ABSTRACT
Psychology is frequently used as a foundation discipline in the training of adult educators. This is because it addresses those questions which naturally emerge from an engagement with adult teaching and learning. What motivates students to attend classes? Through what processes do adults learn best? How can I adjust my teaching practices to take into account the learning styles of my students? How can I adjust my teaching practices to take into account the learning styles of my students? How can I encourage the formation of a cohesive and supportive group? Can I make sense of the expressed anxieties and concerns of my students? What can I do to help those students who experience difficulties in learning? Much of the psychological literature has some bearing on each of these questions, and others like them. However, it is not at all clear how the practitioner should proceed to apply the output of this literature to the everyday activity of teaching adults. In this respect there appear to be at least three available options, each of them corresponding to a different motive within the practitioner; to control events in the learning environment, to interpret and influence events, or to gain a critical understanding of events and one’s actions in relation to them.
