Chapter 5: Adult & Workplace Learning

While the basic principles of learning (e.g., memory, attention, socio-cultural influences, etc.) may apply broadly to learners of all ages, both the learner’s level of development and the learning context change with age.  For example, adult learners have more prior knowledge and life experience than children do, they generally have literacy skills, and they may have more competing demands on their time. Therefore, researchers have looked specifically at adult learning or learning in the workplace.  Three theories of adult or workplace learning are briefly summarized here: Andragogy, Community of Practice, and Transformative Learning.