Tailoring education for alpha learners: Harnessing learning styles for maximum learning outcomes

Purpose: Everyone learns in a different way, depending on what suits them best. Hence, this study explored the learning styles of Alpha learners as perceived by their parents and teachers, with a particular focus on identifying effective teaching techniques that promote engagement and academic success. Design/Methodology/Approach: This descriptive survey was conducted among 52 teachers and 403 parents in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. The participants were selected randomly, and a modified teaching-learning styles questionnaire, validated beforehand, was utilized. The collected data were analysed using the mean and standard deviation. Findings: Alpha learners preferred studying on the ground or a couch in various lighting and weather conditions. They pursued task completion and academic excellence while working on their own or under supervision, with external rewards as their motivation. Alpha learners sought consistency and moderate direction. They effectively studied without adult guidance, utilizing a diverse range of tools. Conclusions: Alpha learners exhibit diverse preferences in their learning environment, including seating, lighting, and weather. They are motivated by rewards from outside sources and make an effort for academic success. They like independent or supervised work. They study effectively without adult guidance, utilizing various tools. Effective techniques for Alpha learners include reading, writing, debating, watching, touching, and listening. Research Limitations/Implications: The study is subject to certain limitations, such as its restricted geographical coverage and dependence on self-reported perceptions. To enhance the validity and generalizability of the findings, larger and more diverse samples are required. Subsequent investigations ought to contemplate enlarging the sample size and broadening the participant pool to augment the credibility and universal relevance of the findings. Practical Implications: Clear instructions for parents, strategies to understand and manage children's traits, and personalized teaching can enhance Alpha learners' academic performance. Contribution to Literature: This research offers insights into Alpha learners' styles, preferences, and effective techniques, filling a literature gap. It informs educational practices for their engagement and academic success.

Effective teachers who are familiar with the concept of holistic child development may establish a differentiated learning strategy or style that is developmentally appropriate for each learner. On a daily basis, diverse learning styles or strategies are employed based on the requirements of the learners (Mellinger, 2018). Learning styles have evolved through generations and now need higher-level strategies. If the teacher is not adaptable, the learning methods used by the instructors to instruct the youngsters in this generation may not be successful. However, educators and parents may not grasp how the Alpha learner learns from several vantage points, including the physical environment, emotional, social, physiological, and psychological (Bamezor, Quaicoe, Forkuor, & Azumah, 2021;Feimster, McDow, & Mellinger, 2018). Learning styles are defined as the whole of the teacher's efforts to establish a learning environment that supports an efficient teaching-learning process (Slot, 2018). The preparation of the physical learning environment, the development of policies and procedures, the maintenance of learner focus and participation in class, and the setting of one's emotional, sociological, physiological, and psychological aspects of learning are some of the approaches involved in this (Erdoğan, Özcan, Budak, & Işık, 2020). Physical surroundings must be changed to better accommodate modern teaching techniques that emphasize the active participation of the students, Huseyin and Gönül (2020). Because kindergarteners lack self-control and are recognized for their incredibly active movements and other physical activities performed in a school, it follows that if Higher Education necessitates the alteration of the physical environment for the learners, how much more so with preschoolers? Baars et al. (2021) added that when creating learning environments, learners' viewpoints must be considered. Since enlarged reference groups lessen the importance of within-class social comparison and flexible learning spaces support students' ability to regulate their behavior and make decisions for themselves, openness in school environments can also increase students' motivation and learning (Prain et al., 2018). Architectural design, organizational structure, educational culture, and student dynamics are the additional four components that make up a school's learning environment (Bradbeer, 2021;Deed et al., 2020). Therefore, changing a building's architecture or furnishings is not enough to create flexible learning spaces in schools. The curriculum, educational climate, and basic values are all impacted by these changes. (Bradbeer, 2021;Prain, 2018). Irrespective of the teachers' chronological generation, this study was conducted to identify how crucial adaptability is for teachers when using teaching-learning methods to properly fulfill every generation's demands. Additionally, this will educate parents and teachers on the peculiarities of Alpha learners, enabling them to better comprehend and facilitate the ways their children are learning as they carry out and apply lessons. This study may also be beneficial to Teacher Education Institutions that provide Early Childhood Education programs to prepare pre service teachers for the teaching profession and to synchronize their teaching and learning methods with the current demands of learners.

Objectives of the Study
This study determined the learning styles of the Alpha learners. Specifically, this study involved the observations of the parents and teachers in terms of the learners' learning styles and stimuli, particularly the physical learning environment, emotional, sociological, physiological, and psychological aspects.

METHODOLOGY
In this investigation, a descriptive survey was used. This research employed a survey questionnaire that was modified from the Dunn and Dunn learning styles as cited by Dunn (1990). This tool was subjected to the scrutiny of experts and was content validated to determine its consistency. Preschool teachers and parents from the public northern portion of the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines, were randomly chosen as respondents using simple random sampling. Ten (10) of the twenty-three (23) districts that constitute the province were represented. Every preschool teacher was asked to take part in the survey, especially those who conducted online pupil feedback. Interviews with the parents and teachers were conducted to validate the data gathered through the questionnaire. Research ethics and protocols were followed in gathering the data. The level of learning styles of the Alpha learners was assessed in terms of the physical learning environment, emotional factors, sociological factors, physiological factors, and psychological aspects using the mean and standard deviation.  Table 1 shows the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of the physical learning environment as evaluated by their parents. The results show that the Alpha learners preferred a setting with some noise and low lights and adjusted themselves to a warm temperature since their experiences in the classroom and at home were the same. They are comfortable learning while lying on the floor or in bed. In their study, Göçen, Eral, and Bücük (2020) stressed the necessity for altering the physical environment to better accommodate modern teaching techniques that emphasize the active involvement of the pupils. Teachers should consider lighting and acoustics when planning the physical environment. Teachers can use music and lighting to create a warm environment that supports the numerous activities that happen during the day. To allow kids to play quietly and actively during center time, the block area, for instance, can be carpeted to absorb noise. The furniture and floor coverings in a well-designed physical environment delineate various activity areas with distinct physical and visual boundaries. These flooring options and furniture items ought to make it easier to design spaces that are both cozy and practical. These showed that the necessity of creating a physical learning environment for the students has a significant impact on the teaching-learning process (Frelin & Grannäs, 2022;Starkey, 2020). Becker and Lock (2021) described learning preferences in terms of the learning environment. They claimed that many learners prefer to learn in a quiet environment, a well-lit room, a cool temperature, sitting on comfortable chairs or pillows, and in a casual setting. Table 2 presents the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of emotional factors as evaluated by their parents. The results imply that, in terms of emotional factors, Alpha learners need external motivation to be successful in their tasks. Because working independently helps them develop their individuality, they occasionally prefer to work until a task is finished, and they occasionally want to win an academic award. Additionally, although some people succeed better with everyday chores, others need step-by-step directions. Many parents who participated in the interview stated that their children are adaptable to the tasks they are given depending on how to guide them, but they are extremely confident in the majority of their activities based on their observations. Additionally, Aksoy and Gresham (2020) reinforced the idea that social-emotional learning skills are a varied set of competencies that are important in a range of contexts for the learners' learning. The ability to approach peers with confidence and show empathy for them is among the abilities related to children's emotional development. Social-emotional learning competence is the capacity to comprehend, articulate, and manage one's emotional and social aspects of life in such a way as to successfully manage life's tasks, such as establishing relationships, learning, adapting to complex demands arising from development and growth, and resolving everyday issues. Additionally, Szeszulski et al. (2021) highlighted that most are self-motivated, preferring to study one lesson at a time, preferring to study without being reminded, and preferring to be told exactly what to do and how to accomplish it. Table 3 displays the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of sociological factors as evaluated by their parents. The early years of a child's life are crucial for their social development. The basis for future success is built on the social skills acquired during this period. However, the finding shows that most of the time, Alpha learners learn independently and without adult supervision. They occasionally also favor using technology or manipulatives to accomplish a variety of activities. But the parents made it clear in the interview that their children are adaptable. Their parents' guidelines for selfcontrol determine how they behave. Some parents reported that their children seem to have intrinsic knowledge in terms of technology and creativity in the manipulation of materials given to them based on their observations. Even for their first interaction with technology alone, they are neither apprehensive nor afraid to use it. In a recent study, Blair, McKinnon, and Daneri (2018) assessed how the Tools of the Mind curriculum affected the social-emotional competency of kindergarten and first-grade students. An early childhood curriculum and professional development program called Tools of the Mind (Tools) aims to support children's cognitive, social, and emotional development with a particular emphasis on executive function and self-regulation. According to the findings, the Tools of the Mind program was successful in boosting kindergarten students' self-control, socialemotional skills, and teacher relationships while lowering aggression, behavior issues, and emotional symptoms. Similar findings were made by Solomon et al. (2018) who discovered that preschoolers who participated in the Tools of Mind program improved more in terms of self-regulation. Additionally, preschoolers use and communicate different facets of their peers' cultures to their peers, mostly as a strategy to control their interactions (Burlakova & Klopotova, 2019). This accentuates the significance of subculture in the socialization of children. It is necessary to leverage the skills of adults, such as parents and teachers, to advance children's subculture. Table 4 exhibits the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of physiological factors as evaluated by their parents. According to the findings, Alpha learners can also be tactile, kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. They would rather not eat while studying. They can sit quietly while learning, and they learn best in the afternoon session. Parents claim that while kids generally enjoy eating, it depends on the activity that is assigned to them. Some people like to accomplish their chores before eating if they are focused on them, but others work while they eat.

Alpha Learners' Learning Style as Observed by Their Parents
On the other hand, as indicated in the table, the respondents prefer to learn in the afternoon because they can remain seated while attending to other duties. According to the conversation with the parents, the learners' behavior affects how well they succeed. When they are playing enjoyable games, they will undoubtedly sit for a long time, but when they become tired of the tasks they are given, they will undoubtedly wander. Contrarily, Grumiaux, Kitić, Girin, and Guérin (2022) stressed that most people prefer to learn by doing things, eating, or chewing while studying, preferring to study in the morning, and with fewer breaks and movements. However, a child's subculture most clearly reveals the qualities of their inner world, and this fact cannot be ignored in educational work with children (Lorenzo & Gallon, 2019;Shelshakova, 2021). Table 5 shows the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of psychological factors as evaluated by their parents. The findings showed that while Alpha learners tend to be impulsive most of the time, they may also be contemplative, global, and analytic. This means that when pupils are being taught or learning something new, they often respond quickly, whether their response is correct or incorrect. Other parents have noted that children frequently estimate the right answers, particularly when options like multiple choice, matching type, and other evaluation tools with options are provided. However, learners think differently when they are encouraged to reflect and reason through their responses. Dantas and Cunha (2020) stated that the bulk of individuals have analytical psychological preferences and prefer to learn sequentially and reflectively or take their time to make decisions. Cimermanová (2018) added that the most common learning styles are visual, sequential, reflective, sensory, global, active, intuitive, and verbal. Male students dominate active, intuitive, and global learning more than female students do. At least one couple in each ethnic group had a mean score for active, intuitive, and global that was higher. According to the findings, Alpha learners prefer neither calm nor a little noise most of the time when it comes to their learning styles in a physical learning environment. When it comes to lighting, they occasionally favor bright lights but generally prefer modest lights. The majority of the time, alpha learners prefer warm temperatures to cool ones while they are learning. Additionally, the Alpha learners love to study while lying on the floor or in bed most of the time, yet occasionally they prefer a desk, recliner, or table. Muhammad, Ume, Fiaz, and Muhammad (2021) asserted that a decent infrastructural facility always promotes academic preparedness. The learners' health, safety, sense of self, and psychological conditions were all impacted by factors such as clean and good air, good light, a small, comfortable, and safe setting, building age and condition, and maintenance quality, temperature, and color (El-Sabagh, 2021). Table 7 displays the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of emotional factors as evaluated by their teachers. According to the findings, Alpha learners are more motivated by outside rewards and prefer to work independently or follow the instructions. They also had the desire to achieve academically and work until they finished. Alpha learners also desire to be guided step-by-step and have a routine. Aksoy and Gresham (2020) additionally claimed that social-emotional learning skills are a diverse set of aptitudes that are crucial in a variety of classroom situations. Children's emotional development is related to their ability to communicate empathy to their peers and approach them with confidence. To successfully handle life's tasks, such as establishing connections, learning, adjusting to complicated demands coming from development and growth, and resolving day-to-day issues, one must have the ability to perceive, express, and regulate the emotional and social components of their existence. Alpha learners preferred to study alone and without adult guidance using their strategies and with various materials like storybooks or pictures, educational games, computers, tablets, or cellphones, videos or video clips, presentations, and other technologically related materials.

Alpha Learners' Learning Style as Observed by Their Teachers
To regulate their interactions, preschoolers use and convey different aspects of their peers' cultures to their peers (Rozi et al., 2020), who emphasized the significance of subculture in preschoolers' socialization. To promote children's cultures, adult skills must be utilized, such as those of parents and teachers. On the contrary, most learners prefer to study and learn in pairs, depending on the results of their study in terms of social preferences (Felder, 2020). Table 9 shows the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of physiological factors as evaluated by their teachers. Findings indicated that Alpha learners learned best from listening, discussing, reading, observing, touching, and writing. Surprisingly, they have no preference in terms of moving or doing anything. This may be the case because this generation is naturally curious, exploratory, and active learners. According to most early childhood philosophers throughout history, including Dewey, Montessori, and Froebel, children learn best by doing. The afternoon sessions are ideal for learning, and the students can remain still for extended periods while studying. The students would also like to eat and drink while they are learning or performing various chores. Learners were eager and motivated to learn while listening and talking (Halif et al., 2020). According to research, "Why?" is a question that kids frequently ask because they want further information. Explanation-seeking curiosity (ESC) is stimulated by first-person signals (such as novelty or surprise), third-person cues (such as a knowledgeable adult's shock or question), and future-oriented cues (such as expectations about information gain or future value). ESC is triggered when a sufficient explanation cannot be found, which is frequently accomplished by causal intervention or question-begging, both of which lose effectiveness as the process goes on (Chetty et al., 2019).  Table 10 presents the learning styles of Alpha learners in terms of psychological factors as evaluated by their teachers. The findings demonstrated that Alpha learners thought sequentially, flexibly, and conceptually. Additionally, learners frequently make snap judgments and must carefully consider their options. According to the researcher's observations, youngsters make decisions quickly, especially when offered options, but after some time they start to second-guess their choices. If they feel that their choice was incorrect, they are more likely to act out. Both global and analytical learners are conceivable. While the global learner sees the broad picture, or overall view, the analytical learner focuses on the components that make up the big picture. Global learners hear the "gist" of what is being said and quickly understand the key concept or problem. It could be difficult to remember the specifics (Sener & Çokçaliskan, 2018). The global student is interested in "how to accomplish it" when it comes to "what is supposed to be done" (Westby, 2019).

CONCLUSIONS
Parents observed that Alpha learners preferred a setting with some noise, dim lighting, and a warm temperature. They are most comfortable studying cuddled up on the floor or bed. In order to work effectively, they also require outside motivation. They develop independence through autonomous study and may decide to keep working until their duties are finished in order to obtain academic rewards. Additionally, Alpha learners like to do different kinds of tasks utilizing manipulatives or their gadgets, and they frequently study on their own without adult supervision. Alpha learners can also be kinesthetic, tactile, visual, and auditory. When learning, they would prefer not to eat. The afternoon session is when they can concentrate and learn the most. Alpha learners also tend to be impulsive in nature, despite the fact that they occasionally display reflection, global thinking, and analytical abilities. Teachers discovered that most Alpha learners equally preferred being on the ground or on a couch, in dim or bright lighting, or in warm weather. Additionally, Alpha learners prefer working independently or taking direction since they are motivated by rewards from outside sources. Along with finishing successfully, they also aspired to do well in school. They generally desire consistency and a little more direction. Moreover, Alpha learners tended to study well without parental supervision and with a variety of tools, including storybooks, illustrations, educational games, laptops, tablets, cellphones, films or video clips, presentations, and other technologically related products. Finally, reading, writing, debating, watching, touching, and listening were among the most effective learning techniques for Alpha learners.

IMPLICATION TO THEORY AND PRACTICE
To meet the needs of the current generation, school administrators may take the lead in curriculum improvement and encourage teachers to attend seminars, apply for graduate programs, or compare their programs to those at other institutions that use cutting-edge teaching methods. By attending seminars, enrolling in graduate programs, and continuing to study the methodologies and approaches in the teaching and learning styles of the current age, teachers can keep their knowledge up-to-date. Additionally, they may coordinate their instructional methodologies, materials, assessments of student learning, and other requirements with the needs of the students. Teachers need to give parents clear instructions regarding their level of participation and restrictions in the teaching-learning process. To properly meet the demands of their children, they should also receive instruction on how to deal with and manage the personalities of the current generation.