The field of adult education is filled with innumerable theories, some dating as far back as 60 years. The vast majority of them, however, have emerged from research conducted during the past 20 years (Deshler and Kiely, 1995). Of the multitude of theories that have emerged all can be placed in five main orientations. Each orientation has strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, none are particularly “good” or “bad,” but there are times and situations when one may be more appropriate than another, depending upon the targeted clientele and topic being covered (Deshler and Kiely, 1995, Telig, 2005).

• Humanist – Humanists believe that people possess unlimited potential for growth and development and will naturally progress towards increased competence, autonomy, and fulfillment. 
• Behaviorist – Sometimes referred to as “Stimulus-Response” learning derived from the work of B. F. Skinner, behaviorists believe that learning is controlled by external stimuli.
• Social Learning – Encompasses a large number of theories emphasizing the learning process through observations and interactions with other people in a social context.
• Cognitive - Focus is on the thinking process and unobservable constructs such as: meaning, knowledge, intention, concepts, beliefs, expectations, and creativity.  Learning is a process occurring inside the learner in an attempt to make sense out of the world and give meaning to experiences.
• Critical Reflection - Critical reflection involves the learner in identifying and evaluating the assumptions, beliefs and values that underlie his or her thoughts, feelings or actions. This leads to a transformation in how one looks at the world.

     Individual learners are predisposed to a specific learning “style” relative to the topic being presented and not as a singular personal learning preference that is all all-encompassing.  Individuals are all capable of learning under any style no matter what their individual preference is (Clark, 2000).  It is also important to note that instructors should ultimately focus on the content’s best modality—not the student’s (Willingham, 2005).

     An individual’s predisposition to a specific “style” as it relates to content can be seen in the training of truck drivers, for example.  Optimal learning cannot be achieved through lecture-centered or trainer-centered instruction but can only be achieved through participant-centered delivery.  Though some lecture-centered or trainer-centered activities may be necessary in the overall process, it is only through operation of the actual equipment by the individual via participant-centered training that mastery of the subject matter can be achieved.

     A trainer-centered approach may work well if you need to convey a lot of information in a limited amount of time.  When training new computer skills, for example, it is often advantageous to ask student to turn their computer monitors off and observe the instructors actions before allowing then to follow along or explore on their own.  In such a situation the Behaviorist or “Stimulus-Response” theory can be seen.

     A participant-centered approach works well if your attendees are somewhat knowledgeable or experienced with the topic being presented.  The obvious advantage of participant-centered training is that it provides a hands-on method of learning that allows students to discover for themselves what additional resources or information may be most useful in their furthering the understanding and mastery.   Such a situation involves elements of several theories, Cognitive, Critical Reflection, and Social Learning.

     For the writer the most influential learning theory can only be identified by examination of the subject being presented, the terminal learning objective, and the definition of mastery or outcomes for that subject.

References

Deshler, J., & Kiely, E. (1995). Facilitating Adult Learning Sourcebook. Ithaca, NY: Department of Education, Cornell University. Cornell Instructional Media Service, pub. 420 Kennedy Hall, Cornell University.

Telg, R. (2005, June 13). Learning Theories. Retrieved April 21, 2007, from Roadmap to Effective Distance Education Instructional Design Web site: http://www.umsl.edu/technology/frc/DEID/destination2adultlearning/2dlearningtheories.html

Clark, D (2000, May 29). Kolb. Retrieved April 9, 2007, from Performance, Learning, Leadership, & Knowledge Web site: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/styles.html

Willingham, D. (2005). Do Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Learners Need Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Instruction?. Retrieved April 11, 2007, from American Federation of Teachers Web site: http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/issues/summer2005/cogsci.htm