Adult Learning Assumptions - Research Paper Example

Adult learning assumption Learning process is progressive and can occur at any stage of life. Some people may engage in learning from their early stages and pass through the formal education system while others may recognize or access learning opportunities at their later stages of life. While the formal education may not be appropriate for the latter category, an informal adult education exists. Studies have been undertaken on adult education with Knowles’ approach towards assumptions of adult education as an example and this paper argues that three of the Knowles’ assumptions: self-concept, experience, and motivation to learn, are the most right.

The self-concept assumption is one of the Knowles’ six assumptions and offers significant impacts on adult education. Knowles argued that as adults’ self-concept is that of a “self directing human being” (Henry, 2009, p. 127). He argued for a transition from a dependent self-concept to one in which an adult is an independent personality and an active player in the learning process as opposed to a young learner who assumes a passive role and depends on the lecturer or tutor for learning.

Significance of this assumption is derived from the author’s opinion that established it as the most important the understanding adult learning. Cognitive development processes that transcend a person’s life from birth to adulthood also support the assumption’s importance. . Teachers’ experience in adult education also support significance of the self-concept assumption through their experience that promoting self-concept helps in facilitating adult learning. The role of diversity on performance, including performance in learning, also supports significance of self-concept because recognizing adult learners’ perception towards learning and empowering each learner based on developed self-concept achieves success in each learner.

Validity and significance of the self-concept assumption explains why it is right (Wilson and Hayes, 2009). “The role of the learner’s experience” is another right assumption that Knowles made on adult learning (Baskas, 2013, p. 49). According to Knowles, people acquire varying experiences with age and this means that adults have more experiences that young learners have. Further, the limited scope of young learners’ experiences limits diversity as compared to experiences among adult learners and the difference in experiences influences adult learning.

One of the effects of experience that establishes its significance to adult learning is the realized need for specific knowledge among adults. Their interaction with real life phenomena such as in work environments identifies specific needs that motivates the adults into learning and the facilitator’s identification of the needs and capitalization on empowerment based on the needs forms a basis for further motivating adults in learning processes. Extensive experience that adults bring into learning also empowers them to contribute to learning processes and supports the assumption’s significance to learning processes of groups of adults because allowing the learners to be active