Publisher's Synopsis
This book offers a detailed account of the findings of a major study of trainers' and students' perceptions of experiential learning and experiential learning methods. It opens with an introduction to the study. It then offers a detailed review of the literature on experiential learning and adult learning theory. Following this, it describes the qualitative and quantitative research project in detail. Findings include acknowledgement of a "theory-practice" gap between what trainers teach and what students perceive as relevant and useful (the specific focus of this study is nursing education and training). The study also identifies two "language styles" used in the literature and by some of the trainers. The first mimics the slang of the 1960s and the second is similar to the language used by existential philosophers. It is suggested that these language styles form a barrier of "cultural isogloss" between trainers and students and this may interfere with learning.
