The aim of this research was to re-investigate, explore and analyze the new characteristics of Hungarian Netgeneration. (In this case, we use this term to labeling students born after 2006.) This paper offers empirical data on several features and characteristics of Hungarian students (13-17 years old).
Overview
There are many debates among educational researchers about the phenomenon 'Digital natives' since Prensky's first article (Prensky, 2001). Many critical studies have been published in the literature, with more founded arguments (Helsper, E. J. & Eynon, R. (2010); Zur, O., & Walker, A. (2011); ).
We are agree with Kischner's statement: "As has been shown, there is quite a large body of evidence showing that the digital native does not exist nor that people, regardless of their age, can multitask. This corpus of research also shows that though learners in this generation have only experienced a digital connected world, they are not capable of dealing with modern technologies in the way which is often ascribed to them (i.e., that they can navigate that world for effective and efficient learning and knowledge construction)." Kirschner, P. A. & De Bruyckere, P. (2017). Several studies have analyzed the learning habits of Digital Natives or so-called Net generation students in recent years (Gallardo-Echenique1, E. E., Marqués-Molías, L., Bullen, M. and Strijbos, J-W. (2015); Cilliers, (2017); Shtepura, A. (2018); Zenios, M. & Ioannou, E. (2018); Dastane & Haba, (2023); Fleury, S. & Richir, S. (2023)), however, few large-scale studies analyze the change during and after the Covid-19 situation.
In our recent research project, we investigate the change in so-called 'Netgeneration' students in comparison to the Netgeneration-2010 study (has been conducted in Hungary, 2010).
The main research questions were the following:
How did ICT and Internet usage habits and skills change for these students (compared to preliminary research Netgeneration 2010)?
How do they relate to new social media applications (Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram etc.)?
How did they feel ourself during online learning (Covid-era)? What is their opinion regarding this type of learning?
Are they reading more digitally than traditional paper-based sources (books etc.?
What type of evidence can be found about the digital creativity of this generation (webpages, blogs, youtube channels etc.)?

Samples and methods of the study: This study is based on data from two large-scale research projects at the end of 2022. The sample of the first one (called Netgeneration 2022A) composed of 1200 respondents (N=1200, 46% is female) was representative (by gender, age and school-type) of Hungarian students between 13-16 in 2022. An email invitation, with the link to the students' questionnaire, was sent to the school principals, whose emails were chosen from the Hungarian schools’ database. The online questionnaire was available from September 2022 to the beginning of November 2022. The second sample (called Netgeneration 2022B) consists of 3447 students (N=3447, 45% is female) between 13-17, with convenience sampling. This online questionnaire was available from the mid-November of 2022 to the end of 2022. (The respondents filled out questionnaires voluntarily and anonymously.) We assumed (one of our hypotheses), that this sample will not differ significantly from the first representative one. We have used the online questionnaire (Google Form), mostly the same as 2010 research with updated questions about mobile learning and online learning during Covid19-era. The revised questionnaire was divided into seven sections (45 questions): 1. Demographics: age, gender, school place and type, family background etc. 2. ICT tools used (and owned) by participants. 3. Internet and computer usage habits of students (a five-point likert-scale format questions) 4. Learning habits, favorite subjects in school etc. 5. Using smart devices in learning/mobile learning. 6. Reading habits of participants. (with some open-ended questions) 7. Questions about the leisure time of students. (with some open-ended questions again). The collected data is processed with the following software: R Statistics and R Programming Environment. Among several statistical methods applied, clustering is planned to classify the students based on their habits regarding the use of ICT, mobile devices, internet sources etc. At the beginning of 2023, we plan to expand the collected data through personal interviews. The results will be presented in the conference presentation.

The results of this study show that Netgeneration students have changed since 2010 in many ways. The most significant change is the decreased usage computer/notebooks, because students prefer smart mobile overall. It has advantages and disadvantages also, the pro is just always online feeling and fast access to the sources; the cons, for example, an inadequate solution for solving problems in many situations. Here we mention just some results: 99% of respondents have internet access at home, mostly broadband or mobile. Students' internet usage: 46% more than 5 hours per day, 36% more than 2 hours per day. More than 60% use the internet by smartphone, in most cases. About 65% prefer online learning in opposition to traditional face-to-face learning. The most popular websites/applications for this generation are the following: Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, Youtube, Netflix, Messenger, Wikipedia. 56% of students answered liked reading. (Girls' result is significantly better: 73%, p<0.05) One of the consequences is that they use primarily online sources in many situations, most uncritically. We have found some significant differences between boys and girls in several questions. To finish, our results show that serious re-evaluation of teaching and learning methods are necessary in schools to increase students' performance and well-being. This study provides teachers and researchers a better understanding of this generation and presents empirical evidence that students' requirements for learning have significantly changed.

Cilliers, E. J. (2017). The challenge of teaching Generation Z, International Journal of Social Sciences, 3(1), pp. 188-198. Dastane, O., & Haba, H. F. (2023). The Landscape of Digital Natives Research: A Bibliometric and Science Mapping Analysis, FIIB Business Review David, H. (2022). Digital immigrants, digital natives and digital learners: Where are we now? Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 10(2), pp. 159-172. Fehér, P. & Hornyák, J. (2011). 8 hours of work, 8 hours of relaxation, 8 hours of fun, or the Experiences of the Netgeneration 2010 Research (in Hungarian), Ollé, J. (ed.): III. Education and Information Technology Conference Proceedings. Budapest. pp. 101-109. Fleury, S. & Richir, S. (2023). The End of The Digital Generation Gap. J Ergonomics Stud Res 2: 101 Gallardo-Echenique1, E. E., Marqués-Molías, L., Bullen, M. and Strijbos, J-W. (2015). Let’s Talk about Digital Learners in the Digital Era, International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning 16(3), pp. 156-187. Helsper, E. J. & Eynon, R. (2010). Digital Natives: Where Is the Evidence? British Educational Research Journal 36(3), pp. 1-18. Kirschner, P. A. & De Bruyckere, P. (2017). The myths of the digital native and the multitasker, Teaching and Teacher Education 67, pp. 135-142. Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, From On the Horizon, MCB University Press, 9(5) pp. 1-6. Shtepura, A. (2018). The Impact of Digital Technology on Digital Natives’ Learning: American Outlook Comparative Professional Pedagogy 8(2), pp. 128-133. Zenios, M. & Ioannou, E. (2018). Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants Revisited: A Case of CALL In book: Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Learning and Teaching, pp. 99–110. Zur, O., & Walker, A. (2011). On Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives: How the Digital Divide Affects Families, Educational Institutions, and the Workplace, Zur Institute - Online Publication. http://www.zurinstitute.com/digital_divide.html