ABSTRACT
Despite the fact that learning has been the subject of intense research for the last century or more, there is still little agreement about how learning occurs. What we do have, however, is a range of differing explanations about what happens when learning takes place, and these explanations are called learning theories (Merriam & Caffarella, 1999, p. 250). Each of these theories has a set of assumptions about the role of the learner in the process of learning, what motivates people to learn, the importance of the role of the teacher or trainer and the techniques required to facilitate learning. Therefore, looking at the process of learning, and more specifically at how adults learn, is a useful activity for teachers and trainers who wish to improve their skills in facilitating this process with participants in both workplace and classroom training environments.
