Contribution of social-constructivist and andragogical principles in blended learning to adult's social inclusion and social capital

The paradigm shift from instructivism to constructivism, and the evolution from pedagogy to andragogy have led to self-directed, technology-enhanced learning environments for adults. Previous studies identified the importance of (online) construc-tivist and andragogical strategies to achieve deep knowledge construction. However, less is known about the social contribution of social-constructivist and andragogical principles (SCAP) in terms of social inclusion and social capital. To fill this gap, a questionnaire study was conducted among adults following courses by means of blended learning (N=139). One major finding showed that meeting learner's personal needs is positively related to adults' social capital. In addition, significant differences in terms of social inclusion and social capital were found based on adult learners' native language. Hence, these results suggest a learner-centred and individualized approach to promote social inclusion and social capital.