Should you use the same Instructional Design techniques and learning strategies for all of your eLearning courses, regardless of audience age? Do children and adults learn in the same way? Not. In this post, I’ll go into the issue of Pedagogy vs. Andragogy in eLearning, elucidating the distinctions between the two ideas so that you can understand the challenges of each and design highly inspiring eLearning projects for both your young and adult learners.

In eLearning, There Are 5 Differences Between Pedagogy and Andragogy

The titles “andragogy” and “pedagogy” are Greek in origin, and both include the Greek verb “ago,” which means “guide,” as well as the Greek words “Andras” (man) and “paidi” (child). 

As a result, pedagogy = paidi (child) + ago (guide)

Andragogy is made out of the words Andras (man) and ago (guide)

From the foregoing, you can conclude that pedagogy is a child-focused teaching strategy, whereas andragogy is an adult-focused teaching approach; or, more officially, pedagogy is the art and science of helping kids learn, and andragogy is the science of helping adults gain knowledge. 

Before 1950, all study was centered on children, and there was no information on how adults learn. Although the term “andragogy” has been in use since 1833, when the German Alexander Kapp used it to refer to a Plato theory, it was not used in the education system until the early 1960s to convey the distinct characteristics of adult learners that affect not only their learning motivation but also their memory skills, when compared to those of children. Knowing these distinctions is crucial for Instructional Designers, as engaging and inspiring adult learners is a difficult art. In this article, I’ll explain the distinctions between andragogy and pedagogy so that you have all you need to produce inspiring content and structure, whether you’re creating eLearning courses for adults or children.

5 Key Differences Between Pedagogy and Andragogy

1. Learning strategies.

Adult learners are self-directed; they have control over their learning e and are fully accountable for their learning. They are also involved in not only planning but also analyzing their learning because they know what knowledge they want to obtain. Young learners are not self-directed; they continue to rely on their teachers throughout the learning experience. As a result, their teachers should be accountable not only for what is taught but also for how it is instructed and reviewed.

2. The importance of learner experience.

Adult learners certainly have more expertise than younger students. Their perspective becomes the primary source of both their learning and their own identity, as the richer and more varied their experience, the more diversity they may bring to their learning. Young learners, on the other hand, have a minimal personal experience by default; therefore, this experience cannot serve as a learning material; it can only be utilized to build upon.

3. Willingness to learn.

A sudden shift in their lives, the need to deal with life duties and difficulties, the desire for self-development and self-improvement, and so on can all spark adult learners’ eagerness to study. Adults must understand why they want to learn something; once this question is answered, they are ready to begin. Children, on the other hand, are frequently told what to learn; the purpose of their learning is to strengthen their skills to advance to the next level of mastery.

4. Learning orientation

What types of knowledge are adult learners most interested in? Adult learners, understandably, want material that will help them in their personal lives and at work. This audience expects that their education is relevant to their real-world difficulties, problems and tasks and that their education will improve their performance and enable them to live a better, more meaningful life. Young audience learning, on the other hand, is subject-oriented, which means that the subject defines which learning content units are delivered and taught.

5. Learning motivation.

What encourages adults to make time for learning in their hectic schedules? Adult learners are motivated to learn by intrinsic motivators such as self-esteem, self-confidence, a desire for a higher quality of life, curiosity, self-development, and acknowledgment. Needless to say, intrinsic motivations are far more strong than extrinsic ones, and as a result, adult learners are more likely than younger learners to be satisfied with the learning process, more focused, more persistent, and ready to apply their information more frequently and successfully. Children, on the other hand, are largely driven by extrinsic reasons such as receiving good grades or other advantages or avoiding the repercussions of failure.

Adult learners are more goal-oriented than younger learners, which is why providing them with meaningful learning experiences can make a significant difference in achieving learning outcomes.

You may be interested in understanding how to apply adult learning principles to your eLearning deliverable now that you’ve become acquainted with the pedagogy vs. andragogy debate. Read the entire article 9 Tips for Applying Adult Learning Theory to eLearning to learn how to incorporate four andragogical principles into your eLearning course for optimum motivation and involvement of your adult audience.