평생학습에 참여하는 성인학습자의 성장과정에 대한 질적연구

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the growth and changes of common adult learners after their participation in lifelong learning. For this purpose, the investigator conducted a focus group interview(FGI) with 9 adult learners that were active to participate in lifelong learning programs in the community. As a result, they were participated to lifelong learning with different opportunities, participated in a variety of lifelong learning programs with curiosity and expectations, and conducted their own inquiry little by little. In the process, they got to recognize the areas of learning that met their interests and needs and get immersed in certain areas of learning. Being persistent with their lifelong learning, they enhanced their own competencies and professionalism and grew into maturer learners by a notch. In other words, adult learners that used to students grew and became the subjects to plan or lead a lifelong learning program for others and the community. They also grew into self-directed lifelong learners based on the fusion of life and learning, identifying the learning topics needed in their lives sensitively, exploring learning information linked to them efficiently, making achievements through active participation, and changing their lives by practicing outcomes. Like this, adult learners were growing through their participation in lifelong learning from ‘Participate in lifelong learning’ through ‘exploring learners’ and ‘Growing learners(community-oriented or individual-oriented)’. Based on the growth and changing process of adult learners specifically examined in the study, the investigator proposed differentiating supportive measures at the levels of lifelong educators and lifelong learning.