Problem posing vs problem solving

This paper addresses the notion of adult education and places it within the context of the literature on adult development. Emphasis is placed on the work of Klaus Riegel (1973) who suggested a different interpretation of adult development. Dialectic operations is perceived to be the final stage of cognitive development, as opposed to formal operational thought, the traditional interpretation. Dialectic operations is a way of thinking which seeks to discover a whole new series of questions to be asked, rather than in finding 'once and for all' answers. The concepts put forward by Riegel are used as the foundation for a different interpretation of andragogy, based on the work of the Nottingham Andragogy Group (1983). The educational approach suggested to a large extent is diametrically opposed to the much criticised 'traditional' training of nurses. The view is expressed that although this is a different approach it is nonetheless worthwhile and should be embraced, particularly when nurse education is undergoing such major change.