Abstract
This essay introduces a collection of past articles from the Journal of Experiential Education (JEE) focused on the concept of experiential learning. It outlines the historical trajectory of the concept beginning with human relations training practices beginning in 1946, as it came to be understood as a naturally occurring psychological process and a grounding for pedagogical reforms. The eight articles included in the issue reflect the way JEE authors have contended with problems arising from the concept’s departure from its origins in practice. We suggest that experiential learning’s evolution into a general theory was accomplished by decoupling it from its roots in a particular social practice and ideology, and then focusing on the concept’s technical problems. It is now important for researchers to revisit assumptions underpinning current theory and practice, situate research on experiential learning in wider practical and scholarly traditions, and develop new vocabularies concerning the relationship between experience and learning in educational programs.
Department
Kinesiology, Education
Publication Date
1-29-2017
Journal Title
Journal of Experiential Education
Publisher
Sage
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Seaman, J., Quay, J. and Brown, M. (2017). The evolution of experiential learning: Tracing lines of research in the JEE. Journal of Experiential Education, 40(Suppl.), 1-20. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1053825916689268
Comments
Seaman, J., Quay, J. and Brown, M. The evolution of experiential learning: Tracing lines of research in the JEE. Journal of Experiential Education, 40(Suppl.), 1-20. Copyright 2017, The Authors. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. http://dx.doi.org/10.7768/1948-5123.1127