As a child, I was learning because I wanted to please my parents, as well as to be recognized by my peers. But more importantly, to pass exams and make it to the next level of education in order to secure a better career in the future. Psychologically my learning experience was governed by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, from physical, safety (or security), social acceptance, respect, to a sense of accomplishment.
According to Merriam & Bierema (2014, p. 53), “adults are problem-centred, not subject-centred, and desire immediate, not postponed application of the knowledge learned". Adults believe that they are solely responsible for their lives. As such, they learn because they need to know and do so in order to address a problem or a specific task. They do not want to waste their time and resources in learning something that does not have any relevance to their daily lives. Adults also come with a wealth of life experiences. While maturity and experience can be an asset for adult learners, they are more resistant to change unless the learning experience can provide immediate value or benefit. In order to motivate adult learners, they need to understand why and what they are learning and how it can be applied to real world situations.
The above perfectly describes my sentiments towards the PIDP program. I wanted to explore a different career. As such, I enrolled in the PIDP program. To this date, I still remember my first experience on the PIDP 3100 course. To say that the initial learning curve was steep, perhaps was an understatement. This was a field of study that was completely foreign to me. From course syllabus, to terminologies, to teaching practices, everything looked and sounded strange to me back then. At times, some of the concepts were too sophisticated for me to comprehend so much so I had to re-read the chapter or article at least twice. Given that I had completed my master degree, albeitly in a different field of study, I didn’t want to look foolish to the instructor. Frankly, if the instructor had pushed me a tad further or harder, I would have fallen off the PIDP bandwagon. For this, I couldn't be more gratefully to my PIDP 3100 instructor, who stood patiently alongside with me while I overcame my fear and anxiety of the unknown and challenges through this learning journey. Thank you!
Reference
Bierema, S. B. (2014). Adult Learning - Linking Theory and Practice. San Francisco: Josse-Bass.