When we talk about adult learners the best picture that comes to mind is one of responsibility. Corporations manage their knowledge and call them human capital. Connie Malamed, an elearning coach, states these learners have characteristics that set them apart from traditional school or college learners. The person is generally beyond undergraduate work or age (24+), is reliant on self and most likely responsible for others, and works. In her blog, The eLearning Coach,Connie Malamed, also claims the aged learner is generally motivated to better themselves on some level. That leads me to the question: What is the motivation? Motivation whether from within (intrinsic) or an outside source (extrinsic) is the ingredient that spurs us forward into another level. 

Some intrinsic influences for adult learning might be:

• Ø  Keeping current with trends.
• Ø  Interest in a particular topic.
• Ø  Aspiring for intellectual depth.
• Ø  Pursuing a hobby or leisure activity.
• Ø  Enhancing memory or cognition.
• Ø  The pure joy of learning.

External motivators are more goal-driven:

• Ø  Career
• Ø  Skill Seeking
• Ø  Social interaction
• Ø  Recognition
• Ø  Competition

The age-old question of “Are you motivated by a desire to succeed or are you motivated by a fear of failure?” also brings into play the possibility that oftentimes a person is dually motivated. Daniel H Pink, American author and journalist  gives a great lecture and RSAnimate on findings around being purpose-driven even in a corporate setting.  He states that when profit motives are separated from purpose motives, production and profits suffer and for a company to be a profit maximizer, movement into purpose maximizing is imperative for success.  Examples of these companies would be Apple, Google and Skype.

Connie Malamed, 2011, Characteristics of Adult Learners (Web log comment). Retrieved from

http://theelearningcoach.com/learning/characteristics-of-adult-learners/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc