This book seeks to locate the essence of adult experiential learning, a central phenomenon in adult education. Chapter 1, The Theme of Adult Experiential Learning in Research, addresses theory building in adult education and developing a deeper understanding of adult experiential learning. Chapter 2, Theoretical Underpinnings and Methodology, describes sources, how to generate the research problems, and these methodological principles: hermeneutical text interpretation and grounded theory method. Chapter 3, Knowledge and Knowing in Theories of Adult Experiential Learning, considers the overall attitudes of Knowles, Kolb, Mezirow, Revans, and Schon to knowledge and knowing. Chapter 4, Individual Dimensions of Adult Experiential Learning, examines what "experience" means to the five scholars; how they describe the act of learning; how reflection and learning are related; how they define "the end point" of learning; and how learning and development are linked. Chapter 5, Social Dimensions of Adult Experiential Learning, addresses what kind of andragogical implications seem to follow from the individual dimensions of experiential learning; how an adult educator comes into the individual learner's learning; what kind of "being-with" an individual learner requires; and what an educator does. Chapter 6, Conclusion, gives a general profile of adult experiential learning by re-constructing its main categories and recommends directions for future research and practice. (Appendixes include 41 notes and 264 references.) (YLB)