A study of the use of adult learning theory in medical instruction

This study examined relationships between the attitudes of medical faculty toward specific aspects of adult learning theory as well as the degree to which behaviors were actually used to build upon those beliefs. A questionnaire was developed to assess attitudes toward adult learning theory and returned by 269 of the medical faculty at the University of Iowa College of Medicine (58.5%). Several significant relationships were noted between faculty beliefs and the teaching methods they reported using. First, the six components of adult learning theory studied were independent of one another, suggesting a lack of consistent attitudes toward these components. Second, faculty who had taken teaching courses or workshops on teaching showed attitudes different than their peers, and used different types of teaching activities. This finding suggests that educational experiences can in fact affect the attitudes and teaching practices used by medical faculty, at least with respect to principles of adult learning theory.