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Continuing Education

Whether adults pursue higher learning as a response to life transitions or as a means of self-actualization, counseling is an important component in the field of continuing education. Aslanian and Brickell (1980) cite Houle's analysis of the three classes of adult learners (goal-oriented, activity-oriented, and learning oriented) as one of the bases for their own theory that the majority of adults are goal-oriented learners seeking to cope with certain changes in their lives. In contrast, Loevinger (1976) discusses the theory of ego development in explaining individual differences between adults in terms of desires for self-fulfillment. Likewise, Rogers, Kohlberg, and Perry emphasize adulthood as a process. Effective adult education counselors must recognize the fact that adulthood is not a static condition, but a dynamic series of stages.

According to Aslanian and Brickell (1980), approximately one hundred and twenty-six million American adults are experiencing life transitions (p. 32). These transitions are often accompanied by stress, personal reassessment, and work-related changes. Certain transitions are triggered by life-altering events such as the death of a spouse, job loss, or graduation from college. In their survey, Aslanian and Brickell (1980) found that 83 percent of the respondents cited "some past, present, or future change in their lives as reasons to learn" (p.49). The following chain occurs: "1) transitions require learning; 2) identifiable events mark the occurrence of those transitions; and 3) those events determine the times for learning" (Aslanian and Brickell, 1980, p. 56). Adults who respond to life transitions and triggers are goal-oriented learners who seek specific objectives in their education.

Adults who seek fulfillment or self-actualization may be termed learning-oriented learners. Their objective is learning for the sake of acquiring knowledge. This leads to self-fulfillment. The hig...

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Continuing Education. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:52, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1700616.html