Key Factors Influencing the Teaching of English to Adults
Main Article Content
Abstract
Developing a good mastery of English is becoming vitally important in our rapidly growing world. Ranging from using English for personal communicative reasons to highly professional and academic purposes, learning English has become very important in our time for children and adults alike. In this regard, teaching English to adults may seem similar to instructing the language to children. However, it should be noted that various aspects of difference can be underlined. In addition to the nature of the linguistic content to be offered in class and the teaching approaches to be adopted, significant characteristics of adults have to be considered by teachers involved in this type of teaching. This study examines key characteristics that influence the effectiveness of teaching English to adults, including age, interests, needs, and acceptance. Using a systematic literature review, the paper highlights pedagogical considerations that differentiate adult learners from younger learners, emphasizing the importance of tailored teaching approaches. The findings provide insights for educators and researchers in the field of adult EFL education.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright © 2024 IJPLH, its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved. For all open access content, the Creative Commons (CC) Attribution 4.0 International Public License terms apply.
References
Anisenko, O., & Pryanitska, V. (2024). Peculiarities of teaching English to adults. Scientific Journal of Polonia University, 62(1), 28-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23856/6203
Beck, R. C. (2004). Motivation: Theories and principles (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. https://uws-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-e
Cozma, M. (2015). The challenge of teaching English to adult learners in Today's World. Procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 197, 1209-1214. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.380
Dalton-Puffer, C. (2011). Content-and-language integrated learning: From practice to principles?. Annual Review of applied linguistics, 31, 182-204. DOI: 10.1017/S0267190511000092
Frențiu, L., & Cozma, M. (2013). Preparing adults for professional English examinations. In F. Szabo (Ed.), International conference on vocational and adult education. “Gyula Juhasz” Faculty of Education, University of Szeged (pp. 66-81). Szeged: SZTE JGYPK.
Graddol, D. (2006). English next. British Council.http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research-english-next.pdf)
Harmer, J. (2002). How to teach English. Malaysia: Longman. https://dn790000.ca.archive.org/0/items/HowToTeachEnglish/How%20to%20Teach%20English%20Harmer%2C%20Jeremy.pdf
Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching (4th ed.). Harlow: Longman. https://archive.org/details/practiceofenglis0000harm_d2l2.
Hiemstra, R. (2013). Self-directed learning: why do most instructors still do it wrong? International journal of self-directed learning, 10(1), 23-34. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Brewer-2/publication/325817337_Developing_self-directed_learning_in_the_language_classroom_The_work_of_Leni_Dam/links/60f4419c16f9f313008f5a79/Developing-self-directed-learning-in-the-language-classroom-The-work-of-Leni-Dam.pdf
Knowles M. (1975). The Modern Practice of Adult Education. From Pedagogy to Andragogy. Chicago: The Adult Education Company. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8948/296248bbf58415cbd21b36a3e4b37b9c08b1.pdf
Knowles, M. et al. (1984). Andragogy in action. Applying modern principles of adult education. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2011). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (7th ed.). New York: Elsevier Inc. DOI:10.4324/9780429299612
Koutská, I. (2020). Age-Related Variables in ELT Training [ Rigorous thesis, Univerzita Karlova]. Digitální depozitář Univerzity Karlovy. doi: https://dspace.cuni.cz/handle/20.500.11956/121428
Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R., S., & Baumgartner, L., M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd). San Francisco, C.A.: Jossey-Bass Publishers. https://download.e-bookshelf.de/download/0000/5707/55/L-G- 0000570755-0003317679.pdf
Rogers, A. (1999). Improving the quality of adult literacy programmes in developing countries: the real literacies' approach. International Journal of Educational Development, 19(3), 219-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0738-0593(99)00015-2
Tarnopolsky, O. (2016). Foreign language education: Principles of teaching English to adults at commercial language schools and centers. Cogent education, 3(1), 1135771. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2015.1135771
Zhang, H., Dai, Y., & Wang, Y. (2020). Motivation and second foreign language proficiency: The mediating role of foreign language enjoyment. Sustainability, 12(4), 1302. DOI:10.3390/su12041302