Adult Learner

Post Secondary Education/Why people pursue it
Tracie Miller
Professor
Education
[Date]

Chapter 1 Identifying a Research Problem

This study aims to examine and analyze why adults pursue post educational education by addressing some issues related to adult or post secondary education and by gathering information on the actual learning styles, how the college instructors are currently teaching and other related concepts. The adult learner has strong desire to learn and know what they want in life although they may not be obligated to learn. These types of learners came from various background, educational background, ages, career, religion and life experiences but they all have one thing in common and that is their desire to learn.

Adult learning is closely related to professional development with assumptions that adult learner need to know, need to learn self-concept, role of learner’s experience and readiness to learn. The andragogy of adult education theories can be credited to Dr. Malcolm S. Knowles who is also known as the Father of Adult Learning (Åkerlind, 2002). His premise provides an overview of what are the adult learners’ expectations in learning program which can guide educators for their instructional designs. The application of Dr. Knowles’ theory is enriching on adult learning and will guide them to cope effectively with different circumstances in order to be considered as well-adjusted individual.

As stated by Theodore Roosevelt that “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education he may steal the whole railroad (Åkerlind, 2002).” The achievement of learning and good solid education is a greatest achievement for individual. There are instances that an adult would like to school because they want to pursue a new career. They might have a degree, but want to obtain a degree in a new field (Gullestrup, 2007). Another reason of adult learner on returning to school is to acquire additional knowledge in a selected field. One good example is when an individual who graduated from college would prefer to go back to school to get a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) that in the end will results in more career options and a higher compensation.

While exploring how adults achieve literacy and maintain a lifetime career, they keep on building their life skills through adult education. However, there are obstacles along their way which somehow hampered the quest on continuing education including the financial resources to pay tuition fees, hesitation to attend college for fear that they will not fit in with younger students, attending a school on regular basis do not fit anyone’s work and life commitment schedule (Camenson, 2007). Others would return to schooling to study a specific like learning foreign language instead of acquiring a degree in college (Åkerlind, 2002). The changing nature of society will demand that workers should in their educational knowledge and self-improvement activities.

2 Review of Literature This literature review will look at the educational needs of adults and how they can be met.

Today 's modern societies are ethnically and racially diverse and people need to be prepared to face these cultural differences. Students need help so as to achieve development in the social, moral and cultural fields but the fact that all students come from a different background makes the teachers ' role to achieve this rather hard. To address the educational needs of adults and how they can be met, it is essential to review the two conflicting theories of Knowles Models of Andragogy. The principles of andragogy help the learners through a process of understanding rather than merely managing coursework, this application encourage the adult learner to retain his or her ability to analyze and apply materials to real world scenarios based on their experiences and prior knowledge.

This process of andragogy then can be viewed as a process of learning as well as a process of understanding humanness and one’s individual potential. Meanwhile, the framework of pedagogy will assert that adult learners should need to learn what is taught by the instructor, prior experience is not necessary for learning, and the instructor’s concept of a learner is that of dependency. There are areas of emphasis that Knowles asserted to ensure success for the adult learner. The first area emphasize the need to understand why the adult learners are learning and their goals to ensure that they are best fit for the learning. With perspectives that adult learning is essential because there are new ideas that needs to be communicated to the learner, hence learning is occurring.

The second concept addresses the adult learner’s need that should be met like empowerment to boost their self confidence and where the process of change can begin. Here, the learner came to realize that they need to be oriented regarding the solvency for real world problems came through education and that education then reciprocates competence and skill back to the learner with readiness to increase his/her success after the learning transformation. On the other hand, the adult learner’s concept about oneself to move forward and attend classroom learning for emotional reason (Wenger, 1999). Let’s say he or she was not able to push through a college degree upon getting married at an early age a much of her time has been devoted to child rearing and devotion to a partner in life. Knowles emphasized the self-directing adult learner which speaks about the andragogy concept on individuals experience and prior knowledge.

The demand for lifelong learning sets a guideline from the Race Relation Act of 2002 which states that every school should have a policy which values diversity, challenges racism and other discrimination act (Snyder, 2006). As the adult learners entered the current educational system to increase their competitiveness and subsequently the need for employment, the general education curriculum should have changes so as to provide to adult learners, job related learning opportunities and to include the adult learner and their needs (Camenson, 2007). Finally, the school curricula should be responsive to attend the adult learners’ need in an adaptive school environment (Cobern, 1993). Education is necessary for certain adult groups to ensure that they are sufficiently educated; otherwise their financial and social status will be deteriorating continuously.

Chapter 3 Methodology The qualitative research study will use Grounded Theory Design or Research Design Data will be collected, coded and broken into themes.

Adults learn differently from their younger counterparts while finding their place and returning to the classroom to gain skills necessary to compete in today’s job market. In today’s world, it seems that education can ever have enough; this was evidenced by the influx of adults entering colleges the instructors are left with the task of learning to educate adults. There are important points on understanding the adult learning theory including their commitment to learn and achieve the origin of their own learning (Åkerlind, 2002). There are instances that the adult learner ego is at high stake and support should be provided to ensure the reduction of fear judgment during learning. They also want to receive feedback because the learning for adults is not automatic and must be facilitated.

The success of adult education programming requires an examination on the part of adults. In an attempt to achieve high school-level competencies. The Glaserian Grounded Theory (GT) seemed like the perfect fit for really getting at what these adults were working on, and for discovering meaningful intervention strategies for providing transformative and lasting change. the natural unfolding and emergence of a grounded theory that has a core variable (or core category) explaining what the research participants are working on. Inductively generated with as little forcing or preconception as is possible, this core variable emerges with categories, properties and subcategories that weave together and explain the main concerns of the research participants critical for moving forward with the created plan and established goals in order to make course corrections if necessary(Snyder, 2006).

The plan of action for adult learner is like a series of steps that they must follow. To practice Grounded Theory, the adult learned should pursue the knowledge which is The adult learner will then capitalize on opportunities to try out new roles and then transferring that learning to others through narratives and other means so that the intrinsic nature of the learning can break out and impact others as well as providing personal meaning into one’s life in response to the fast pace of the society with the onset of high technology (Ting-Toomey, 2000).

The methodology of Grounded Theory is comprised of eventual core variable of driven succeeding stages including the development of fully integrated explanatory theory, the emergence and conceptualization of the operational theory, the action plan and, lastly the action required for subsequent intervention (Camenson, 2007). The original intention when starting this study was to understand adult literacy better and to discover ways to break the cycle of illiteracy,

An excellent outline of the GT process by Odis Simmons includes the

a. Preparation for the predetermined research problem

b. .Data Collection which is often combined with observation of the learner

c. Constant Comparative Analysis of the Data gathered with the air of substantive coding and opens coding for variables ' discovery.

d. Memoing -ideas about codes and relationships and

e. e. sorting the Theoretical frameworks

Conclusion

The opportunities for adult students to pursue higher education opportunities have different reasons and they continue to grow and bring their unique characteristics. Today, the the adult learning doesn’t have to mean isolation, one can be active in various activities that will keep them connected in the society. The maintenance of solid support form family, colleagues and peers is important for well being and contentment in life. An adult learner who aware of his or her is learning capabilities can realistically accomplish their target knowledge. It is clear to assert that the use of effective learning strategies that are not acquired naturally could enhance students to become proficient learners. Hence, the utilization different strategies can go a long way to guide the learners on their journey to excellence.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Åkerlind, G.S. (2002). Principles and practice in phenomenographic research. In Proceedings of

the International Symposium on Current Issues in Phenomenography, Centre for

Educational Development and Academic Methods, the Australian National University, Canberra.

Camenson, B. (2007). Opportunities in Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages. Dubuque: Mc Graw Hill Professional.
Cobern, W. W. (1993). Contextual Constructivism: The Impact of culture on the learning and

teaching of Science. The practice of constructivism in science education Hillsdale, NJ:

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Gullestrup, H. (2007). Cultural analysis: Towards cross cultural understanding Copenhagen, DK:

Copenhagen Business School Press.

Ting-Toomey, S. (2000), Toward a theory of conflict and culture. Communication, Culture, and

Organizational Process, Sage, Beverly Hills, CA.

Snyder, D. (2006). Cognitive perspectives in psychology. Handbook for Research for

Educational Communications and Technology. New York: Simon &; Schuster Macmillan.

Wenger, E. (1999). Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge

University Press.

Bibliography: Åkerlind, G.S. (2002). Principles and practice in phenomenographic research. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Current Issues in Phenomenography, Centre for Camenson, B. (2007). Opportunities in Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages. Dubuque: Mc Graw Hill Professional. Cobern, W. W. (1993). Contextual Constructivism: The Impact of culture on the learning and teaching of Science Gullestrup, H. (2007). Cultural analysis: Towards cross cultural understanding Copenhagen, DK: Copenhagen Business School Press. Ting-Toomey, S. (2000), Toward a theory of conflict and culture. Communication, Culture, and Organizational Process, Sage, Beverly Hills, CA. Snyder, D. (2006). Cognitive perspectives in psychology. Handbook for Research for Educational Communications and Technology Wenger, E. (1999). Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.