The Evolution of John Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory

Abstract

This article is a review of Mezirow's transformative learning from its inception to the latest definition. The review builds on Taylor's earlier discussions, but unlike his review, this history of transformative learning relies predominantly on Mezirow's publications to authenticate the discussion with support from the extant literature. The article begins with Mezirow's explanation of the stages of transformative learning, continues with the influences on the theory, transitions into the criticisms, and concludes with a discussion of its evolution and development.