From Generation Z to Generation Alpha: A Comparison of Personality Types and Learning Styles in Elementary Students

Abstract

Do Generation Alpha learners differ from Generation Z? This study compared the two generations at the same developmental stage, assessing upper-elementary students in South Korea 20 years apart—Generation Z in 2006 (N = 195) and Generation Alpha in 2026 (N = 267)—with identical instruments: the Murphy–Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) and the Grasha–Riechmann learning style scale. Three layers of change emerged. First, means shifted significantly on all four personality dimensions (|d| = 0.28–0.49): Generation Alpha moved toward Introversion, Thinking, and Judging, and the dominant pole on Sensing–Intuition reversed from Intuition to Sensing; collaborative learning preference also increased, and two new personality–learning style correlations emerged. Second, variance expanded significantly on all four dimensions (variance ratios = 1.62–2.18). Third, a learner model calibrated on Generation Z (2006) data misclassified Generation Alpha (2026) learners more often on every dimension, reaching a majority (58.4%) on Sensing–Intuition. Findings show that learner characteristics—both means and dispersion—cannot be assumed stable across generations and call for periodically recalibrated, probabilistic, teacher-in-the-loop measurement, particularly in special and inclusive education, where decisions depend directly on individual-difference information.