Towards the Essence of Andragogy – A Hermeneutical Reading of Grundtvig, Knowles, Lindeman and Savićević

The aim of this study is to search for the essence of andragogy through a critical examination of andragogy theorists and thereby increase the theoretical understanding of andragogy. Systematic reviews in 2013 and in 2021 led us to probe more deeply into andragogical writings in search of the essence of andragogy. Writings by four classic theorists representing different andragogical approaches – Grundtvig, Knowles, Lindeman and Savićević – were selected for hermeneutic text interpretation. Based on the results, we formulated, as constituting the essence of andragogy, three intertwined principles: 1) lived experience, 2) reciprocal interaction, and 3) “power with”. Each principle expresses the qualities that describe its nature. These three principles are necessary and sufficient conditions for the andragogy to be present. If one of these principles is lacking, the wholeness of andragogy is absent, and the phenomenon does not exist.