Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults

by Raymond J. Wlodkowski, Raymond J. Wlodkowski

The classic interdisciplinary reference on adult education, updated for today's learning environment Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn provides adult educators with the information and strategies they need to guide non-traditional students toward positive educational outcomes. Providing a clear framework, guidelines for instructional planning, real-world examples, and cutting-edge ideas, this book fills the need for intrinsically motivating instruction targeted specifically toward adults returning to school. This new fourth edition sharpens the focus on community colleges, where most first-generation college students and working adults begin their higher education, and explores the rising use of technology and alternative delivery methods including a new chapter covering online instruction. Since the publication of its first edition, this book has become a classic reference for understanding adult motivation in educational and training settings. As more and more adults re-enter the educational system, instructors and trainers will find extraordinary value in this exploration at the intersection of research and practice. Adult students differ from traditional students in motivation, attitude, experience, and more; this, combined with an increasingly diverse body of students as well electronic delivery methods, makes today's teaching environment a new landscape for instructors to navigate. Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn provides a clear guide to success for instructors and students alike.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Raymond J. Wlodkowski is Professor Emeritus, College of Professional Studies, Regis University. Raymond does research in adult motivation to learn and culturally responsive teaching.

Raymond Wlodkowski began his work in education as an elementary school teacher in the Detroit Public Schools. For the last forty years he has taught at universities throughout the United States and Canada with professorships at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Antioch University-Seattle, Regis University-Denver, and Edgewood College in Madison. He is the founding Executive Director of the Council for Accelerated Programs (CAP) and the former Director of the Center for the Study of Accelerated Learning at Regis University. He is a psychologist whose work encompasses adult motivation and learning, cultural diversity, and professional development.

Recent books for which Dr. Wlodkowski shares authorship are Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn (4th ed.), twice the recipient of the Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature (1986 and 2009), Diversity & Motivation, winner of the 2010 Cyril O. Houle Award for Outstanding Literature in Adult Education, and Teaching Intensive and Accelerated Courses. His books have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese. Dr. Wlodkowski has been the recipient of awards for teaching excellence at two universities and has also received the award for outstanding research from the Adult Higher Education Alliance.

In October of 2012, he was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. He has worked extensively in video production, authoring six professional development programs including Motivation to Learn, winner of the Clarion Award from the Association of Women in Education for the best training and development program in 1991. His Ph.D. is in educational psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Reviews

[Don Barger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for motivation and planning learning

I enjoyed this book. It is a topic in which I rarely study but it was very helpful in understanding how to design training and curriculum.

[Strick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very solid.

[David Barney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information

[Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of facts and straight facts on how our brain works with motivation and around what makes us motivated. I picked this book from my library because I really needed motivation in my life. This book didn't motivate me to complete my goals but most definitely showed me how to think about motivation. This gave me insight on how adult brains changed over time to the influence our motivation and willpower. It was a very Interesting book to understand adult brains. Phycology is always fun to learn and this book shows you evidence on how the brain enhances motivation. It was difficult to read because it's worded like a phycology text book, but using the advice in this book in real life has really opened doors for me because I know the tricks behind my brain to avoid procrastination. Now when I see myself not motivated, I remember some key points that I forced myself to memorize, to get up and go. I recommend taking notes on this book and keep the main points that you can use to make a real difference.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was required reading for ELPA course The Adult Learner (SPR 2012). A dynamically interesting read for teachers, tutors, and others teaching adult learners. Also, good for educational administrators to read.

Lastly, good for the curious to read.

[Dehhulk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superbly presently and easily understood. Making great use of the book for research.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great andragogical survey, with many solid pieces of advice.

The new edition has 100 additional pages, and is noticeably improved from the last revision.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I go back to this book again and again. I highly recommend Wlodkowski to anyone who teaches or designs programs for adult learners.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent summary of the research and thought relevant to motivating adult learners. Much quicker read than I anticipated.

[Abner Huertas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a business consultant and I work with adults. This book really helped me to understand how we as adults learn. in my work I've to teach, this book gave me more tools to do a better job.