Anticipated and Unanticipated Transitions as Triggers for Adult Learning

Abstract

Through life, most people experience challenges that affect both their private life and working life. The attention on transitions as promoters of adult learning has gained much attention in recent years, as the modern life with globalization and individualization has made life unpredictable, uncertain and risky. Based on interviews with 24 adult participants in different learning activities, the purpose of this study is to examine how adults emphasize transitions as triggers that lead to participation in learning. Findings presented in this paper indicate that transitions in adults’ life are both associated with certain life-phases that support underlying age-based theories about adults’ life structure, and transitions that adults are constantly faced with as a part of a continuous evaluation and reflection over life-possibilities and -utilization. Most interesting is the results indicating that various changes and transitions occur simultaneously and reinforce each other as triggers for adult learning.