Abstract
Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice is a text that provides students in adult education, human resource development programs, graduate students in professional preparation programs, and undergraduate students in other countries a practical overview of adult learning theories and research. Authors Sharan B. Merriam and Laura L. Bierema, both respected adult learning researchers and educators at the University of Georgia, provide a succinct, extensive, and pragmatic view of adult learning and research.
The context in which adults learn drives the content of the book. The text begins with an overview of the adult learner’s current world and how learners interact with this complex “globalized” environment. The authors define globalization “as the movement of goods, services, people and ideas across national borders” (p. 2). Adult learners are tasked to learn within this “hyperconnected” (p. 2) and globalized environment.
And so, while the text covers the breadth of adult learning, from Plato to 21st-century digital competence, it clearly places the adult learner at the center of this discussion. For example, as the authors chronologically introduce and discuss adult learning theories, they begin by placing the reader in a learning scenario. The reader is asked to consider building a home. From this mental exercise, the authors introduce a foundation from which the adult learner can grasp the complex theories introduced to the reader. Each chapter also ends with “Linking Theory and Practices: Activities and Resources,” which provide multiple resources and perspectives for further exploration.
Merriam and Bierema also weave technology and digital competency into the text. The authors explore the good and the bad of technology in adult education. There is clearly a “digital divide” (p. 194) occurring in adult learning contexts. A startling statistic that “25% fewer women than men have access to the Internet” (p. 194) puts the online challenges associated with technology and adult learning into perspective. It is important for educators to know that inequities and stratifications continue into the knowledge and technological age. Regardless of challenges associated with technology and adult learning, technology is an integral component of adult learning. The authors state that over 6.1 million students took online courses in 2010. In 2010, The University of Phoenix had 470,800 students and 32,000 faculty members. Digital competency has become a required skill for the 21st-century student.
The last chapter addresses the context of culture and its impact on the adult learner. Even though the larger context of adult learning is global, focused cultural contexts greatly influence how adults learn. Included in this chapter is a discussion regarding the “Global Gender Gap” (p. 239) currently occurring worldwide. The authors pose a series of questions that highlight examples of how culture influences “social phenomena” (p. 239). For example, the authors ask, “What is the nature of the culture in these nations that causes such a disparity in women’s status?” (p. 239). The authors also ask, “Why is it that continuing professional education for medical doctors takes place on luxury cruises or at tropical resorts, but for teachers it usually occurs in the school cafeteria?” (p. 239). Merriam and Bierema demonstrate a deep understanding of adult education’s current state and the importance of cultural context.
While all the chapters are practical, chapter 7, “Body and Spirit in Learning,” goes beyond the cognitive learning context and examines learning as it relates to the body and the spirit. Adult learning theory does not typically delve into holistic education, but Merriam and Bierema effectively introduce this neglected learning context. The authors state that recently “nonrational modes of learning have been attended to as legitimate pathways for learning” (p. 128). Adult learning does not only occur in the brain. It also occurs in the body and spirit. The authors also discuss “embodied learning,” a term “referring to the body as a site of learning” (p. 130) and argue that the body can shape the mind. Furthermore, spirituality and learning is receiving more attention than embodied learning. Spirituality is an esoteric term; however, the authors state “that it is the connection to meaning-making or knowledge construction that affords spirituality a legitimate place in our understanding of its place in adult learning” (p. 137). While spirituality and embodied learning are not orthodox learning contexts, the authors artfully include these alternative learning environments for reflection and discussion.
The strength of Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice is its practicality and comprehensive review of adult learning. It succinctly traverses the adult learning terrain without neglecting key theories, practices, and contemporary thought. While a comprehensive work on adult learning is an ambitious undertaking, the authors pull it off. As an adult educator for over 15 years, I found the book to be interesting, practical, and one I will recommend to those interesting in adult learning.