A Study on the Use of Andragogy in Post-Graduation Education in Administration

Abstract

Andragogy, a teaching approach focused on adult audience, has gained significant importance in the last 40 years, due to the growing number of adults who are returning the classroom. The need for such teach ing approach comes from the premise that adults learn in different ways. The present study lies in the field of education in Administration and has the andragogy theoretical line as a way of teaching. The main purpose is to identify the perception of students of stricto sensu post-graduation Administration schools best evaluated in the state of São Paulo concerning the use of andragogy. The study has a quantitative focus and is exploratory. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and through multivariate Factor Analysis technique, based on 139 valid responses. The survey was carried out in the stricto sensu post - graduation courses in Administration of the School of Economics Administration and Accounting of the University of São Paulo (FEA-USP) and the School of Business Administration of Fundação Getúlio Vargas (EAESP-FGV). Among the main results, it was possible to identify four of the six elements of the andragogy process proposed in literature. The students realize that there is the emergence of a preparation process, the establishment of a collaborative climate, the establishment of goals and continuous assessment of learning. On the other hand, they do not perceive the use of experiential learning techniques in the schools. The study also shows, in the perception of the use of andragogy, the influence of academic level; however, age and previous experience as a teacher did not result in significant differences in this perception.