ABSTRACTThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experience of individuals’ self-management of celiac disease, and the role experiential learning played in that lived experience. The study was guided by the research question: What was the lived experience of individuals’ self-management of celiac disease and what role did experiential learning play in that lived experience? For this qualitative study, a semi-structured interview protocol was utilized to collect data in the form of critical incidents which were viewed through the lenses of Clerx et al.’s (2019) stages of celiac disease self-management and Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning theory. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 participants who had lived with celiac disease for a minimum of three years. From these interviews, 70 critical incident narratives were obtained, of which 40 demonstrated the four phases of experiential learning and were further analyzed. Based on Clerx et al.’s stages, four prominent themes were found that focused on acquiring experience with the gluten free lifestyle; engaging in social challenges and self-advocacy; navigating challenges in the workplace; and self-managing a gluten free diet in unfamiliar settings. Conclusions drawn from the findings were: 1) Experiential learning provided a framework for future experiential learning; 2) The skill of self-advocating for one’s needs in the self-management of celiac disease was derived from experiential learning; and 3) Experiential learning initiated the transformation of perception in the self-management of celiac disease. Future research studies should further explore Clerx et al.’s (2019) stages of celiac disease self-management to understand the necessity for each individual’s stage in the self-management of one’s disease. Also, the influence of culture and age on how individuals self-manage celiac disease and experience learning should be considered. Finally, future studies should address the multiple significant barriers that women face when self-advocating in the self-management of their disease.

INDEX WORDS: celiac disease, coeliac disease, chronic disease, self-management,experiential learning, adult learning, self-advocacy, gluten free diet