Reconceptualize Transformative Learning Theory on Honneth Social Justice Theory: A Case Study of Adult Returning to School in Québec’s Cégep Continuing Education

This article is based on a critical ethnography study conducted in a continuing education department of a cégep in the Montreal area (Québec). The main objective of the research was to describe and analyze educational practices in this specific educational setting. To understand the conditions under which those practices are carried out, the study describes the life pathways of those adult students and the effect it has on them years after their graduation. The current paper presents some of the results obtained. Those results lead us to propose a theoretical foundation for transformative learning theory based on the concept of recognition. Moreover, this article invites scholars to study TVET and other education institutions as social justice institutions that must ensure the conditions of possibility for social justice.