Andragogy Overview

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​Andragogy aims to define the methods of how adults learn and the differences between them and pedagogy (i.e., how children learn). The term was first coined by a German educator named Alexander Kapp in 1833, followed by another German educator, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, in 1921. However, Rosenstock-Huessy used the term to refer to the specific requirements, such as method, philosophy, and teaching, needed for adult education1. In 1926, Eduard C. Lindeman wrote a landmark book titled “The Meaning of Adult Education,” he stated that learning is a lifelong process that can be achieved by experience. However, the term Andragogy was mainly popularized by American educator Dr. Malcolm Shepherd Knowles in the 1980’s decade after several publications in which he made assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners (Andragogy) in contrast to those about child learners (pedagogy). Such assumptions were detailed to define how teaching adults should ensue and used to delineate six principles for adult learning.