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The Six Principles of Andragogy by Knowles: 1. Need To Know

Malcolm Knowles developed six principles of andragogy that are still used today to understand how adults learn differently than children. The principles are: 1) adults need to know why they are learning something before embarking on learning; 2) adults draw on their significant life experiences to aid in learning; and 3) adult learners need to direct themselves and take responsibility for their own learning. The other principles are that adults are most ready to learn subjects that relate to their changing social roles, adults are problem-centered in their orientation to learning, and adults are internally motivated to learn.

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Edson Mauro Thomas Nobrega
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195 views1 page

The Six Principles of Andragogy by Knowles: 1. Need To Know

Malcolm Knowles developed six principles of andragogy that are still used today to understand how adults learn differently than children. The principles are: 1) adults need to know why they are learning something before embarking on learning; 2) adults draw on their significant life experiences to aid in learning; and 3) adult learners need to direct themselves and take responsibility for their own learning. The other principles are that adults are most ready to learn subjects that relate to their changing social roles, adults are problem-centered in their orientation to learning, and adults are internally motivated to learn.

Uploaded by

Edson Mauro Thomas Nobrega
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF ANDRAGOGY BY KNOWLES

Andragogy found its leading spokesperson in Malcolm Knowles, who develops its principles with progressive
modifications between the Seventies and the Nineties, ending up with the six ones we know today.

1. Need to Know

To adults, it is crucial to know why it is necessary for him to learn something. Be aware of the advantages of
learning, in fact, seems to be a highly motivating factor, both when those reasons are related to an improvement in
the quality of life and when they lead to better work performances.

2. Experience

Compared to younger learners, adults have more experience, and, in most cases, they gather their own identity from
this background. This implies, on one side that adults training can reach better results if lies on previous knowledge
and competences, with programs customised in terms of strategies and modalities. On the other hand, experience
can lead to mental rigidity: therefore, adapting programs to real needs of learners becomes even more important.

3. Self-concept

Growing up, learners acquired more self-awareness and move from being dependent – typical of children – to more
and more autonomy. In training settings, then, it is crucial for the adult to perceive this independence, being able
to make choices in relation to the learning process.

4. Readiness

As we said, adult learning needs to be related to contingent needs: motivation thrives from being aware that acquired
information are useful to solve daily problems, both in the personal and work life.

5. Problem Orientation

Adults training should not be focused on content itself, but rather on its practical uses. About this, it is fundamental
to present competences, knowledge, and abilities in this perspective, so that an adult is more willing to learn.

6. Intrinsic Motivation

The last but not least of Andragogy’s principles is about motivation to learn. Specifically talking about adults, in
fact, it is proved that intrinsic motivations are in any case stronger than external ones, such as prizes and incentives.
This is related to self-determination (Deci and Ryan, 1985): according to this theory, people are led to change and
grow by innate needs, competence autonomy and relatedness. Exploiting these mechanisms, the instructor can
therefore act as a facilitator and let the student motivate himself.

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