 

The Whole Language Learning (WLL) model was a popular teaching method in the 1980’s-1990’s but has since been widely disproven. WLL attempts to teach kids how to read by recognizing words as a whole part of language rather than broken down into letters and sounds. WLL is still taught in 72% of schools according to a 2019 Education Week Research Center survey, leaving the more practical Phonics System to only 28%. Phonics, as taught at Explorer, is a much more effective way of teaching. Specialists say

“100% of kids can understand phonics, but only about 70% can understand whole learning, leaving 30% of those kids in the dust.”

Phonics allows students to build knowledge off of letters, while WLL teaches specific words, causing the rules of English to become confusing for young kids who have no previous example of linguistics. Along with the difference in teaching methods, screen time can negatively affect development. 

The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development found a long-lasting connection between early screen time and future cognitive abilities. The study shows that every one-hour daily increase in screen time for a two-year-old corresponds to a 7% decrease in-class participation and, additionally a 6% decrease in math proficiency in fourth grade. These statistics, however, depend on how screen time is used. 

Media multitasking is a child's simultaneous use of different media. This is proven to directly affect sustained attention. Dr. Nicole Beurkins, a child psychologist, suggests that

“Constantly switching between media activities can overload the brain, making it challenging to… maintain concentration.”

Studies have shown that excessive screen time can negatively affect kids when the technology is not used for educational purposes. As Gen Alpha engages in media multitasking time and time again, this digital immersion raises concerns about potential behavioral problems that may emerge as consequences of their evolving learning environment. 

As Gen Alphas’ learning environment undergoes significant changes, consideration of their behavioral patterns reveals noteworthy challenges that demand adult attention. Reading Specialists mention,

“I do see a lack of respect, and students are just not afraid of consequences.” others concur stating, “They don’t fear authority anymore like I used to as a kid.”

Gen Alpha presents a common lack of respect. These kids spend so much time online, providing them less time for learning social skills like saying “please” and “thank you” and being respectful. So much of Gen Alpha’s socialization is online, causing the development of social cues to be stunted. Technology has many downfalls, not just limited to behavior, but to attention span. 

Today, according to the National Library of Medicine, attention span has dropped on average around 30%, and has gone from 12 seconds in Millennials, to 8 seconds in Gen Z, and finally, a predicted mere 5 seconds for Gen Alpha. A main reason for this extremely low attention span is access to technology. Humans innately crave instant gratification, and many social platforms are programmed to provide such. The younger generation’s use of social media provides them with constant bursts of serotonin, which they unhealthily crave in day-to-day life, causing attention span issues.

In conclusion, Gen Alpha’s evolving landscape with challenges of learning, behavior, and attention span continues to grow. Proactive intervention is essential to influence our world's future leaders.