Struggling to Hope Exploring the Theory-Building Potential of Experiential Education as a Pedagogy of Critical Hope

Abstract

Hope may be an antidote for mitigating the long list of complex social problems that weighs heavily on educators, yet finding the authentic experience of hope can be a challenge. This paper provides an exploratory, theory-building approach that interrogates the connections and intersections between experiential education (EE) and hope. In this scholarly exploration, the authors present a roadmap, including highlighting a theory-building framework followed by a literature review that posits a new line of inquiry positioning EE with the scholarship on pedagogies of hope (specifically, critical hope). We also offer recommendations that point the direction for future research and scholarship on EE and the pedagogies of hope, as well as the practice of EE through the lens of critical hope. This theory-building approach to EE as a pedagogy of critical hope elevates the dialogue while also inviting educators to explore this conceptual approach more fully. In the end, the opportunity to employ EE as a pedagogy of critical hope may not only address complex issues in higher education, but also the many problems globally plaguing our planet.