Adult Education Philosophies

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that adult education, or andragogy as it is called, has been in existence practically since the founding of the country and, today, has become a major educational field used to empower millions of adults across the United States. The author discusses five philosophies, which have been created to explain and to improve the practices related to educating adults in the United States: The liberal, humanist, progressive, behavioral and radical philosophies. The paper stresses that the philosophical approach or combination of approaches must fit the specific needs of the adult learn and may vary for that learner from situation to situation; therefore, the learner needs to understand their own goals.

Table of Contents
The Progressive Philosophy
The Behaviorist Philosophy
The Humanist Philosophy
The Radical Philosophy
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Like the progressive philosophy, behaviorism is also focused on scientific means to achieve its end. Education occurs within a controlled environment, with objectives that can be measured. The educational goal is then to change the learner's behavior only through environmental stimuli, without a concern for any other aspects of humanity such as emotion. The objective here is only to change behavior according to specific goals such as competency and programmed learning. Occupational training and professional development programs have benefited from this philosophy. The focus is heavily on stimulus-response designs in order to stimulate new behavior."

More papers on Adult Education Philosophies:

• Research Paper # 26502 : "Philosophies of Adult Education"
• Essay # 74451 : "Adult Learning"
• Research Paper # 105806 : "Philosophy of Christian Education & Discipleship"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: