The Evolution of Experiential Learning Theory: Tracing Lines of Research in the JEE

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.

Experiential learning and its impact on students' entrepreneurial intention in two innovative high school programs

“…Seaman, Brown, and Quay (2017) believe that under certain definitions EL's history only dates back to the T groups of the 1950s and 1960s. In any case, EL and its many derivatives and forms continues to be a heavily researched topic and relevant to this dissertation.…”

“…Acknowledging a disagreement regarding the history of experiential learning documented above (Seaman et al, 2017), one cannot describe the sphere of knowledge revolving around the topic without mentioning Dewey's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). Bower (2014) reminds us that experiential learning has been described many in ways, from a process of discovering processing, applying information and reflection, to a method of linking "academic knowledge and practical skills" (p. 62), and as an application of knowledge to real-world situations.…”

“…Bower (2014) attributes these descriptions to the early work of Dewey, providing a view of the three central themes of Dewey's ELT; the social environment as a relationship among teachers, learners, the community and the curriculum, the way students learn through a combination of lecture and hands-on experience, and reflection by the student and teacher on what has been learned. Although Seaman et al (2017), claim that "there is little evidence Dewey used the actual phrase 'experiential learning'" (p. 3), it is clear Dewey was connecting experience with learning as far back as 1938.…”

Examining Experiential Learning and Implications for Organizations

“…It may have been something of tremendous importance ... or it may have been something that in comparison was slight" (p. 205). In 1946 Kurt Lewin and associates pioneered action research as a new form of collaboration between researchers and community leaders that involved a two-week workshop to help improve civic policy (Seaman et al, 2017). David Kolb's 1984 book proposed an experiential learning theory (ELT), which was inspired by the Lewinian Experiential Learning Model of creating and recreating knowledge (Kolb & Kolb, 2005).…”

“…As experiential learning has become more prevalent, a field of related scholarship has also evolved (Illeris, 2007;Lewis & Williams, 1994;Moore, 2010). Despite the history and breadth of the experiential learning literature (Dewey, 1934;Kolb, 1984;Seaman et al, 2017), particularly in the context of education, evidence-based data on its use and practice within organizations remain limited (Gitsham, 2011;Holmqvist, 2004;Larsen, 2004). Moreover, to the author's knowledge, studies reporting results of graduate-level research examining experiential learning in the context of organizations are nonexistent.…”