The social learning theory presented by Etienne Wenger is referred to as one of the most cited contemporary learning theories (Fejes Dingyloudi & Strijbos, 2020). This paper first outlines the development of Wenger’s social learning theory with an overview of central elements in the theory. Focusing on the epistemological substructure of Wenger’s theory, the presentation outlines three main areas of critique that the theory has met: a) transformative learning (DePalma, 2009), b) the context for learning in the 21st century (Engeström, 2007), and c) the primacy of participation (Lövgren, 2017). Two redesigns of Wenger’s initial theory are presented in answer to the first two areas of critique (DePalma, 2009, Wenger-Trayner, 2015). The third area of critique puts focus on Wenger’s depiction of the “duality of meaning” (Wenger, 1998, p.55). Responding to the epistemological presumptions behind Wenger’s description of reification and participation as reciprocal, I have postulated “the Primacy of Participation”. To illustrate the centrality of this critique for social science research, the paper ends by referring to the inceptory role participation is given in the development of contemporary social science research.
Johan Lövgren (Sat,) studied this question.