Malcolm Knowles

Malcolm Shepherd Knowles (August 24, 1913 – November 27, 1997) was an American Adult Educator, famous for the adoption of the theory of andragogy—initially a term coined by the German teacher Alexander Kapp. Knowles is credited with being a fundamental influence in the development of the Humanist Learning Theory and the use of learner constructed contracts or plans to guide learning experiences.

Knowles collected ideas about a theory of adult education from the end of WWII until he was introduced to the term "andragogy." In 1966, Knowles met Dusan Savicevic in Boston. Savicevic shared the term andragogy with Knowles, and explained how it was used in the European context. In 1967, Knowles made use of the term "androgogy" to explain his theory of adult education. Then, after consulting Merriam-Webster, he corrected the spelling of the term to "andragogy" and continued to make use of the term to explain his collection of ideas about adult learning.

Knowles' theory can be stated with six assumptions related to motivation of adult learning:[2][3]

• Need to know: Adults need to know the reason for learning something.

• Foundation: Experience (including error) provides the basis for learning activities.

• Self-concept: Adults need to be responsible for their decisions on education; involvement in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.

• Readiness: Adults are most interested in learning subjects having immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives.

• Orientation: Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented.

• Motivation: Adults respond better to internal versus external motivators.