Theme 3: Adult Learning
Adult Learner Interviews
Course: EAC 559 - The Adult Learner
This narrative discusses a project in which I interviewed two adults and asked them to reflect on their learning as adults. An adult learner interviews paper was written to present and analyze what I learned from the interviews.
Adults are constantly learning, in many different environments and contexts. Learning occurs in informal (e.g., the workplace), formal (e.g., graduate school), and non-formal settings (e.g., community organizations). As adult educators, it is important to have an understanding of how adults learn. Adults have a lifetime of experience and acquired knowledge to influence their learning, as well as preferred learning and motivation styles. Learning style refers to the strategies one prefers to use to learn new information, i.e., visual, auditory, or tactile/kinesthetic. Motivation is the force that draws one to move toward something or participate, i.e., goals, relationships, or learning.
Of the two adult learners I interviewed, one was female and engaged in formal learning; the other was male and engaged in informal and nonformal learning. I created an interview guide to assist me in asking the adult learners about important learning experiences in their lives and how they gave meaning to these experiences. The questions were shared with the learners in advance of the interviews to allow ample time for reflection. Each learner was also asked to complete two short assessments prior to being interviewed to determine their learning and motivation styles. These assessments were discussed during the interviews in the context of their learning experiences.
Following the interviews, a paper was written in which I described the adult learners, highlighted and analyzed key findings, established connections to adult learning literature and research, drew conclusions based on my analysis, and discussed how these insights added to my understanding of adult learning. This project was completed early in my master's program, and I have since had numerous occasions to apply my understanding of adult learning to workplace training and development. As an adult educator, motivation and learning styles are two factors that I consider to facilitate learning; however, it is equally important to recognize that adult learners are influenced by biological, environmental, historical, and transformational factors.
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