The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition was developed by brothers Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1980. The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition is a learning progression framework. It argues that as one learns a new skill via external instruction, they pass through five stages of development: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert.
Understanding the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition
In their original paper, Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus brothers noted that “In acquiring a skill by means of instruction and experience, the student normally passes through five development stages.. We argue, based on analysis of careful descriptions of skill acquisition, that as the student becomes skilled, he depends less on abstract principles and more on concrete experience.”
The Dreyfus model is widely used to provide a means of assessing and supporting progress in the development of new skills and competencies. By extension, it also defines an acceptable level for the assessment of these skills and competencies.
The five stages of development in the Dreyfus model
Following is a look at the five stages of development that explain how a learner progresses:
Novice – a novice learner has little or no experience or background knowledge. As a result, they must adhere to a clear set of rules or guidelines and often need supervision to complete tasks.
Advanced beginner – once the novice has learned the basic rules of a skill, they progress to advanced beginner. Here, they begin applying rules to new situations and receive important feedback when they make a mistake. All task attributes and aspects are treated separately and given equal importance, but the individual may be able to complete some tasks unsupervised.
Competent – during the competency stage, the learner encounters situations where the rules don’t apply or where it is unclear which rules should be used. This can lead to the individual becoming paralyzed by indecision. Over time, they realize the futility in trying to apply each rule in every situation. They also begin to see their actions in the context of long-term goals through conscious and deliberate planning.
Proficient – generally speaking, the proficient individual can select an appropriate course of action for any situation with confidence. This is the point where learning transitions from rule-based to situation-based. Reaching this stage requires many hours of deliberate practice – there is no way to subvert this process.
Expert – in the expert stage, action is driven by intuition derived from a deep understanding of the subject matter. Dreyfus said that “the ability to make more subtle and refined discriminations is what distinguishes the expert from the proficient performer.” To the outside observer, the performance of an expert appears effortless and to some extent, magical. The expert does not rest on his or her laurels. In other words, they must revert to an earlier stage if changes in their field of expertise necessitate new learning.
Key takeaways:
The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition is a learning progression framework developed by brothers Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus in 1980.
The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition evaluates and supports the development of new skills as the learner relies less on abstract principles and more on concrete evidence.
The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition has five key stages: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. Each stage represents a linear model, but the Dreyfus framework can be treated as cyclical if an expert needs to learn new knowledge.
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Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
