NCJ Number
57062
Date Published
1978
Length
254 pages
Annotation
THIS VOLUME ON THE ADULT LEARNER REVIEWS THE TRADITIONAL THEORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING BASED ON THE CHILD LEARNER AND GOES ON TO DESCRIBE AND CONTRAST THE EMERGING THEORIES ABOUT ADULT LEARNING.
Abstract
ALL SCIENTIFIC THEORIES OF LEARNING HAVE BEEN DERIVED FROM THE STUDY OF LEARNING BY ANIMALS AND CHILDREN. IN GENERAL, THE LITERATURE ABOUT LEARNING THEORY FALLS INTO TWO CATEGORIES, THAT PRODUCED BY PROPOUNDERS OF THEORIES AND THAT PRODUCED BY INTERPRETERS OF THEORIES. A LIST OF MAJOR PROPOUNDERS AND INTERPRETERS IS PRESENTED. AN ATTEMPT TO BRING THE ISOLATED CONCEPTS, INSIGHTS, AND RESEARCH FINDINGS REGARDING ADULT LEARNING (MANY ARE DISCUSSED BRIEFLY IN THE TEXT) INTO AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK BEGAN AS EARLY AS 1949 WITH PUBLICATION OF 'THE MATURE MIND' BY HENRY OVERSTREET. MEANWHILE, A UNIFIED THEORY OF ADULT LEARNING--ANDRAGOGY--WAS BEING FORMULATED IN EUROPE. ANDRAGOGICAL THEORY IS BASED ON AT LEAST FOUR ASSUMPTIONS THAT DIFFER FROM THOSE OF CHILD LEARNING THEORY: (1) THE ADULT SELF-CONCEPT IS CONTINUALLY MOVING TOWARD SELF-DIRECTEDNESS; (2) AS PEOPLE MATURE THEY ACCUMULATE AN EXPANDING RESERVOIR OF KNOWLEDGE THAT CAUSES THEM TO BECOME INCREASINGLY RICH RESOURCES FOR LEARNING; (3) ADULTS' NEED TO LEARN IS INCREASINGLY THE PRODUCT OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS REQUIRED FOR PERFORMANCE OF THEIR EVOLVING SOCIAL ROLES; AND (4) ADULTS TEND TO HAVE A PROBLEM-CENTERED ORIENTATION TO LEARNING RATHER THAN A SUBJECT ORIENTATION. FOUR THEORIES OF TEACHING ARE DISCUSSED, AND A MODEL FOR INCORPORATING PRINCIPLES AND TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE VARIOUS THEORIES (A PROCESS MODEL) IS PRESENTED. THE MODEL INVOLVES THESE SEGMENTS: ESTABLISHING A CLIMATE CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING; CREATING A MECHANISM FOR MUTUAL PLANNING; DIAGNOSING THE NEEDS FOR LEARNING; FORMULATING PROGRAM OBJECTIVES; DESIGNING A PATTERN OF LEARNING EXPERIENCES; CONDUCTING LEARNING EXPERIENCES WITH SUITABLE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS; AND EVALUATING LEARNING OUTCOMES AND REDIAGNOSING LEARNING NEEDS. PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATING THE PROGRAM, OPERATING THE PROGRAM, AND USING CONTRACTS WITH STUDENTS TO TAILOR PROGRAMS TO THEIR NEEDS ARE DISCUSSED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN PAPERS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS INCLUDING A TABLE OF BEHAVIORAL PARADIGMS, AN APPROACH TO A DIFFERENTIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF THE ADULT POTENTIAL, A MODEL OF LIFELONG EDUCATION, THE ROLE OF TRAINING IN ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT, AND GUIDELINES ON USING LEARNING CONTRACTS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND INDEXES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)