Application of Adult Learning Theory to
Educational Settings in Africa
Ann Downer, EdD
International Training and Education Center on
HIV (I-TECH), University of Washington,
Seattle
Job Bwayo, MD, PhD
Regional AIDS Training Network (RATN),
Nairobi
Building global capacity
to improve the care of people
living with HIV/AIDS
Anastasia Ndiritu, MSc
Regional AIDS Training Network (RATN),
Nairobi
Learning Objectives
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
describe how traditional principles of adult learning
theory are applied to educational design and effective
group facilitation.
 observe principles in practice by identifying
behavioral examples in a training videotape and
transcript.
 judge the relevance of principles in varying
cultural contexts and educational settings.
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 adapt the principles of adult learning theory as
needed in order to improve training practice.
Workshop Outline
Part 1: participants will examine contemporary
training practice and discuss the assumptions upon
which it is based.
 Introductions and personal observations
 Reviewing the historical origins of adult learning theory
 Identifying principles in practice
Part 2: participants will critically analyze principles of
adult learning theory and suggest ways to improve
training practice in diverse educational settings.
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 Challenging assumptions about teaching and learning
 Refining or adapting principles for different settings
 Improving the practice of training
Reflection Exercise
• Take a moment to
remember a good
teacher – someone you
knew recently or long
ago.
• Share with another
person: In your
opinion, what were the
personal
characteristics that
made him/her a good
teacher?
Origins of Modern Learning Theory
The values associated with modern Western
education stem from the written works of the early
Greeks and are closely associated with the study
of rhetoric – the art of expression and the
persuasive use of language.
 Logos
 Pathos
 Ethos
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These ideas resonate through the centuries and
create the foundation for Western philosophies
about education today.
Origins (continued)
Educational planning is also influenced by the
development of psychology and ideas derived
from research conducted in predominantly
American, European, and northern cultures.
Strong influences include:
 Behavioral psychology
 Cognitive psychology*
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*Today's cognitive psychologists tend to be
"universalists," assuming that everyone
perceives, thinks, and reasons in the same way.
We will return to this issue later in the workshop.
Emergence of Andragogy
Thorndyke (Adult Learning, 1928) challenged
long-held assumptions that people don’t learn
much after childhood and re-directed discussion
toward how adults learn. Research on
preferences and styles of learning (Jung, 1969)
also advanced knowledge of adult learning.
Perceiving information: sensing and intuiting
Decision making: feeling and thinking
How does knowledge of learning preferences and
styles of learning affect the practice of training?
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Teaching Methods & Learning Styles
Intuiting
Feeling
•Practice
•Apply concepts
•Simulations
•Personal Experience
•Role plays
•Group exercises
Strive for
Diversity
Thinking
Sensing
•Reading
•Questioning
•Independent activities
•Lectures
•Discussion
•Problem solving
Principles of Andragogy
Research focusing on adult learning expanded
greatly in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s with the
infusion of insights from psychology and further
exploration of the differences between adult and
child cognition. Key assumptions about adult
learning emerged from this research:
 Immediacy
 Self-direction
 Experience
 Motivation
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Knowles (1998), Vella (1995), and others
popularized these principles, resulting in broad
dissemination and adoption into practice.
Compare principles from Knowles and Vella
with principles from cognitive psychology:
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Cognitive psychology
Immediacy- new
information and skills to
solve immediate
challenges
Self-direction- identify
their learning needs and
pace themselves
Experience- reservoir of
experience and insight
Motivation- internally
motivated to learn rather
than dependent upon
external motivation
Knowles and Vella
Need to know- training when
needed for practical reasons
Self-concept- recognition as
independent and self-directed
Life experienceaccomplishments and
knowledge
Task-centered and practicalmeeting job-related needs
Internally motivatedinternal rewards and not
grades or parental approval
Transitionfrom Principles to Practice
Andragogy greatly influences the practice of
training throughout the world today.
We look next at how design, delivery, and
evaluation of training programs put these principles
into practice.
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Video Observation with Discussion
• End of Part One
• Break
Critical Analysis
"There has long been a widespread belief among
philosophers and, later, cognitive scientists that
thinking the world over is basically the same."
-psychologist Howard Gardner,
Harvard University
Although there have always been dissenters, the
prevailing wisdom holds that a Masai hunter, a
corporate raider, and a farmer all see, remember,
infer, and think in the same way.
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Some researchers now question whether the
cognitive processes that are central to Western
thought are universally operational.
Analysis (continued)
"Human cognition is not everywhere the same."
-psychologist Richard E. Nisbett,
University of Michigan, The
Geography of Thought: How Asians
and Westerners Think Differently ...
And Why (2003)
This book compares the cognitive differences
between people from East Asia (Korea, China
and Japan) and Westerners (from Europe, the
British commonwealth and North America).
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Examples of East-West differences from the
book.
Challenge assumptions about adult learning by
providing a counter argument to the “rules”
• Minimize lecture because it
induces passivity and stifles
critical thinking.
• Use a warm-up exercise to
establish a good climate for
learning.
• Involve learners in
diagnosing their own learning
needs.
• Choose interactive teaching
methods because they make
participants feel respected
and involved.
• A respectful facilitator
plays down his/her
position of authority and
treats participants as coinstructors.
• Sitting in a circle is an
effective and democratic
technique.
Analysis (continued)
However, at least some studies in developing
countries (Diouf, 2000) suggest that:
 while cultural norms and values strongly
influence what adults learn; when they learn;
why they learn; and who provides the
instruction,
 they do not affect how adults learn.
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Framing educational research and practice as
Western or non-Western may create false
dichotomies, but perhaps allows us to raise
important questions about the assumptions
we make as trainers.
What do you think?
Consider the
following questions
in your discussion
group:
In your experience, are there some “universal”
principles about all people and how people learn?
In what ways might cultural norms and values
affect what, when, why, from whom, and even how
people learn differently?
Application Exercise
Translate ideas from the workshop into practical
suggestions for training. In small groups:
 Discuss a few ways in which a trainer’s practice
might be influenced by increasing his or her
sensitivity to the cultural norms and values that
impact a participant’s preferences and needs for
learning.
 Share these ideas with the larger group.
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Respectful Engagement of Group
Participants
Start with questions.
Ask about local culture in order to improve
teaching and facilitation of learning.
Encourage application of material by providing
examples, posing job-based problems, and asking
learners to consider how to apply what they are
learning.
Pose alternative, thought-provoking questions
and scenarios to encourage critical thinking and
questioning.
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Respectful Engagement (continued)
Use both visual and aural (hearing) modes of
learning.
Use organizing techniques (e.g., “We’ve just
addressed...now let’s move to...”) to help learners
track where they are and what they’ve learned.
Request local stories and examples to enhance
teaching.
 What else?
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Deming, B., Ten Steps to being Positively Engaging, Training and Development,
January 2001, pp. 18-19.
The Role of Trainer
Debate the following statement with two
or three people sitting near you.
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Trainers are not entertainers. They are
professionals who are tasked with
providing accurate, quality information so
that learners can perform their jobs
effectively once they leave a training
program. It is the learners’ responsibility
to pay attention. They should not expect a
trainer to motivate them to listen and
learn.
Workshop Summary
Now that you have completed this workshop,
you should be able to:
Building global capacity
to improve the care of people
living with HIV/AIDS
 describe how traditional principles of adult
learning theory are applied to educational design
and effective group facilitation.
 observe principles in practice by identifying
behavioral examples in a training videotape and
transcript.
 judge the relevance of principles in varying
cultural contexts and educational settings.
 adapt the principles of adult learning theory as
needed in order to improve training practice.
Will you do anything differently the next time you
plan and deliver training?
Workshop Follow-up:
Feedback on this Workshop
Please complete the workshop evaluation
form in order to help us evaluate whether
this workshop will affect how you develop
and deliver training programs in the future.
Thank you.
Building global capacity
to improve the care of people
living with HIV/AIDS