A comparative analysis of the effects of pedagogical and andragogical instructional methods on academic performance of community college students

The purpose of this study was to examine and document the relevance of Knowles' theory of andragogical instructional practices for community college students by comparing the effectiveness of using a traditional lecture method of instruction and a collaborative learning method of instruction on the academic performance of traditional and nontraditional students. Knowles' theory establishes that adult learners learn more effectively in a group-centered instructional setting than in a traditional instructional setting. During a ten week period, the academic performance of traditional and nontraditional students was assessed to measure the effects of pedagogcial (lecture) and andragogical (collaborative learning) instructional methods. The sample population consisted of 30 (n = 30) traditional students and 30 (n = 30) nontraditional students at a state supported Mississippi community college.; Treatment in the study examined the outcomes associated with the ABBA presentation Instructional Protocol. "A" represented the traditional lecture method (pedagogy) of instructional delivery and "B" represented the collaborative learning (andragogy) method of instructional delivery. During eight weeks of parallel instruction for both groups, the pedagogical method was presented four weeks and the andragogical method was equally presented four weeks.; Using a dependent t test analysis, pre and post test mean scores from the instructional protocol were compared to measure gain and the effectiveness of each instructional method for traditional and nontraditional students. Using an independent t analysis, mean scores of cumulative grade point averages for both sample groups were compared to determine an overall difference in academic performance of the traditional and nontraditional students that enrolled in the college courses pertinent to the present study. Both sample groups completed a researcher constructed questionnaire to investigate the participants' preference for either instructional method and to provide demographic data.; A comparison of mean differences of traditional students with respect to gain from pretest to posttest on the traditional lecture method indicated that traditional students did not show statistically significant gain. However, findings indicated that traditional students did show a statistically significant gain from pretest to posttest on the collaborative learning method of instructional delivery. The research findings also indicated that traditional students' academic performance differed significantly statistically when they participated in collaborative learning versus traditional lecture methods of instructional delivery. The research findings indicated that traditional students preferred andragogical methods of instructional delivery.; A comparison of mean differences of nontraditional students with respect to gain from pretest to posttest on the traditional lecture method indicated that nontraditional students did show statistically significant gain. The findings reported that nontraditional students showed statistically significant gain from pretest to posttest with respect to the collaborative learning method of instructional delivery. The research findings also indicated that nontraditional students' academic performance differed significantly statistically when they participated in collaborative learning versus traditional lecture methods of instructional delivery. The research findings indicated that nontraditional students preferred andragogical methods of instructional delivery. The findings with respect to cumulative grade point averages indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between nontraditional versus traditional students' academic performance. Hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. Based on the findings of the present study, additional investigation of various types of Knowles' andragogical instructional methods appears to be warranted.