Age and Learning Style in Adult Learning
Seiler, D. (2012). Age and learning style in the adult learner. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning, 8(1), 133-138. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1285154764?accountid=45049
Park, J., & Choi, H. J. (2009). Factors influencing adult learners’ decision to drop out or persist in online learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 207-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1287038599?accountid=28844
Vonderwell, S., & Zachariah, S. (2005). Factors that influence participation in online learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(2), 213-230. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/274761283?accountid=28844.
Purpose of the study: In his research, Seiler conducted a study to explore the preferred methods of adult learning. To capture readers’ attention, the author begins his article by outlining how individuals tend to experience changes in the learning process as their age progress. The introduction of this research is followed by a question that helps readers to understand the main subject of the article. The author poses a question on whether students of different ages do have similar learning styles to online education. Conclusively, this article found various learning styles that are applicable in adult learning as converges, diverges, accommodators, and assimilators.
Participants: This research encompassed 142 students that completed an online survey in the Instructional systems’ department at Mississippi State University. The participants comprised the following statistic; 58.9% were female and 41.1% male. This article aimed to analyze whether students from the age 18-24 years have different learning styles from those at age 25-56 years.
Type of Study: This study was both quantitative and qualitative. The study was qualitative as it revealed the statistics of the mean scores for traditional college students. Based on this study, the participants who are of 18-24 years had a stronger preference of using different learning styles that those between the age of 25-56 years. Still, the study was quantitative because it revealed how adult learn best.
Hypothesis: Based on this study, this research paper hypothesis that adult students are likely to drop out when they do not receive adequate learning styles that motivates their lives to advance their studies. Adult learners tend to understand and retain information through discussions that gives them a chance to air their thoughts and explain it to others. Writing notes without doing anything practical is hard for adult learners.
Sampling Procedures: This study was conducted through sample and population. The findings were collected from the two age segments of 18-24 years and 25-56 years. In brief, this research showed that most college students read materials and listen to instructors. However, this study revealed how other students are not capable of learning through the mentioned ways but prefer learning though discussions.
Statistical Tests: Overall, this study utilized the alpha level statistics because the data collected helped the article to reach to conclusion that adults and college students use different learning styles. The observations and data analyzed from the sample generalized the sample that each category represented.
Results or Findings: The statistics were analyzed as follow. The mean score for visual/verbal segment for traditional college students was 1.26 while that for non-traditional students was 1.4. This showed that the participants of the traditional college students had the strongest preference for visualization than for non traditional college students.
Critique/Questions: Although the article creates a strong ground to understand about different earning styles used in learning process, the article failed to conclude how both students differ in their learning styles and what can be done to facilitate effective learning process for both the age segments. The study would be more applicable in the future if it provided adequate facts and information about how both adults and college students learn best. In this research, I would expect to see how different learning styles are applicable to both the adults and college students between the ages of 18-24 years.
Conclusion: This article concluded that most online students have a strong preference for visual and strong reflective learning style. However, most adults especially at the age of 56 prefer group discussion to other learning styles.
