Pedagogy or Andragogy? An exploration into Teaching and Learning in the Sixth Form Sector and Implications for Curriculum
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Authors
Lees, Amy
Issue Date
2025-03-10
Educational Level
ISCED Level 3 Upper secondary education
Curriculum Area
Geographical Setting
England
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Abstract
Background and purpose: The rationale for the inquiry was to explore the principles of andragogy in the context of a 6th form college and to investigate if 6th form students are more aligned in their learning preferences to how children learn (pedagogy) or how adults learn (andragogy). This research was needed to address an understudied area of sixth form instruction as post-16 teacher training courses usually use principles of pedagogy even though students in this sector are not children, therefore this topic required further exploration.
Aims: The inquiry aims to investigate a significant challenge in post-16 teaching which is supporting students transition from school into college and the delivery of a curriculum that enables students to develop the confidence and independence to move from teacher-directed to self-directed learning. The focus of the inquiry is to establish to what extent 6th form students share the same characteristics as adult learners using the 5 assumptions of andragogy as a framework.
Design or methodology: The inquiry was implemented as a Learning Preferences questionnaire which was devised to measure the extent to which students agreed with statements relating to the 5 assumptions of andragogy. 873 sixth form students responded to an online questionnaire that was anonymously completed independently, in class or during tutorial. Quantitative analysis compared descriptive statistics on each dimension of andragogy.
Findings: The inquiry found that 6th form students showed preference for andragogy across all dimensions, there was no significant difference between students enrolled on level 3 & 2 courses. Level 2 students demonstrated views more aligned with pedagogy in relation to Readiness and there was a significant difference in Motivation between sixth form and FE students with regards to Motivation.
Conclusions, originality, value and implications: In the context of sixth form teaching andragogy is more relevant than pedagogy, explicit use of these principles within the curriculum can help students to make the transition from school and recognition of motivation, experience and readiness to learn in the post-16 classroom may be a more suitable approach to teaching adolescent students than theories devised for the teaching of children.
Aims: The inquiry aims to investigate a significant challenge in post-16 teaching which is supporting students transition from school into college and the delivery of a curriculum that enables students to develop the confidence and independence to move from teacher-directed to self-directed learning. The focus of the inquiry is to establish to what extent 6th form students share the same characteristics as adult learners using the 5 assumptions of andragogy as a framework.
Design or methodology: The inquiry was implemented as a Learning Preferences questionnaire which was devised to measure the extent to which students agreed with statements relating to the 5 assumptions of andragogy. 873 sixth form students responded to an online questionnaire that was anonymously completed independently, in class or during tutorial. Quantitative analysis compared descriptive statistics on each dimension of andragogy.
Findings: The inquiry found that 6th form students showed preference for andragogy across all dimensions, there was no significant difference between students enrolled on level 3 & 2 courses. Level 2 students demonstrated views more aligned with pedagogy in relation to Readiness and there was a significant difference in Motivation between sixth form and FE students with regards to Motivation.
Conclusions, originality, value and implications: In the context of sixth form teaching andragogy is more relevant than pedagogy, explicit use of these principles within the curriculum can help students to make the transition from school and recognition of motivation, experience and readiness to learn in the post-16 classroom may be a more suitable approach to teaching adolescent students than theories devised for the teaching of children.
Description
Keywords (free text)
andragogy , post-16 education , further education , adult learning , sixth form , student-centred learning , independent learning