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).

ANDRAGOGY

Great 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.