Accelerate equitable change by centering adult learner needs

Reconfiguring many hundreds of historical and philosophical andragogy documents in this research into six major themes was a formidable but worthy task. In short, Theme 1 included Draper's outlining a worldwide historical background on andragogy; Theme 2 emphasizes Savicevic's panoramic sweep of andragogy's development in the European setting; Theme 3 presents a comparison of Savicevic's European perspective and Knowles' American perspective; Theme 4 garners Newman's view of Knowles process for effectively identifying adult learner needs; Theme 5 offers Ingalls' idea of using andragogy in corporations; and Theme 6 supports Biao's contention that only andragogues teach andragogy. Knowles' presentation declared andragogy as a ‘breakthrough' in the adult education field. Draper offered an overview of historical forces influencing the origin and use of the term ‘andragogy'. Henschke and Savicevic bring together ancient sources that are antecedent developments of andragogy.

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Jak określić potrzeby językowe pracowników w miejscu pracy

Neofilolog ◽

10.14746/n.2011.37.12 ◽

1970 ◽

pp. 145-157

Author(s):

Paweł Sobkowiak

Keyword(s):

Adult Education ◽

Adult Learner ◽

Language Learner ◽

Business English ◽

Lingua Franca ◽

Business Context ◽

Language Needs ◽

English Classroom ◽

Learner Needs

Globalization of business and use of English in corporations as lingua franca has resulted in growing demand for Business English courses in the workplace. This article tries to present a concise profile of an adult language learner in a broader context of adult education and the implications for the Business English classroom. The claim is made that if we want to provide tailormade courses for employees in companies a thorough analysis of their language needs should be carried out first. Explicitly discussed here are the types of adult learner needs in the business context and the methodology which may be employed in determining them.

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Postsecondary Adult Learner Motivation: An Analysis of Credentialing Patterns and Decision Making Within Higher Education Programs

Adult Learning ◽

10.1177/1045159520988361 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104515952098836

Author(s):

Alexander C. Gardner ◽

Heather N. Maietta ◽

Philip D. Gardner ◽

Niki Perkins

Keyword(s):

Adult Learners ◽

Adult Students ◽

Postsecondary Education ◽

Work Experience ◽

Adult Learner ◽

Educational Aspirations ◽

Academic Program ◽

Extrinsic Factors ◽

Learner Motivation ◽

Post Secondary

This study sought to fill a gap in the literature by considering the role of motivation in post-secondary aspirations of adult learners, specifically full versus part-time status, previous level of educational attainment, years of work experience, and the selection of an academic program. The data from this study came from adult students ages 25 and older at 8 institutions in the Midwest. Statistical analysis determined there were significant differences in gender motivation, level of education is predictive of type of educational credential being pursued, and type of adult learner motivation influences which degree, academic program, and enrollment status is pursued by adult learners. Furthermore, this research revealed as adults acquire more work experience, their postsecondary educational aspirations are more likely motivated by extrinsic factors. These findings have meaningful implications for linking motivation with continuance and graduation from collegiate programs for which this paper identifies and discusses in the context of postsecondary education.

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