Instructional Methods in Adult Education

Abstract

STUDY of the methods and techniques of adult education has not yet brought into being any considerable body of systematic research. White (45) found that among nine topics of interest to adult educators, three were related to methodology. UNESCO (41) concluded that the apathy of adults toward further and continuous education is due less to indifference and aloofness than to failure of adult educators to recognize need for a system of pedagogical methods specially designed for adults. Miller (30) emphasized the need to improve the quality of adult teaching through specific training in processes for adult learning, and McLeish (27) attempted to design a frame of reference or conceptual scheme for the study of method. These studies may lead to systematization and the development of research and theory about methods suited to adults. Previous Reviews Recent reviews of research, such as that by Wilson and Gallup (46), have come from the Federal Extension Service. Crile summarized studies of the effectiveness of publications (18), of radio (16), of television (17), and of meetings (15). Brunner and others (9) reviewed studies of general methods, discussion, readability, and audio-visual aids. Gagne (21) analyzed research on training devices and developed a conceptual scheme. Though studies specifically related to methods and techniques are few, a number of studies relate to problems of adult educators and contain information on methods by implication if not explicitly. Anderson (2) listed research studies in rural sociology, the studies listed by Coleman and others (12) were concerned with social factors influencing adoption, and Manny's research (28) related to rural community organization. Ross and Hendry (36) summarized and synthesized research about leadership,