Andragogy Assumptions

 To discuss andragogy as the science of how

Reminiscing the Past adults learn, five assumptions by Knowles
must be considered:
Introduction to Andragogy 1. Self-concept
 The term ‘ANDRAGOGY' was first 2. Experience
authored by Alexander Kapp (1833), a 3. Readiness to learn
German high school teacher (Henschke, 4. Orientation to learn
2011.) 5. Motivation to learn
 Rosenstock-Huessy (1925) resurrected the  To these five assumptions, it is pertinent to
term as he developed a method for teaching add another assumption that depicts one of
the German people. the current trends in post-secondary
 Lindeman (1926) explained the term as a education:
key method for teaching adults. 6. Time management
 Savicevic provided a critical consideration
Self-Concept
of andragogical concepts in ten European
 Individuals evaluate their needs and
Countries. The critical element in European
motivations
andragogy is that adults should assist one
another to become more refined and
Primary Needs – the need to know:
competent.
 To acquire skills that may not have been
 Malcolm Knowles acquired the term in 1966
fully learned
from Savicevic and imprinted on it his
 To improve already acquired skills
extensive experience in adult education.
 The defining attributes of his theory include:
Primary Motivations:
 Learners are self-directed and autonomous
 To become an active learner by taking
 Teachers are seen as facilitators of learning
advantage of new learning opportunities –
rather than presenter of content.
hands-on learning
 Knowles tested and refined this theory and
 To remain competitive in today’s global
design on a broad spectrum in numerous
environment
settings: corporate, workplace, business,
industry, healthcare, government, higher
 Needs become a priority and force
education, professions, religious education,
individuals to realize the importance of
and elementary, secondary, and remedial
being a self-directed human being
education (Henschke, J. A. 2011.)
(Henschke, 2011).
Experience
Andragogy
 Expertise is gained as individuals grow –
 A science of how adults learn
resource for learning
 A model with five assumptions
o Separates adult from children/young
 A system of concepts
learners
 A theory of adult education, adult learning, o Wisdom as a source of knowledge
theory of technology of adult education,
that occurs in late life personality
method of adult education, technique of
development (Smith, 2009).
adult education, [or] a set of assumptions
 Prior experiences are used as a tool to
(Merriam, 2001).
improve critical thinking skills and to avoid
faulty reasoning
  Adults look at the practicality of things –
applicability of what is learned now and
what has been learned in the past
Readiness to Learn
 “As a person matures, his/her readiness to
learn becomes oriented to the developmental
tasks of his/her social roles” (Ozuah, p. 86,
2005).
o Impact of new learning experiences
on those around the adult learner
 As an adult learner:
o Are you ready and willing to learn?
o Is it important to learn?
o Do you know how to maximize your
learning success?
 There is a need to know and a motivation to
learn; however…
o Adults must believe that the need-to-
know is the passport to achieving an
ultimate goal
Orientation to Learn
 Time is seen as a valuable resource;
therefore, individuals’ “time perspective
changes from one of postponed application
of knowledge to immediacy of application”
(Ozuah, p. 86, 2005).
 Adults become more problem-centered than
subject-centered
o What is learned needs to be applied
to real life experiences
o What is learned needs to be
meaningful
 New information is critically evaluated
o All sides of a problem are analyzed
when formulating solutions to daily-
life situations
Motivation to Learn
 Individuals are competitive in nature
o Goal oriented
o Eager to make positive changes to
their lives
 Desire to learn and need to learn are not a
result of external factors
o Individuals understand the existence
of a need – self-motivated
o “I do it because I want to; not
because you want me to do it.”
 Studies show that the majority of all normal
adults are motivated to keep learning,
growing and developing
Time Management
 As a person matures, his/her time for
learning is constrained by other social roles.
His/her geographical location also may limit
the opportunity to learn and lead to another
time constraint” (Ozuah, 2005).
 These days adult-learners are encouraged to
take control of their time, to create a
workable schedule, and to organize their day
by establishing priorities
o Time management is the starting line
for academic/career success
o College orientation classes are
offered to returning adult students
o Many college courses are designed
to satisfy the needs of working adults
– online classes
Applications and Implementations
Taking into consideration the five basic
assumptions of andragogy, educators can help adult
learners:
 To take an active approach and use different
levels of thinking – analyze, evaluate, create
 To connect their life experiences to the
learning process
 To see learning as a “process of facilitation
rather than direct instruction” (Yoshimoto,
2007).
 To be open and willing to take on new
challenges that could benefit an entire
society rather than a small group of
individuals – service-learning projects /
community outreach
 To explore different problem-solving
alternatives before reaching a conclusion
  To better understand that each individual
plays an important and unique role in
society  the instructor assesses the learners’ skills and
Critiques of Andragogy: Limitations
Learners’ Levels of Motivation and/or Interest:
One of the assumptions of Andragogy is that
individuals have internal (self) motivation;
however, what happens when individuals’ levels of
motivation are not high enough due to the presence
of external factors?
 Lack of self-confidence – what if I fail?
What if I make mistakes?
 Fear of change – technology can represent a
barrier for many adult learners
 Social anxiety – as an adult, how am I going
to be perceived by youngsters in a classroom
setting?
 Information overload – Andragogy may not
work in science and math because of heavy
content material
Learners’ Control and Sense of Direction:
“Andragogy’s meaning, in the purest Knowlesian
sense, advocates learner control (at the very least,
substantial input) over not only the objectives but
also the learning strategies as well as evaluation
procedures. Yet in several of these investigations,
instructor control is near absolute, and learner
control is negligible” (Rachal, p. 213, 2002).
 Learners do not understand what direction is
given the regulation of resources –
knowledge/information
Andragogy and Learning Theories
Behavioral Theory: the goal of learning is a
change in observable behavior. In this paradigm, the
instructor writes the learning objectives, provides
the stimulus, asks for responses and provides
reinforcements to the learners (Ozuah, 2005).
 Allowing students to show work in progress
rather than final products
 Provide students with feedback to polish
work in progress
Cognitive Theory: acquisition of usable knowledge
and problem-solving know-how. In this approach,
provides guidance and examples for the learner
(Ozuah, 2005).
 Help students establish connections with
knowledge that has been acquired before
Constructivist Learning Theory: achievement of
a shared understanding and the development of the
process of knowledge acquisition.
 The instructor develops the objectives
along with the learners and grounds the
learning in practical experiences (Ozuah,
2005).
Developmental Theory: has as its goal the
achievement by each learner of his or her maximum
potential. The instructor determines the learner’s
stage and responds appropriately while emphasizing
the discovery of principles (Ozuah, 2005).
 Allowing students to conduct research
on topics that relate to a particular
chapter but are not suggested by
instructor
Humanistic Learning Theory: there is a natural
tendency for people to learn and that adult learning
will flourish, if nourishing and encouraging
environments are provided
 The learners develop the learning
objectives, and the instructor reacts to
the learners’ needs and incorporates the
learners’ experiences into the learning
exercise (Ozuah, 2005).
 “Share with me what you
know, and we will see how
your experience/situation fits
into the program.”