Educators are inclined to think that the words they use in their discourses about policy, research, and practice mean what they mean them to mean. It is just as clear, however, that such discourses ideologically produce and reproduce relations of power that benefit some and disadvantage others. This essay begins an argument that educators need to…

Learner centeredness is a naive position that does not account for political and ethical dilemmas arising from the newly central position of adult education in social and economic life. Adult education must be seen as a struggle for the distribution of knowledge and power in society. (SK)

Planning is a social activity in which educators negotiate personal and organizational interests in constructing programs. Four concepts encompass a planning model: power, interests, negotiation, and responsibility. (SK)

Summarizing the case studies and critique in this issue, the authors conclude that planners must (1) learn to negotiate power and interests responsibly because their actions validate whose interests matter; (2) anticipate sources of support and opposition; (3) determine power relationships; and (4) know to whom they are responsible. (SK)

Although adult education as a field has shown interest in theories of situated cognition, it has misappropriated some of its central concepts. Proponents of situated cognition posit that learning is not something that happens in independent isolation, or just inside the head, but instead is shaped by the context, culture, and tools of the learning…

Empirical research on adult learning conducted by Jack Mezirow in the 1970s was revolutionary and groundbreaking and contributed to the creation of a critical theory of adult learning. His influence has remained at the forefront of adult education theory for over two decades. It is timely to consider whether other empirical research has…