Meeting the Needs of Older Students in Higher Education

Authors : Gail D. Caruth

Pages : 21-35

Doi:10.17275/per.14.09.1.2

View : 16 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2014-12-01

Article Type : Research

Abstract :The number of students 25 years of age and older enrolled in higher education has been escalating over the past 50 years. What is higher education is doing to prepare for this growth?  With adults constituting almost half of today’s student body, it is important to consider whether the academy is prepared to serve this society of adult learners. The purpose of this paper was to examine the literature on andragogy in higher education to determine if higher education is serving this segment of nontraditional students.  Findings show that there has been a substantial increase of adult students enrolled in college and university classes, higher education is not doing the job needed to teach adult learners effectively, adults should be taught andragogically, andragogy is not being used in the higher education classrooms, and colleges and universities need to prepare to teach adult students andragogically. Insufficient empirical research has been conducted on andragogy despite its 40-year history of being considered the principal model of adult learning. However, with validated and reliable instruments available to measure the constructs of andragogy, clearer validation of andragogy in higher education is promising. Predictive research can be completed to study the effect of andragogical practices on learning and student satisfaction outcomes. There is the need for further research on andragogy in an attitude of mutuality and reciprocity to develop further the field of adult education. This attitude of mutuality and reciprocity is innovative.
Keywords : Andragogy, adult learners, adult students, nontraditional students