Andragogical, Pedagogical and Lifelong Learning Orientations of Freshman Engineering Students in a Project-Based Course

Abstract

This paper provides a comparison of andragogical and pedagogical orientations to learning, and argues that andragogy needs to be viewed as a principle for lifelong learning. Andragogical and lifelong learning assumptions are discussed from the perspective of engineering education in general and project-based learning in particular. The paper also presents the results of a small-scale study conducted on fifty-eight freshman engineering students’ andragogical and lifelong learning orientations in the context of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Results showed that the students had a greater tendency towards andragogical orientations, and that they had a moderate level of lifelong learning orientation. Data also revealed a positive correlation between andragogical and lifelong learning tendencies, and a negative correlation between pedagogical and lifelong learning tendencies. The results of the study are discussed and recommendations are made.