Page 4.1

Adult learners have characteristics and needs that set them apart from school pupils. More precisely, school learners participate in learning having very general goals; for example to be educated or to succeed in university entrance processes. They may also participate simply because they are obliged to do so. This does not apply to adults, who take part in adult learning having very specific needs and interests (see section 9.1.1 Field summary results generated by adult learners). The underlying reasons for participation in adult learning vary and are dependent on the different stages of the adult learner’s life; the purposes which often trigger motivational mechanisms towards adult learning can be categorised as:

professional, personal, social, affiliation, and prestige-related.