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Alexander Kapp coins the term "Andragogy"
He uses it to refer to the importance of lifelong learning and the development of an adult's character and practical skills. Though he did not define it or establish a theory about it, and it remains unclear whether he came up with the term himself, his book is the first know use of the term. -
Linderman publishes "the Method of Teaching Adults"
As a part of the movement known as the "Neue Rightung" (new direction) of adult education. Linderman reflected on questions such as the purpose, the content and the methodology to be used in adult education, and named these reflections "Andragogik". Nevertheless, as it was used as a proposed antonym for demagogy, and discussed in a emminently theoretical discourse, the term did not catch on yet. -
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The third wave of the use of "Andragogy" as a term.
Though it's origins are unclear, during the 1950's there as a surge in the use of the term "Andragogy" in academic papers related to adult learning. The term appears in papers published in several european countries, though different authors gave relevance to various aspects of adult learning and there is little agreement as to what the term really conveys. However, the generalized use of the term will set the basis for the establishment of a clear definition. -
Malcolm Knowles introduces the term in North America
In 1968 Malcolm Knowles publishes his paper "Andragogy, not Pedagogy", introducing the term to the North American and other English speaking academics. The term soon gathered momentum and became widely associated with Knowles' ideas. -
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Further Discussion and Research in Europe
Though Knowles ideas in America did not have a significant impact in the European discussion of the term, as of 1970, several academic papers about the topic saw print in Europe, and some groups were formed for the advancement of the academic research about it. In 1969, the Yugoslavian Society for Andragogy was established. In the 1990's the “Katedra sociologie a andragogiky” was founded to advance the term "andragogy" over the communist-associated "adult education".
