engleski

Which are the most effective methods for teaching Management at a graduate level? – FEB students’ perceptions of individual teaching methods and teaching method bundles effectiveness

University lecturers reached the consensus that more outcome oriented and visual teaching is favoured by Generation Y. However, it is crucial to assess students’ perceptions as they determine how students approach their learning, and as a result affect learning outcomes. Consequently, we analyse what do students consider a high-performance student-focused environment. Our main premise is that Generation Y members prefer “digital” teaching approaches, such as e-learning, internet usage and visual elements, as well as “hands-on” opportunities, such as case studies and project work. In the theoretical part of the paper, previous empirical findings and conclusions about the effectiveness of different teaching methods (TM), as well as students’ preferences of teaching methods related to their generational membership and other demographic characteristics are reviewed. In the empirical part of the paper, the effectiveness of various teaching methods was assessed by 99 graduate program students in Management from the Faculty of Economics and Business – Zagreb. Students’ perceptions are explored through a comprehensive list of 52 individual TM, as well as through TM bundles obtained through a factor analysis. As well, respondents’ perceptions were related to their demographic characteristics (gender, undergraduate and graduate grade point average (GPA), (relevant) work experience, and extracurricular engagement). Results imply, first, that although it was expected that Generation Y students prefer “modern” tuition approaches, “traditional” teaching methods were assessed as more effective. The three most favourably prized individual TM and the two highest ranked TM bundles refer to lectures provided by university teachers using business examples and modern teaching aids. Secondly, students perceive that the least effective methods are passive lectures (lecturing without modern teaching aids or without involving students in discussions), as well as three indeed “modern” individual TM (writing blogs, media recording and student forums). Thirdly, only sporadic differences in respondents’ attitudes related to socio-economic variables were found. Altogether, our results suggest that for teaching Management to Generation Y members in Croatia the traditional lecture method is not obsolete, and that the role of ICT is overvalued.

teaching methods, teaching methods effectiveness, students’ perceptions, graduate management program, Croatia

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