How Adults Learn

Learning Theory

Teaching Adults: Andragogy

Adult Learning Theory

Andragogy is one of the pivotal theories that educational leaders integrate into their Learning & Development (L&D) programs. However, there are a couple of dominant questions that remain a mystery to many educational practitioners such as how it is different from pedagogical principles and what are andragogical principles?

Here is a quick overview of Andragogy vs. Pedagogy:

History of Andragogy

Andragogy, the art and science of helping adults learn (Knowles, 1968, 1980), has been alternately described as "a set of guidelines" (Merriam, 1993), "a philosophy" (Pratt, 1993), "a set of assumptions" (Brookfield, 1986), and "a theory" (Knowles, 1989; Knowles et al., 2015). It is not solely limited to one particular field of study or even the classroom context. It has been used in almost any context where an adult may be conceived as a learner, including business, education, religion, athletics, and law (Shostak et al., 2022).

Alexander Kapp, a German high school teacher, first used the word "Andragogy" in 1833 to describe lifelong learning and the importance of self-reflection and life experience in learning. In the United States, Lindeman was the first to write about Andragogy and its application to teaching adults (Shostak et al., 2022). Malcolm Shephard Knowles, the executive director of the Adult Education Association of the United States of America, was the first to bring Andragogy to the forefront in the 1960s in the United States (Shostak et al., 2022) in an attempt to document the differences between the learning approaches of adults and children (Knowles et al., 2015). Observing an unusually high rate of school dropout for adult learners motivated him to study the roots and causes of learners' dissatisfaction in adult education programs. He noticed that learners' self-concept was a dependent recipient of information and teachers were continuing to use pedagogical approaches (Knowles, 1984). Given the tremendous contributions of his work, Knowles is often considered the father of adult education (e.g. Fornaciari and Lund Dean, 2014; Giannoukoset al., 2015; Watts, 2015).

Andragogy vs. Pedagogy

What are the differences between Andragogy and Pedagogy?
Andragogical
(Teaching or Leading Adults)		 Pedagogical
(Teaching or Leading Children)
Learner is depending on self. The method requires self-evaluation and direction and self takes responsibility for the process. Learner is dependent on the teacher. Teacher is the one who evaluates progress and assumes full responsibility for what is taught and its efficacy.
Learner uses life experience as a foundation. Instructors build on existing knowledge and require an understanding of diverse backgrounds. Adults learn from the instructor, but also from one another. Learner comes to the table with little life experience. Child-like learning comes with a blank slate and the educator is one of the most influential figures, as peers likely have the same lack of experience.
Learning is triggered by any number of life experiences and not necessarily led by a designated instructor. Learners don't advance to another topic, but rather fill knowledge gaps where needed. Students advance once they have completed the necessary steps. Child learners are told what they need to do to master a topic in order to move onto the next one.
Learning is prescribed by self. Learners see a problem or knowledge gap and organize topics around life/work solutions. Learning is prescribed by an instructor and sequenced in a way that makes logical sense. Topics are broken down into content units.
Learners are motivated by intrinsic means: self-esteem, quality of life, problem-solving, and the quest for recognition. Topics are completed by mastery. Learners are motivated by external sources, such as parents, teachers, and administrators. The topic is completed by a pass or fail grade.

Knowles' Assumptions of Andragogy

Based on the characteristics of adult learners, Knowles et al., (2020) posited a set of assumptions about adult learners, which constitute the andragogical model. The assumptions of Andragogy include:

  1. The need to know. Adults need to know the objective of learning a subject matter prior to undertaking its learning.
  2. The learners' self-concept. "Adults have a self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions and for their own lives, which helps them to make the transition from dependent to self-directing learners."
  3. The role of the learners' experiences. Adults participate in learning activities with a great reservoir of life experience which is a valuable resource for the learner and their peer cohort. New information is processed through the lens of life experiences.
  4. Readiness to learn. As adults mature, they tend to learn knowledge associated with their particular social roles and developmental tasks. The readiness to learn varies as they move from one life stage to the next.
  5. Orientation of learning. "In contrast to children's and youths' subject centered orientation to learning (at least in school), adults are life-centered (or task-centered or problem-centered) in their orientation to learning. Adults are motivated to learn what they perceive will help them perform tasks or deal with problems they confront in their life situations."
  6. Motivation to learn. It is intrinsic motivation that drives adults to learn, despite the responsiveness to external incentives. ((Knowles et al., 2020, pp. 44-46)).

Resources: