Examining the links between self-perception and adult learning: highlighting the parallels for educators and learners

Abstract

This exploratory study is about self-perception and its affects upon adult learners. It explores the question of why adults often believe it will be difficult for them to engage in formal learning, and in particular, the extent to which self-perception plays a vital role in this process. Research examining adult and workplace learning is plentiful; however, there is a paucity of conceptually sound and methodologically rigorous research that addresses the relationship between learner's self-perception and motivation to learn. For the purposes of this study, self-perception is defined as an adult learner's own interpretation and understanding of himself or herself as a learner. The major contribution of this thesis to knowledge and practice is to provide insights into the thinking undertaken by learners during the learning process, as well as the mechanisms they use to internalise their thoughts in ways that affect their future processes of, and attitudes towards, learning. The study employed a qualitative research paradigm in which the focus was on developing a 'rich' understanding, based on the experiences of participants, of why things happen and the meaning that participants themselves have ascribed to events. A multi-method design was used that involved semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and participant observation. The theoretical perspective employed for the study was 'Grounded Theory', so that an inductive rather than deductive approach was used with inferences being drawn from the data after rather than before it was collected.