Part 2 - Who are Merriam and Clark, and Pourchot and Smith?

In the next few blog postings, much of the [1]views of Merriam and Clark (2006) and Pourchot and Smith (2004) will be used to shed light on reflective thinking. Merriam and Clark (2006) are educational practitioners who invoke personal narratives and a wide selection of theoretical models derived from education and psychology, sociology, philosophy and critical social theory. They lean[2] towards humanistic developmental psychology and its relations with andragogy.[3]

In contrast, Pourchot and Smith (2004) drew on secondary research on lifespan psychology (psychometric studies[4], cognitive and adaptive competency studies) and theories of post formal adult cognition. These theories will be described in further detail in the following posts.

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[1] Merriam and Clark (2006) and Pourchot and Smith (2004) acknowledge that few works focus on the connections between development and learning in adulthood. Both consider the interactions between development and learning, but they have different variations of definition and perspective as well as different ideas relating to aging, stages or patterns of development.

[2] ‘Lean’ is used as the referred theorists adapt wide range of perspectives in presenting their ideas.

[3] Andragogy was a term used by Alexander Kapp (a German educator) in 1833. It consists of adult learning strategies, including how adults are engaged with the learning experience. Andragogy has since been developed by Malcolm Knowles and built upon by many other educators as theories of adult education.

[4] Involving theories of intelligence popularised by Catell and Horn – fluid and crystallised intelligence (Merriam & Caffarella, 1999, pp. 174-175; Pourchot & Smith, 2004, pp. 71-76)

References used

Baltes, P.B. 1987, ‘Theoretical propositions of life-span developmental psychology: on the dynamics between growth and decline’, Developmental Psychology, American Psychological Association, Inc. Vol. 2.1, No. 5, pp. 611-626.

Baumgartner, L.M. 2001, ‘Four adult development theories and their implications for practice’, National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, Vol. 5, Issue B.

Bonk, C.J. & Kim, K.A. 1998, ‘Extending sociocultural theory to adult learning’ in M.C. Smith & T.L. Pourchot (eds), Adult learning and development : perspectives from educational psychology, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, New Jersey, pp.67-88.

Brookfield, S. D. 1987, Developing critical thinkers, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Brookfield, S. D. 1991, ‘The development of critical reflection in adulthood’, New Education, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 39-48.

Rodgers, C. 2002, ‘Defining reflection: another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking’, Teachers College Record, Vol. 104, No. 4, pp. 842-866.

Merriam, S.B. & Caffarella, R.S. 1999, Learning in adulthood: a comprehensive guide, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Merriam, S. B. & Clark, M.C. 2006, ‘Learning and development: the connection in adulthood’, in H. Carol (ed), Handbook of adult development and learning, Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York, pp. 27-51.

Mezirow, J. 1991, Transformative dimensions of adult learning, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Pourchot, T.L. & Smith, M.C. 2004, ‘Some implications of life span developmental psychology for adult education and learning’, PAACE Journal of lifelong learning, Vol. 13, pp. 69-82.

Smith, M.C. & Pourchot, T.L. 1998, ‘Toward an adult educational psychology’ in M.C. Smith & T.L. Pourchot (eds), Adult learning and development: perspectives from educational psychology, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, New Jersey, pp.259-266.