Introduction
Malcolm Knowles made a significant contribution to the theory of adult education, developing many systems that still help people. His theory of Andragogy changed adult learning and is the basis for adult learning today. This is a significant contribution to education as it affects the process and shows new systems that can be effectively used. Therefore, it is essential to study the life and contribution to the science of a famous scientist in order to understand his theory better.
Life and Scientific Work
Many factors from his biography determine the scientific path the scientist will take. Knowles was born in 1913 in Montana to his father’s family of veterinarians (St. Clair & Käpplinger, 2021). As a child, he spent much time in his father’s clinic, influencing the child’s craving for medical knowledge. In his youth, Knowles was involved in the scouting movement and achieved some success there, which is impossible without basic knowledge of medicine. Knowles entered Harvard University, which marked his emergence as a cutting-edge scientist. Malcolm studied their philosophy, law, political science, and history, which helped to understand better the nature of human behavior and their various behavior patterns. Further, Knowles held several high positions in the education system, which also taught him how to improve it.
Knowles’ scientific work is a large body of research on what needs employees of different companies have and how adults can get an education. This became the basis for later publishing several books on how adults should be educated. The approach he developed was innovative and, at the time, cutting-edge in the field of education. The main achievement of the scientist was the development of six principles of adult learning. Knowles believed that effective adult education is due to a certain autonomy and the ability of students to edit their curricula.
Andragogy
Andragogy refers to an approach to learning aimed at adults who tend to learn differently depending on what they want to know. Unlike children, adults tend to be task-oriented, self-reliant, and seek knowledge related to their work or life. Adults are also prone to non-formal education, meaning learning outside the traditional classroom, and are more likely to develop lifelong learning habits (Abdullah et al. 2021). Thus, Andragogy implies that adults can be defined as a distinct group of learners with specific learning needs that instructors and course developers can meet in a particular way. The term andragogical was first introduced by Alexander Kapp in 1833 in his work to describe the theory of education developed by Plato (St. Clair & Käpplinger, 2021). Later, Malcolm Knowles made a significant contribution to the study of adult learning, and it is with him that modern educators associate the theory of Andragogy.
In this system, learning is focused on situations rather than objects. This is the main difference between traditional classroom teaching, where the teacher teaches the subjects, and the knowledge is expected to be learned by the students. Andragogy is a demonstration of the correspondence between theory and practice in the educational process of adults (Henschke, 1998). The most important aspect of adult learning is the experience that the student brings to class.
Many concepts and provisions in the scientist’s theory differ significantly from those accepted for teaching children. The Andragogy developed by Knowles is based on four principles: adult involvement in lesson planning, experience in the learning process, interest in education related to their work, and problem-based education (Pappas, 2021). Knowles’ theory was cutting-edge at its inception and still is.
Conclusion
Malcolm Knowles’ extensive scientific work resulted in the creation of a concept of adult education that can significantly affect this process. His long professional experience has made him state that Andragogy is the key to successful teaching. Knowles expressed thoughts in many scientific papers and books that are still used as examples to understand the best approaches. At the same time, Knowles wanted to convey to the public the message that adults require a completely different approach to learning than children.
References
Abdullah, M., Chamid, N., & Khamim, K. (2021). Reorientation of the andragogy concept and its relevance to higher education in Indonesia for answering the global era of information: Critical review of Malcolm Knowles perspective. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Islamic Studies, ICIS 2020, 27-28 October 2020, Ponorogo, Indonesia. Web.
Henschke, J. (1998). In Memoriam: Malcolm S. Knowles. Adult Learning, 9(2), 2–4. Web.
Pappas, C. (2021, May 12). The Adult Learning Theory – Andragogy – of Malcolm Knowles
St. Clair, R., & Käpplinger, B. (2021). Alley or autobahn? Assessing 50 years of the andragogical project. Adult Education Quarterly, 71(3), 272-289. Web.