Learning
Adaptive or exaptive? New prospects for theorizing cognitive transformation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21728082 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marianna Papastephanou (0000-0002-7304-9249, University of Cyprus, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 382-400 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Policy Futures in Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1478-2103 • E-ISSN: 1478-2103 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14782103251381540 |
| OpenAlex | W4414334622 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 41 |
Borrowed from biology exaptation is often counterposed to adaptation. However, the possibility of theorizing some learning as exaptive has not yet been explored. Covering this research gap the article discusses various meanings of adaptive learning and introduces exaptive learning as a new and promising notion of cross-disciplinary benefit. The article also indicates some risks. Like other learnings, exaptive learning may be co-opted by the politics of learning or it may nourish excessive and unsubstantiated hope for ethico-political transformation. Despite such risks, I argue that exaptive learning is distinct enough to merit its own conceptual space as an important analytical tool for theorizing some cognitive transformation
Adaptive Learning · Cognition · Exaptation · Experiential learning · Learning theory · Politics · Adult and Continuing Education Topics · Education and Critical Thinking Development
Exaptation—a Missing Term in the Science of Form
Reclaiming learning
Responsible innovation for addressing grand societal challenges
Beyond Personalization
The theory of communicative action
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Rethinking, policy futures and utopianism
Academic hospitality, interdisciplinarity and exaptive learning
The conflict of the faculties
Democratic education and curiosity
Learning from crisis
Education “in the age of uncertainty”
Method, Philosophy of Education and the Sphere of the Practico-Inert
Rethinking future uncertainty in the shadow of Covid 19
The voice of artificial intelligence
Learning and adaptation from a semiotic perspective
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |