Exploring English teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning in adult education contexts

The purpose of this study was to explore the conceptions of teaching and learning of twelve adult educators who teach in a range of English programs in the public school system and at the community college level. Their perspectives on teaching and learning as well as their "personal philosophy of practice" were compared with the role of the educator and the process of learning, most notably described by Jack Mezirow (1981; 1990; 1996) in his theory of transformational learning and Paulo Freire (1970) in his critical theory of adult learning. One of the theoretical models for understanding the different perspectives that the adult educators held was developed by Pratt and associates (1998). Transformative learning involves a process whereby individuals reflectively transform existing beliefs, attitudes, and emotional reactions that may be hindering their ability to achieve their potential, personally, intellectually, and socially. Most of the educators did not refer to themselves as "transformative educators" nor did they share a theoretical understanding of Mezirow's transformative learning theory, in this sense, theory is not driving practice. However, significant parallels between some of the teachers' intentions, views on learning, curriculum orientation, and personal philosophy of practice were consistent with the role of the transformative educator and the process of learning described by theorists such as Mezirow (1981), Freire (1970), and Daloz (1986). The teachers also held many reservations about the role of the teacher as "change agent," many of the educators suggested that "transformative learning" may be a by-product of many factors, (e.g. learners' beliefs and attitudes, content, context) in the learning environment rather than a result of a specific teaching behavior, attitude, or style. The practical realities of teaching in an inner city high school for adults and in a city community college also made it difficult for the teachers to apply "transformative learning" approaches. While a qualitative analysis of the data from three in depth interviews with the twelve teachers was a major part of the data collection, cross verification of the data also included the use of Kolb's (1985) 'Learning Style Inventory', Zinn's (1994) 'Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory ', and Conti's (1990) 'Principles of Adult Learning Scale'. This study found that English teachers' personal philosophy of practice is influenced by the values, beliefs, and ideals that they hold. The perspectives on teaching and learning that the educators in this study held developed over time and were influenced by factors such as family and educational experience, personality, past teaching experiences, the specific characteristics of their students, and the institution and department that they work in. Important concerns and limitations of transformative learning theory emerge out of this study. The findings of this study also have significant implications relating to the teacher education programs for adult educators, the professional development of adult educators, and the importance of grounding theoretical knowledge in teachers' and students' experiences.