Human beings are characterized by their eagerness to improve their living conditions at every level. For that reason, they continuously seek for means to fulfill the desire for a better life by acquiring new knowledge and skills through many different teaching and learning methods. A variety of educational options and programs have been set up. Pedagogy - one of the long-standing theories and methods used in educating children - appears at the top of the list. The term “pedagogy” first appeared in the mid to late 1500s in Middle French. Later, “andragogy” emerged, a term that was first coined in the 1800s by Alexander Knapp, a German educator, but popularized in the 1960s by Malcolm Knowles, an American educator well-known for his focus on adult learning. In fact, andragogy is the art and science of teaching adults and refers to the methods or practices used to educate adults.

Malcolm Knowles conceptualized the term by elaborating theories and practices to satisfy adult learners’ needs.  Through his specific theoretical approaches, he identified six andragogical assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners. Here they are:

1. The need to know. In some cases, adults always feel the need to know why they learn something new before undertaking it.  Even though andragogy focuses much more on self-directed learning, it can be cooperative among other adult learners. There are surely facilitators who can help them find the purpose behind their desire to know something and make them aware of their choice before engaging in the learning process.
2. The learners’ self-concept. Adults adopt new attitudes that move them from dependent people into self-directed and more responsible human beings.
3. The role of adult learners’ experiences. Over the span of their lives, as they grow up, adults may accumulate a certain amount of experience that allows them to increase their learning skills. Their life experience is used as a learning resource.
4. Readiness to learn. As people mature, they become task-oriented and want to learn what they need to know, and they feel ready to learn what they can immediately apply to their real-life situations.
5. Orientation to learning. When reaching a certain age, adult learners’ perspective changes as they become increasingly life-centered. Their perspective moves from subject-based centeredness to task and problem-centeredness.  They learn with the purpose of being able to cope with their current problems.
6. Motivation to learn. Adults’ motivation to learn is mostly spurred by internal factors or internal motivators such as the desire for productivity for instance, or just for increasing self-esteem.

Getting to know these six assumptions appear to be highly helpful for teachers who engage in andragogy. At the same time, it will make adult learners successful in their goal achievement.

Source: Knowles M. S., Swanson, R. A., & Holton, E. F. III (2005). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (6^th ed.)