Adaptivity through Self-Directed Learning to Meet the Challenges of Our Ever-Changing World

Fostering adult learners' competence to adapt appropriately to our ever-changing world is a primary concern of adult education. The purpose of the present article is novel and examines whether the consideration of "modes of learning" (instruction, performance, and inquiry) could assist in the design of adult education that facilitates self-directed learning and enables learners to think and perform adaptively. The concept of modes of learning originated from the typology of Houle. However, to date, no study has reached beyond this typology, especially concerning the potential of using modes of learning in the design of adult education. Specifically, an apparent oversight in adult learning theory is the foremost importance of the consideration of whether inquiry is included in the learning process: its inclusion potentially differentiates the purpose of instruction, the nature of learners' performance, and the underlying epistemological positioning. To redress this concern, two models of modes of learning are proposed and contrasted. The "reinforcing" model of modes of learning (instruction, performance, "without" inquiry) promotes teacher-directed learning. A key consequence of employing this model in adult education is that learners may become accustomed to habitually reinforcing patterns of perceiving, thinking, judging, feeling, and acting--performance that may be rather inflexible and represented by a distinct lack of a perceived need to adapt to social contextual changes: a lack of motivation for self-directed learning. Rather, the "adapting" model of modes of learning (instruction, performance, "with" inquiry) may facilitate learners to be adaptive in their performance--by encouraging an enhanced learner sensitivity toward changing social contextual conditions: potentially enhancing learners' motivation for self-directed learning.