From critical reflection to transformative praxis: Intersecting Freire, Mezirow & Brookfield
Аннотация
This paper adapts a comparative critical theoretical analysis and synthesis of the theories of Paulo Freire, Jack Mezirow, and Stephen Brookfield, three seminal scholars whose work has shaped the concept of critical reflection in adult education. Although all three regard education as a site of human growth and democratic development, they articulate different pathways toward transformation. Freire advances a radically political pedagogy of critical consciousness (conscientização), situating reflection within collective struggle and action against oppression. Mezirow frames transformation as a primarily cognitive and individual process, through which adults reassess meaning perspectives via rational–critical discourse. Brookfield occupies an integrative position: drawing on critical theory, he emphasises ideology critique and the pervasiveness of power, arguing that critical reflection is inherently political and must expose hegemonic assumptions embedded in practice. By juxtaposing these perspectives, the paper shows that critical reflection is not a uniform construct, but a multifaceted practice shaped by distinct ontological, epistemological and ethical commitments. Synthesizing their insights points toward an integrative framework in which education as praxis unites meaning-making, ideological critique and collective action. In the face of growing inequality, authoritarian tendencies and the marketisation of adult learning, adult educators must cultivate spaces of dissent, reflection and solidarity where individuals and communities can imagine and enact more just worlds.
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Gioti, L., & Toka, A. (2026). From critical reflection to transformative praxis: Intersecting Freire, Mezirow & Brookfield. Adult Education Critical Issues, 5(2), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.12681/haea.43677
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