What Is Adult Learning Theory? (Explained)

Whether you’ve been training corporate employees for years or are new to the space, you want to ensure your teaching is as engaging and impactful as possible. The question is: how? The answer lies in understanding how adult students learn. 

Enter Adult Learning Theory (otherwise known as andragogy) highlights how adults learn differently from children. While it’s a relatively simple theory, the underpinnings are essential for every corporate trainer to know.

So, let’s dive right into the details.

Understanding Adult Learning Theory

First developed in 1968 by Malcolm Knowles, an American educator, Adult Learning Theory is a framework that identifies the learning styles that best suit adult brains (25 years old and over). It moves beyond the less-than-effective one-size-fits-all approach, deftly considering adults’ diverse needs, including prior experiences, personal motives, and extra responsibilities. Acknowledging such nuances is the ticket to creating tailored strategies that make learning effective, engaging, and relevant. 

Today, the theory looks slightly different to the one Knowles initially developed (we have continuous research to thank for that), but it still upholds the same five core principles, which we’ll discover later.

Why Is Adult Learning Theory Important?

As briefly mentioned, adult learners bring distinct motivations, challenges, and experiences that render traditional pedagogical approaches (tactics used with children and teenagers) somewhat useless. That’s where Adult Learning Theory comes into play. It deciphers this unique enigma to offer trainers and educators insights that reshape education in a beneficial way for those 25 and older.

The theory’s importance lies in abolishing the barrier that separates theory and practice. Upon understanding how adults learn best, you can design training sessions, courses, and programs that teach through real-world contexts. Teaching adults moves beyond basic knowledge transference into equipping them with skills they can use immediately in their professional and/or personal lives.

Key Principles of Adult Learning Theory

Although the theory has adapted over the years, these five core principles ring true to Knowles’ original theory. As promised, we’ll dive into the details of each one now:

Self-Direction

Adults aren’t just more capable of learning without an instructor’s oversight; they often prefer it. They approach their careers and education through an experienced lens, so they’re more adept at managing learning activities (including setting goals and finding resources) alone.

Moreover, they’re well-versed in critical thinking, which helps them reflect on their performance and adapt their next steps accordingly. As such, mixed modality and flexibility are must-haves during corporate training courses.

Relevance and Practicality

Time is valuable. To keep adults engaged, you must create training programs directly relevant to their daily duties. The information must be immediately useful for solving problems or streamlining processes. Learning management theory (a framework for studying and designing learning for professional and higher education settings) and systems can help you do this.

Experience as a Learning Resource

Unlike children, adults have decades of experience to draw from. As they learn, they add to the information they potentially already know, helping accelerate proficiency and strengthen understanding—an obvious benefit in fast-paced business environments.

Readiness to Learn

Adults aren’t always ready to learn your material. They aren’t ready until the teachings relate to their current needs and priorities. In other words, adults are prepared to learn what they need to cope with real situations.

Imagine if you didn’t own a car. You’re probably less likely to want to learn how to change a tire, right? But if you’ve recently purchased your first car, you’ll prioritize knowledge about general car maintenance, like changing a tire. This is readiness to learn in action! 

Internal Motivation

According to adult learning theory, the strongest motivations for adults are internal. Think self-esteem, quality of life, job satisfaction, and self-actualization. While external factors can play a part (e.g., raises, accolades, pressure, and promotions), they aren’t as potent as internal variables.

Models and Frameworks in Adult Learning Theory

Each model/framework rooted in Adult Learning Theory works best in distinct situations. Use this (non-exhaustive) table to find the most relevant to you:

How to Apply Adult Learning Theory in Practice

Here are a few tips you should keep in mind to effectively employ Adult Learning Theory in your corporate training programs:

• Collaborate — Adults like to be involved in every part of their learning. Therefore, involve them as much as possible. For instance, ask what they want to learn and how they’d like to learn it before creating your course.
• Allow self-directed learning — LMS technologies allow you to create self-directed, independent learning environments for adult learners.
• Let them problem solve — Adults prefer problem-solving over straight factors. So, don’t lay out all the answers immediately. Be creative and include simulations/assessments that include specific problems they may face. 

Challenges in Adult Learning

While there are many upsides to implementing Adult Learning Theory in your training programs, you may face challenges, such as:

• Time constraints — Due to adults’ plentiful responsibilities and commitments, learning is rarely their top priority. To be effective, courses must be flexible.
• Fear — It’s common for adults to hesitate after being away from education for so long. Content should be accessible and engaging to combat this fear.
• Imposter syndrome — This can stop adults learning before they begin. Developing a supportive learning environment to battle these effects is essential.

Start Teaching Adults Effectively Now!

Adult Learning Theory is a framework that identifies the ways in which adults learn differently to children. According to the theory, adults learn best when courses are self-directed, the material is relevant and practical, and it taps into their internal motivators (e.g., self-actualization and job satisfaction).

If you’re looking to improve your staff retention & training costs, schedule a call with us to discuss how our bespoke Totara Learn LMS could benefit your organisation.