Andragogy is the term for the education of adults. It is separate and distinct from pedagogy,
which is the term for the education of children and adolescents (Wang, 2014). Adults learn
differently from children and younger adolescents, although the two groups share certain
learning-related models for motivation. Adult learning models represent the successful
completion of child and adolescent learning models, and are a culmination of the life experiences
and learning of the years preceding adulthood.
There are five learning characteristics that distinguish adult from child and adolescent learners:
adults have more and different types of life experiences than children; adults have preferred
methods of learning that are relatively fixed; adults are more likely to prefer active involvement
in the learning process; adults tend to be more collaborative and rely upon interaction with other
learners in the learning process; and adults use their professional and social spheres to provide a
context to the material being learned (Schunk & Zimmerman, 2013; Wang, 2014).
Adult motivation to learn does follow the model for children and adolescents with regards to
goal, attribution, and self-determination theories. Adults require a sense of relevancy for new
knowledge, and this reflects the self-centered nature of adult learning. They want to learn once
they feel the information is learnable, relevant, and appropriate to their needs (Alexander &
Corrigan, 2010). Adults may also exhibit a higher fear of failure than children, and this can make
the perception of reluctance a key factor in deciding to try to learn something new (Alexander &
Corrigan, 2010).
Learning opportunities for adults are not limited to classroom or workplace settings. Online
learning is particularly suited to adults given their self-discipline and their attraction to
knowledge that is directly applicable to their own situation (Wang, 2014). The online curriculum
needs to address “self-directed interactive learning” that allows adult learners to tailor their
learning experience to meet unique needs that can be addressed through a curriculum framing
knowledge within the learner’s professional and social experiences (Schunk & Zimmerman,
2013; Wang, 2014).
Given the use of experience in learning new knowledge, adult learning follows a constructivist
learning model. Instructors must understand that past experiences must be applied to develop
new concepts and ideas supported by an internal dialogue of the learner with previously accepted
trends, and methodologies. Hershey, PA: Medical Information Science Reference.