The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the learning orientation of adult and traditional students in vocational programs of six junior colleges in Taiwan.An instrument, Student Orientation Questionnaire, was developed to deterrnine the learning orientation of students: andragogical (student-centered) or pedagogical (teacher-centered) orientation. This instrument was adrninistered, utilizing a stratified cluster sampling technique,to 1382 students including 683 adult students and 699 traditional students at six junior colleges in Taiwan.
The major findings and conclusions drawn from the analysis of gathered data found that adult students tended to prefer andragogical orientation and traditional students indicated more pedagogical. Furthermore, there were significant differences among adult and traditional students in the dimensions of "Self-directed Learning" and "Instructor's Direction". This study also found that significant differences in the learning orientation of students grouped by gender, age, type of programs and grade.
Based upon the conclusions, recommendations for program design, teaching, and guidance services were discussed and suggestions for further research were also presented.
| Keywords: | adult students; andragogy |
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