Adult learning: Salient Conditions and Non-traditional Approaches

Abstract

Learning in adulthood constitutes a process that is shaped and influenced by the societal group in which adult learners share, work, live, grow, experience, fail and achieve success. Comprehending and appreciating the historical and sociocultural ways of understanding and being represent an endeavor on which adult learners need to embark in order to grasp the nature and purpose of learning within particular milieus. The aim of this paper is to explore salient conditions and non-traditional approaches through an adult learning lens so as to offer an overarching panorama of the field. These salient conditions are globalization, technology, population growth and economic factors. The non-traditional approaches discussed are embodied learning, narrative learning, spiritual learning, transformative learning theory, indigenous knowledge and pedagogy of solidarity. Finally, the conclusion highlights the relevance of adult learning for societies. The last twenty years have brought a much-needed recognition that adult learning is multidimensional. This constitutes a relevant takeaway. Moving away from the vision that cognitive processing is the unique and most important element when acquiring knowledge has brought thought-provoking constructs such as spirituality, feelings, environmental awareness, emotions, fears, and experiences to a more holistic, in-depth vision of learning. As a result, the field of adult learning is influenced by the sociohistorical context where it takes place. Learning in society provides broader concepts where the current realities of the workplace, educational systems, economic vicissitudes and life situations directly impact the status quo of learning in adulthood. It is precisely this richness in the diversity of contexts that makes the field of adult learning a multidimensional phenomenon.