Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning: A Guide to Theory and Practice

The third edition of Patricia Cranton’s Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning brings a wealth of new insight from the tremendous growth in the field during the decade since the previous edition. As in the previous editions, the book helps adult educators understand what transformative learning is, distinguish it from other forms of learning, and foster it in their practice. The first part of the book is dedicated to clarifying transformative learning theory and relating it to other theoretical frameworks. The author examines transformative learning from the learner’s perspective, and discusses individual differences in how learners go through the process. In the second half of the book, the focus is squarely on strategies for promoting transformative learning in a wide variety of adult and higher education contexts. Practitioners will be able to take ideas from the text and apply them directly in their teaching.

Since 1975, transformative learning has become a core theoretical perspective in adult and higher education, and research has proliferated. In the past decade, adult education and especially transformative learning grew into a noticeably larger field. The numbers of undergraduate and graduate programs in adult education have increased and continue to increase as more and more individuals are seeking the expertise, skills, and training necessary to work with adult learners in higher education, business, industry, government, health professions, non-profit organizations, and community development. In addition, the number of programs in higher education (both undergraduate and graduate) that include courses in transformative learning has grown dramatically. These academic audiences use the book to further their understanding of transformative learning theory and practice.

Drawing on the latest research as well as the author’s own teaching experience in both online and face-to-face courses, this new edition will be a vital resource for members of the transformative learning community, as well as those encountering the topic for the first time.

Patricia Cranton was affiliated with the University of New Brunswick in Canada and Teachers College, Columbia University in the United States. She held positions at McGill University, Brock University, University of New Brunswick, St. Francis Xavier University, and Penn State University. Patricia taught courses in transformative learning for 20 years, and wrote/edited several books, including The Handbook of Transformative Learning: Theory, Research and Practice (co-edited with Ed Taylor, 2012).

In 2014, she was inducted into the International Hall of Fame for Adult and Continuing Education. In 2016, Patricia Cranton was a recipient of the Order of Canada.

We deeply mourn the loss of author, teacher, and friend Patricia Cranton. An outstanding contributor to the fields of Adult and Higher Education, and to Transformative Learning in particular, she will live on through her work and in our memories.