Editing Andragogy (section)

==History==
The term was originally coined by German educator [[Alexander Kapp (German educator and editor)|Alexander Kapp]] in 1833. Andragogy was developed into a theory of adult education by [[Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy]]. It later became very popular in the US by the American educator [[Malcolm Knowles]]. Knowles asserted that andragogy (Greek: "man-leading") should be distinguished from the more commonly used term ''[[pedagogy]]'' (Greek: "child-leading").

Knowles collected ideas about a theory of adult education from the end of [[World War II]] until he was introduced to the term "androgogy". In 1966, Knowles met Dušan Savićević in Boston. Savićević was the one who shared the term andragogy with Knowles and explained how it was used in the European context. In 1967, Knowles made use of the term "andragogy" to explain his theory of adult education. Then after consulting with [[Merriam-Webster]], he corrected the spelling of the term to "andragogy" and continued to make use of the term to explain his multiple ideas about adult learning.

Knowles' theory can be stated with six assumptions related to the [[motivation]] of adult learning:<ref>{{cite web |website=Encyclopedia of Psychology |url=http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy.html |title=Instructional Design: Theories - Andragogy (M. Knowles) |access-date=2011-05-16 |archive-date=2011-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930005215/http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infed.org/lifelonglearning/b-andra.htm |website=the encyclopedia of informal education |title=andragogy @ the informal education homepage |access-date=2011-05-17 |archive-date=2000-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000302064639/http://www.infed.org/lifelonglearning/b-andra.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

#Need to know: Adults need to know the reason for learning something. 
#Foundation: [[Experience]] (including [[error]]) provides the basis for learning activities.
#[[Self-concept]]: Adults need to be responsible for their decisions on education; involvement in the [[planning]] and [[evaluation]] of their instruction.
#Readiness: Adults are most interested in learning subjects having immediate [[relevance]] to their work and/or personal lives.
#Orientation: Adult learning is [[Problem solving|problem]]-centered rather than content-oriented.
#Motivation: Adults respond better to internal versus external motivators.

In most European countries, the Knowles discussion played at best, a marginal role. "Andragogy" was, from 1970 on, connected with emerging academic and professional institutions, publications, or programs, triggered by a similar growth of adult education in practice and theory as in the United States. "Andragogy" functioned here as a header for (places of) systematic reflections, parallel to other academic headers like "biology", "medicine", and "physics".

Early examples of this use of andragogy are the Yugoslavian (scholarly) journal for adult education, named ''Andragogija'' in 1969, and the Yugoslavian Society for Andragogy; at Palacky University in Olomouc (Czech Republic) the ''Katedra sociologie a andragogiky'' (Sociology and Andragogy Department) was established in 1990. Also, Prague University has a ''Katedra Andragogiky'' (Andragogical Department); in 1993, Slovenia's ''Andragoski Center Republike Slovenije'' (Slovenian Republic Andragogy Center) was founded with the journal ''Andragoska Spoznanja''; in 1995, Bamberg University (Germany) named a ''Lehrstuhl Andragogik'' (Androgogy Chair).

On this formal level "above practice" and specific approaches, the term "andragogy" could be used relating to all types of theories, for reflection, analysis, training, in person-oriented programs, or human resource development.