This article explains how adult students who then return to the school part or full time for professional degrees enter with the expectations that what they may learn now could enhance their knowledge of the field of work they may be in. The practices they see at their workplace, and their own self-understanding in relation to society and the work they have chosen to do. One’s own self-understanding in relation to society and the work they have chosen to do. So, even with this external motivation, they are also intrinsically motivated to learn.
This article breaks down the individual chacterisitics, work environment, and the academic work environment associated with the education of an adult learner. Our purpose was to describe the learning experiences of adult part-time master’s students, who are rarely the focus of research. It is anticipated that an understanding of their experiences could be a contribution to the literature, providing an example of a novel approach to not only describing what happened, but also the perceived value of a graduate degree. Findings could inform classroom practices and, at the same time, provide a richer understanding of the personal lives and work environments that impact learning and the transfer of learning to the workplace of these part-time adult students.
Individual Chacterrisitcs
Personal Relevance
When it comes to an individual there are many chartericits that tie into the impact that this learning skill has. Personal Relevance is guidelines for the transfer of training have been developed in relation to learner characteristics. Cheng and Ho (1998) suggested that locus of control and self-efficacy was vital to the transfer of learning from organizational training programs. They also found that individuals with high job involvement and strong career planning were more likely to use what they learned back on their jobs. In another study, it was a need to know that led to individuals’ quest for applying what was learned to the workplace, as well as a need to learn to persuade others to change (Lim & Johnson, 2002). Adults come to the academic classroom with a wide variety of experiences that impact both their motivation to learn as well as how they prefer to learn.
Typically, motivation to learn among adults in higher education is strong. They typically have strong preferences as to what they want to learn, how they want to learn, and appreciate those learning environments in which the instructor treats them as adults, following them opportunities to use and share their experiences in problem analysis or by offering options as to assignments
And work-group composition (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006). Many researchers have explained the role and experience by emphasizing the role of reflection in the learning process. When adults reflect on their experiences, they are making meaning of them. Experiences by themselves are not learning opportunities, unless we think about them and evaluate them (Brookfield, 1987). The academic learning environment has been defined as the actual classroom facilities and technology support (Chism, 2002; Mackeracher, 2004), but it is also includes the campus itself—for example, its library, cultural, and recreational facilities. Moreover, faculty as well as classmates (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006) and university support staff contribute to the overall learning experience
Work Environment
Content Relevance
Being an adult learner has a lot to do with how what you may learn in the classroom can relate back to the workplace and vise verse. Content relevance means that what is being learned in the classroom has relevancy back at the workplace. The curriculum for the development of professionals must be relevant to those who