TITLE:
Relevance of the Knowles Theory in Distance Education
AUTHORS:
Derrick C. Darden
KEYWORDS:
Knowles Theory, Distance Education, Adult Learner, Self-Motivated, Self-Directedness, Instructional Style, Higher Education, Self-Confidence
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.5 No.10,
June
19,
2014
ABSTRACT: For adult learners,
online courses are becoming the preferred way for students to pursue higher
education. In the online academic world, the teacher and the student alike have
duties that need to be fulfilled in order for the learning process to be
successful. The teacher needs to function as process designers and managers.
The learner must have the motivation and discipline to fulfill the course
requirements and must be highly motivated. This article explores whether the Knowles
andragogy theory is relevant to distance education or not and suggests the
preferred relevant instructional style for today’s adult distance learner. The
andragogy model is based on four assumptions related to the concepts that adult
distance learners must have the ability, need, the desire to control, and be
responsible for their learning. The adult learners’ self-prospective moves from
dependency to independency or self-directedness. Furthermore, the teacher must
have a more practical, relevant, and self-directive and self-motivated
instructional style. The conclusion found that the andragogy theory is relative
and is not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to adults following the
assumptions outlined by andragogy model. Additionally, Knowles’ theory promotes
self-directing and independence in the adult learner, but not all adult
learners embrace these ideals especially if the learner lacks self-confidence.