The present thesis is a phenomenographic study on adult learners’ learning at a university. The research interest in the subject arose from a desire and need to develop adult learners’ learning at university and research methods for investigating that learning. Despite the developmental orientation of the research, its ultimate aim is to contribute to the basic research on the learning of adults studying alongside their work, and methods of exploring that learning.
A promising way to combine a study on adults’ learning and methods investigating that learning was found by integrating ideas of learning in new phenomenography and a phenomenographic research approach. This research therefore theoretically and methodologically advocates a phenomenographic research approach. It concentrates especially on understanding the dynamics of learning in a new and different way.
The research addresses the following research questions: What kind of variation is there in adult learners’ ways of experiencing their learning at a university? What kind of a holistic view can be constituted from adult learners' various ways of experiencing their learning at a university? What kind of research approach is phenomenography in investigating adult learners’ experiences of their learning at a university?
The context for the research was provided by the TUKEVA programme. The name TUKEVA is an acronym of the Finnish words for research, development and training. TUKEVA aims to combine working experience and on-the-job learning with academic degree studies for adults. The students involved in TUKEVA typically pursue their degree-oriented university studies while continuing in full-time employment.
A total of 71 TUKEVA students participated in the study. The core participants were a group of 18 interviewees, while a further 53 people provided supplementary data in written form. The sample involved students from four different universities and three main disciplinary areas; from economics, education and technology.
The research shows that there are notable variations in the ways the adult learners experience their learning. As its main result, the research constitutes a holistic portrayal, in the form of phenomenographic outcome space, concerning adult learners’ ways of experiencing learning in the university setting. This holistic portrayal indicates that adults’ learning comprises not only pure cognitive elements (which is usually seen as a basic learning mode at a university) but also those of practice- and profession-bound elements (integration of theory and practice and professional growth and development) as well as self-regulative elements. In addition the findings indicate that in this study the most sophisticated learning of an adult learner at university consists of being capable to change views of reality, develop his/her work, grow and develop as a professional and self-regulate his/her learning.
The present researcher’s view is that the findings of this research are of value because they increase the knowledge base of what is already known about adult learners’ learning in general and learners’ learning experiences in particular. By finding out and establishing the qualitatively disparate variations in how learning is experienced by adult learners, the research offers a concrete basis for a more profound understanding of phenomena relating to adults’ learning, and specifically of experiencing learning at a university. With this research the researcher hopes to be able to advance a tiny step towards theoretical and methodological improvements with regard to university level adult learners’ learning and education.
