Learning How They Learn: International Adult Educators in the Global Sphere

Abstract

This article reports on qualitative life historyresearch conducted with 13 women who have been doing international adult education work, in contexts as varied as Asia and Africa. Of these women, 9 are from Canada, and 4 are working in their home contexts in Asia and Africa. The researcher examined the data to determine the informal and incidental learning in their lives as well as the conditions that supported or limited this learning. Themes include (a) learning one’s own limits, (b) learning about hope, (c) learning to negotiate the complex politics of identity, (d) heightened awareness of injustice, and (e) lack of fit when theyreturned. Aspects of informal and incidental learning theoryare used to examine the informal learning that occurred and to explore the adult-learning implications for international development agencies.