Assumptions About the Adult Learner

1. Adult learners are diverse, bringing a wealth of life experiences to the learning situation. Active forms of learning help connect the content to the learners’ own meaning structures. They:

   a) vary widely among ages, abilities, job experiences, cultural backgrounds, and personal goals;

   b) range in educational backgrounds from no formal schooling through many years of schooling;

   c) carry well-developed personal identities;

   d) carry reservoirs of personal experiences, which are learning resources.

2. Adult learners want to be able to relate content to specific contexts in their lives. These contexts are often in the form of a problem issue or concern in their worksite - i.e. the ABE classroom. They:

   a) tend to be pragmatic learners;

   b) study to improve their performance in other social roles;

   c) let their schoolwork take a back seat to other responsibilities, such as jobs and families;

   d) expect their class time to be well spent;

   e) hope their courses will help them solve problems in their daily lives.

3. Adult learners prefer to have some degree of control over their learning. They may evidence a greater or lesser degree of self-directedness depending upon their maturity level and familiarity with the content. They:

   a) tend to be voluntary learners;

   b) believe the decision to return to school is an important one;

   c) believe that education will be helpful;

4. The adults’ sense of self has a significant influence on the meaning of the learning situation for that person. Learners have differing degrees of self-efficacy and awareness of their own learning styles. They may:

   a) feel embarrassed about returning to school;

   b) feel embarrassed to join classes with younger students;

   c) hold negative impressions of their own abilities;

   d) hold negative impressions of schools and teachers.