Lost in travel or a different conception? (Mis-)appropriation of transformative learning theory in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Theoretical thought on adult and/or lifelong learning in the Republic of Korea has been largely indebted to Western theoretical frameworks in the past few decades. Academic journal articles and doctoral dissertations dealing with the topic of learning in adulthood flooded with Western, typically North American, theories and concepts. Is it indeed unproblematic to use Western frameworks in understanding domestic phenomena of learning in adulthood? To tackle this question, we looked into 15 academic journal articles in the Republic of Korea, which are explicitly taking Jack Mezirow’s transformative learning theory as a theoretical framework. We chose Mezirow’s theory because its undoubted status as a solid theory has recently faced serious challenge in Western scholarly communities. In the analysis of the chosen journal articles, we focus on how those articles used Mezirow’s theory in terms of its core elements. We concluded that Mezirow’s theory has been largely misappropriated. We used Edward Said’s concept of “traveling theory” to discuss possible reasons for this (mis-)appropriation. We suggested that sociocultural and historical influence should be taken into consideration in theory-use as well as theory-making.