Abstract:
Questionnaires were sent to 703 Open College
students. The questionnaire asked questions regarding
personal demographics, how they felt about andragogy as
postulated by Malcolm Knowles, and invited responses
pertaining to the institutional practices of Open
College. Two hundred and ninety-four responses were
received. The information was synthesized and used
descriptively. The information regarding andragogy was
also used descriptively and analyzed using chi-square.
The statistics were compared by gender. No significant
difference was found. Students rejected the concept of
self-directed learning. They did use their past
experience when preparing assignments, however. They
also entered Open College in order to learn how to do
something better rather than for esoteric reasons. In
fact, their whole orientation to learning was very
practical in nature. The factors motivating these
learners were internal rather than external. In
addition, institutional practices were identified that
could further enhance the Open College experience.
