远程教育中成人学习特性的研究

The Characteristics of Adult Learners in Modern Distance Education

成人学习者的学习动机和学习策略是当前成人教育研究领域的重要课题。通过质的研究方法,作者认为成人学习体现出以下特性:成人学习是功利性为基础的学习;成人学习者表现出明确的自我导向意识;成人学习者强调学习内容与个体自我经验的整合;成人学习者的学习策略依据个人判断体现不同的个性特征;成人学习者注重成员之间的合作、交往和评价。

What motivates adult learners to learn? What learning strategies do adults use? These questions are important in current adult education research. This paper uses a qualitative approach to examine the motivation and learning strategies of adult learners. The major research instrument used is the interview. Specific areas for investigation were laid out as interviews proceeded and the conclusions were drawn from inference. The research subjects were predominantly undergraduate educational management students in the 2002 academic year and new students in 2003 at Jiangsu Radio and Television University. From the survey, the following characteristics of adult learners can be summarized. First, most of them are self-directed learners who value the utility of learning activities and prefer integrating learning content with their personal experience. Second, the learning strategies they adopt usually reflect their personal characteristics. Last but not least, teamwork, collaboration and communication are always valued.