Andragogy and N. F. S. Grundtvig: A Critical Link

Abstract

How has N.F.S. Grundtvig's philosophy of lifelong learning influenced American scholarship in adult education? This article explores that question by summarizing the ideas of major American philosophers of adult education and the educational philosophy of Grundtvig, by comparing these sets of andragogical guideposts, and by checking for acknowledgement of Grundtvig's contributions. It was decided that Grundtvig has gone essentially unread and un-acknowledged in America although his living word had a major effect on E.C. Lindeman who, in turn, passed on this legacy to succeeding adult educators. As a result of this indirect influence, the andragogical assumptions of American adult educators virtually mirror those of N. F. S. Grundtvig.