A Critical Evaluation of Adult Learning Theories and Implication for Human Resource Development

In the field of human resource development (HRD), a new conception extends the previous dual perspective of performance or learning and it posits that the field includes three key areas: learning, performance, and change (Gilley & Maycunich, 2000). Because HRD as a professional field works with all kinds of adults in various organizations for the purpose of facilitating their learning, performance, and change, the question of how adults learn and its subsequent relation with their behavioural performance and change tends to be a critical theme for HRD scholars and practitioners as well. Although there tend to be various definitions of learning and HRD, recent HRD texts all recognize the unique role of adult learning theory (DeSimone, Werner, & Harris, 2002; Gilley & Maycunich, 2000; Swanson & Holton, 2001). One may be able to argue that adult learning theory should be recognized as one of the key foundations of HRD. However, the contribution of adult learning theory to HRD theory and practice has never been fully explored. Conventional HRD literature regards three major disciplines as foundations of the field (i.e., psychology, economics, and systems theory) and does not identify adult learning theory as one of the foundations (Swanson & Holton, 2001). In addition, although there have been an increasing body of literature on adult learning theories in the field of adult education, no systematic effort has been offered to critically evaluate the existing theories under a synthesis perspective (Merriam, 1993; Merriam & Caffarella, 1999). The purpose of this paper is to critically examine major contemporary adult learning theories from a newly developed holistic perspective.