Chad Hoggan

Chad Hoggan, professor of adult education at North Carolina State University, is a leading scholar in transformative learning—the experiences that dramatically shape how people experience, conceptualize, and interact with the world around them. A prolific researcher on the subject, as well as on adult civic learning and migration, he has published six books and more than sixty articles and book chapters. Hoggan has studied transformative learning with research participants ranging from postsecondary and graduate students to cancer survivors, military veterans, and migrants. A dedicated teacher and mentor, he has served as chair or committee member for more than one hundred master’s and doctoral students.

Hoggan’s primary contribution to adult education scholarship has been his introduction of analytic tools that can be used to delineate the theory of transformative learning (TL), the most published theory in the field. Hoggan introduced a new definition of transformative learning and offered criteria to analyze the extent to which learning experiences are transformative. His 2016 article “Transformative Learning as a Metatheory” became an immediate classic in the field and dramatically shaped the evolution of TL scholarship. Hoggan furthers new scholarship as coeditor of the Journal of Transformative Education and has served on the editorial boards of Adult Education Quarterly and the International Journal of Lifelong Education. He received the prestigious American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) Houle Award for Outstanding Literature in Adult Education in 2020.

Since 2019, Hoggan has been extensively involved in research projects in central and eastern Europe, including investigating the learning needs of migrants and the society that receives them in the wake of the influx of refugees from Syria (2015) and Ukraine (2022). His current work also addresses civic learning in adulthood. Hoggan coedits The Good Society: A Journal of Civic Studies and regularly delivers lectures worldwide on “Learning for Democracy.” He also serves as codirector of the Institute of Civic Studies and Learning for Democracy. Hoggan uses his position and networks to highlight the work of scholars from underrepresented countries, including Ukraine and other eastern European nations. These efforts collectively bridge disciplines and amplify voices from various academic communities worldwide.

A proven leader in adult education, Hoggan serves on the Mission Circle of the International Transformative Learning Association and as the director of partnerships for AAACE, connecting adult education organizations worldwide. He previously served as AAACE treasurer (2014–2016) and led the initial design of AAACE’s Professional Development Institute (2021–2022). Through these efforts, Hoggan has made a tangible difference in the field of adult education both in the United States and internationally. His widely recognized expertise makes him a sought-after speaker for keynote addresses and lectures. His contributions have been recognized with the AAACE President’s Award (2015) and the North Carolina State College of Education’s Global Engagement Award (2023).

Hoggan has been a consistent advocate for the dignity of migrants—and all people. Many of his publications and public lectures highlight that all humans are products of migrating ancestors, and deserve dignity. This idea of dignity for all underlies all areas of his scholarship, from his ethics of transformative learning to his theory of civic learning and his private civic work.