Andragogy Andragogy [an-druh-goh-jee, -goj-ee] The term andragogy was originally formulated by a German teacher, Alexander Kapp, in 1833

(Nottingham Andragogy Group 1983: v). He used it to describe elements of Plato's education theory. Andragogy (andr- meaning 'man') could be contrasted with pedagogy (paid- meaning 'child' and agogosmeaning 'leading') (see Davenport 1993: 114). Kapp's use of andragogy had some currency but it was disputed, and fell into disuse. It reappeared in 1921 in a report by Rosenstock in which he argued that 'adult education required special teachers, methods and philosophy, and he used the term andragogy to refer collectively to these special requirements' (Nottingham Andragogy Group 1983: v). Eduard Lindeman was the first writer in English to pick up on Rosenstock's use of the term. The he only used it on two occasions. As Stewart, his biographer, comments, 'the new term seems to have impressed itself upon no one, not even its originators'. That may have been the case in North America, but in France, Yugoslavia and Holland the term was being used extensively 'to refer to the discipline which studies the adult education process or the science of adult education' (Nottingham Andragogy Group 1983: v). In the minds of many around the adult education field, andragogy and the name of Malcolm Knowleshave become inextricably linked. For Knowles, andragogy is premised on at least four crucial assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners that are different from the assumptions about child learners on which traditional pedagogy is premised. A fifth was added later. 1. Self-concept: As a person matures his self concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed human being 2. Experience: As a person matures he accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning. 3. Readiness to learn. As a person matures his readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental tasks of his social roles. 4. Orientation to learning. As a person matures his time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application, and accordingly his orientation toward learning shifts from one of subjectcenteredness to one of problem centredness. 5. Motivation to learn: As a person matures the motivation to learn is internal (Knowles 1984:12).

Andragogy consists of learning strategies focused on adults. It is often interpreted as the process of engaging adult learners with the structure of learning experience. The term andragogy has been used in different times and countries with various connotations. Nowadays there exist mainly three understandings: 1. In many countries there is a growing conception of andragogy as the scholarly approach to the learning of adults. In this connotation andragogy is the science of understanding (= theory) and supporting (= practice) lifelong and lifewide education of adults. 2. Especially in the USA, andragogy in the tradition of Malcolm Knowles, labels a specific theoretical and practical approach, based on a humanistic conception of self-directed and autonomous learners and teachers as facilitators of learning. 3. Widely, an unclear use of andragogy can be found, with its meaning changing (even in the same publication) from adult education practice or desirable values or specific teaching methods, to reflections or academic discipline and/or opposite to childish pedagogy, claiming to be something better than just Adult Education.

The oldest document using the term "Andragogik": Kapp, Alexander (1833): Platon's Erziehungslehre, als Pdagogik fr die Einzelnen und als Staatspdagogik. Leipzig. Originally used by Alexander Kapp (a German educator) in 1833, andragogy was developed into a theory of adult education by the American educator Malcolm Knowles.

Knowles leading").

asserted from

that the

andragogy more

(Greek:

"man-leading")

should

be

distinguished

commonly

used pedagogy (Greek:

"child-

Knowles' theory can be stated with six assumptions related to motivation of adult learning: 1.
2.

Adults need to know the reason for learning something (Need to Experience (including error) provides the basis for learning

Know) activities (Foundation).

3.

Adults need to be responsible for their decisions on education;

involvement in theplanning and evaluation of their instruction (Selfconcept).

4.

Adults

are

most

interested

in

learning

subjects

having

immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives (Readiness).

5.

Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented Adults respond better to internal versus external motivators

(Orientation). 6. (Motivation). The term has been used by some to allow discussion of contrast between selfdirected and 'taught' education. Knowles collected ideas about a theory of adult education from the end of WWII until he was introduced to the term "andragogy." In 1966, Knowles met Dusan Savicevic in Boston. Savicevic shared the term andragogy with Knowles, and explained how it was used in the European context. In 1967, Knowles made use of the term "androgogy" to explain his theory of adult education. Then, after consulting Merriam-Webster, he corrected the spelling of the term to "andragogy" and continued to make use of the term to explain his collection of ideas about adult learning. (Sopher 2003) Etymology and Generalization

The word derives from the Greek (ndras) or man [rather than
[5]

which means adult] and (ago)[6] to "lead"; so it literally means,

"to lead the man. In andragogical instruction, the learner develops in depth knowledge of self and others through guided interaction that evokes the affective component of learning to motivate fulfillment of maximum potential. Learning strategies focus on mature learning with a mentor that encourages, enables the mature learner by providing access to appropriate resources, and refrains from obtrusive interference. This is consistent with the Humanism of Maslow, 1954; Rogers 1951, 1993; Glasser, 1984, 1996; and Motschnig-Pitrik, 2005. This learning is a needs based, adaptive, holistic learning where personal interpretation, evaluation, decision making, reasoning, and strategy are developed to give expertise. The learning is a self-directed acquisition, development, intrinsic and integration of knowledge. Interpersonal/Intrapersonal The learner adapts prior intelligences are refined so that the learner becomes self-actualized with motivation toward accomplishment. knowledge to new experience with others and the environment to develop knowledge of synergy. The level of learning is high order learning where strategy, expertise, procedural knowledge, reasoning, and analytical abilities are developed. Critique Knowles himself changed his position on whether andragogy really applied only to adults and came to believe that "pedagogy-andragogy represents a continuum ranging from teacher-directed to student-directed learning and that both approaches are appropriate with children and adults, depending on the situation." The European development: towards Professionalisation

In most countries of Europe the Knowles-discussion played no role or at best a marginal one. Andragogy was, from 1970 on, connected with the in existence coming academic and professional institutions, publications, programs, triggered by a similar growth of adult education in practice and theory as in the USA. Andragogy functioned here as a header for (places of) systematic reflections, parallel to other academic headers like biology, medicine, physics. Examples of this use of andragogy are the Yugoslavian (scholarly) journal for adult education, named Andragogija in 1969; and the Yugoslavian Society for Andragogy; at Palacky University in Olomouc (Czech republic) in 1990 the Katedra sociologie a andragogiky was established. Also Prague University has a Katedra Andragogiky; in 1993, Slovenias Andragoski Center Republike Slovenije was founded with the journal Andragoska Spoznanja; in 1995, Bamberg University (Germany) named a Lehrstuhl Andragogik; the Internet address of the Estonian adult education society is andras.ee. On this formal level above practice and specific approaches, the term andragogy could be used relating to all types of theories, for reflection, analysis, training, in person-oriented programs as well as human resource development. Andragogy: Academic discipline The field of adult education worldwide went in the last decades through a process of growth and differentiation, in which a scholarly, scientific approach emerged. An academic discipline with university programs, professors, students, focusing on the education of adults, exists today in many countries. And a new type of adult educators was born, which was not qualified by missions and visions, but by academic studies: reflection, critique, analysis, historical knowledge qualifies this new type of academic professionals. Dusan Savicevic, who provided Knowles with the term andragogy, explicitly claim andragogy as a discipline, the subject of which is the study of education and learning of adults in all its forms of expression (Savicevic, 1999, p. 97, similarly Henschke, 2003, Reischmann, 2003).