Flexible Learning: From Theory to Practical Implications

This theoretical study pays special attention to flexible learning, the development of which is closely related to societal changes in the 21st century. Flexible forms of education are specific in terms of study organization (unusual time, space, schedule, combination of forms), non-traditional target groups (open access to education, second chance studies, mastery-oriented learning, teaching in a foreign language), and the use of technology (multimedia, digital technology, electronic communication, information systems). This paper discusses theories that support the idea of flexibility in education and their practical implications. Attention is paid to philosophical starting points (empiricism, rationalism, pragmatism and humanism), related psychological theories of learning (behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism) and other specific theories that are important in the field of open, online, flexible, and distance education (connectivism, systems theory, communication theory, media theory, independence and autonomy theory, interaction and communication theory, equivalence theory, industrialized learning theory, learning community theory, teaching-learning congruence theory, transactional distance theory, self-regulated learning theory, situated learning theory, collaborative learning theory, and cognitive flexibility).