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A systematic review of research related to methods of adult education

University of British Columbia

The purpose of this review is to organize the findings of studies on adult education methods according to the Verner conceptual scheme, defining adult education processes according to their inherent characteristics, and to extend or clarify any parts of that scheme. The material reviewed, mainly empirical research conducted with adult subjects, is used to describe the method, the effects of the learning and the characteristics of the participants. The learning goals are classified as information giving, skill developing and knowledge supplying. As the majority of methods had been studied for their uses, little research was available on their maximum learning potential. Prom the description of the methods the key element emerged as the amount of overt participation built into the method, ranging from lowest in methods whose goal is to impart information to greatest in those where learning is conducted on-the-job. The participant studies revealed that the structure of some methods must be modified for more efficient learning. The research showed that the learning goal became more concrete as the amount of overt participation Increases. Therefore a two-dimensional classification scheme has been developed with the amount of overt participation occupying one dimension and the degree of abstraction of the learning goal the other. Areas requiring further research have been indicated.

Text

2011-11-02

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/38636

Education

University of British Columbia

Graduate