Andragogy is the study of adult learning (Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2005). Knowles' offers a four part definition for the term "adult" in accordance with the degree of achievement. The first applies to the biological or physical attributes. Second, applies to legal or governmental recognition such as "legal age", while the third involves social acknowledgment such as full-time employment. The fourth, psychological or independent, while a part of the definition is also a requirement for continuing education's adult learners as they are most often self-directed.
Life-span Theories
The psychological stages of adult development that have the greatest effect on how adults learn and most greatly influence the preparation of adult education programs are those associated with Levinson’s life-span theories. The stages, that would be most relevant, cannot be confined to one or two stages consisting of early adult transition and entering the adult world, which include ages 17-29. Distance education and lifelong learning programs as well as corporate universities have placed an emphasis on understanding all of these stages, as they seek cost effective training programs for the influx of adult learners.
The stages or developmental periods for adult learning include:
- Early adult transition
- Entering the adult world
- Age 30 transition
- Settling down
- Midlife transition
- Entering middle adulthood
- Age 50 transition
- Culmination of middle adulthood
- Late life transition
- Late adulthood (Knowles et al, 2005)
Although these stages have ages associated with them, they are not included as longevity changes over the years. This will undoubtedly affect the developmental periods as individuals retire and pursue second careers. Individuals that are working past the late life transition are pushing late adulthood well beyond the age of 65.
The mindset of those in the early adult transition stage is changing as well. As home life changes and technology advances, the influence may readjust the ages associated with the stages, although the stages remain valid.
Life-long Learning
Preparing programs for adult learners requires the understanding of all the stages to accommodate a class comprised of recent high-school graduates to retirees. “By broadening learning capabilities, learners can more readily adapt to a wide range of learning situations, thereby increasing the learning outcome” (Knowles et al, 2005). The programs developed must use real life situations and work to combine the life experiences of the learners and their intellectual capabilities to offer the best learning experience.
The definition of adult requires the study of both biological and psychological stages to determine the needs of the learner. The program developer must understand these stages to develop a program that will encompass lifelong learning and experiences into the educational process.
Reference:
Knowles, M.S., Holton III, E.F., and Swanson, R.A. The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. Burlington, MA. Elsevier, 2005.
Jennifer Cruver-Plaza - Jennifer is a freelance editor and writer with a Bachelor’s of Music Performance for the clarinet, MBA with a concentration in human ...
