T H E M I S C O N C E P T I O N O F

T H E A D U LT L E A R N E R

Noel Bell-Poats

T H E F I R S T M I S C O N C E P T I O N W A S T H E T R U E K N O W L E D G E O F W H O T H E A D U L T L E A R N E R I S A N D H O W T H E Y D I F F E R F R O M T H E T R A D I T I O N A L C O L L E G E

S T U D E N T . S E C O N D L Y , H O W T H E A D U L T L E A R N I N G / E D U C A T I O N C O N T R I B U T E D T O A N D R A G O G Y . T H I R D , T H E S O C I A L C O G N I T I V E L E A R N I N G T H E O R Y S P I K E D M Y

A T T E N T I O N D U R I N G T H I S C O U R S E .

ADULT LEARNERWho is the Adult Learner?

The adult learner is made up of a diverse group of people. They come from varied backgrounds, have different interest and abilities. The adult learners have different characteristics and that may be common to adult learners such as their experiences and background, their learning preferences, application of learning and any special needs that they may have to be able to balance against the demands of learning. Coming into this course, I defined the adult learner as the non-traditional student. The adult learner was the individual that was under 25, with little to no outside responsibilities. I now understand that the mature pupil can be any and every one (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007).

ANDRAGOGYGreat theories and research like

Knowles’ Andragogy was another misconception that

enhanced my perception of the adult learner. “The art and

science of helping adult learner” (Merriam et al., 2007) discusses

how Knowles was able to pinpoint how various groups of

adults learn.

How adult learning/education

contributed to andragogy

K N O W L E S A N D R A G O G Y W A S B A S E D O N A S S U M P T I O N S

6 Assumptions A person becomes self- directed as they mature,

An adult’s experiences are a learning resource,

An adult’s willingness to learn is contingent upon their current social role,

Learning is problem centered rather that subject-centered.

Internal motivators are more significant than external motivators

The adult learner need to know and understand the “why” behind the learning.

S O C I A L C O G N I T I V E L E A R N I N G T H E O R Y

Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences. This theory is the foundation for observational learning and is an example of how people learn from each other.

C O N C L U S I O N

The thoughts and perceptions I had of the adult learner, andragogy and

social cognitive learning theory were definitely misinterpreted prior to this

course. After researching and studying each of these theories and practices they became clearer and I can relate to them to my experiences

and put them into modern day practice. My knowledge and

understanding has been tremendously enhanced to

understand the adult pupil for who they really are.

R E F E R E N C E S

Bandura, A. (1997) Self-efficacy. The exercise of control. New York W.H Freeman

Knowles, M.S. (1990) The Adult Learner. A neglected species. 4th ed. Houston

Merriam, S.B. Caffarella, R.S. & Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Learning in Adulthood:

A comprehensive guide. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass.