In this paper the life course is conceptualised as a complex multi-dimensional array of age-graded movements through social institutions. Particular configurations of social roles linked over time are perceived as pathways through the life course. The simultaneous interplay among social roles are investigated empirically using Latent Class Analysis estimating the probability of participation in part-time formal adult education or training in relation to social roles at particular age-stages. The paper shows how we have probabilistically mapped 'typical' adult learning pathways in relation to, inter alia, work, marriage and parenthood for a cohort of 20 to 25 year olds over a 15 year period using British Household Panel Survey data. Qualitative evidence from case studies is then used to triangulate the quantitative findings. We evidence that some pathways are more conducive to participation in formal adult learning than others. However, our paper not only presents the substantive findings of these analyses but also offers a critique of panel data analysis, two-stage Latent Class Analysis, and the melding of quantitative and qualitative evidence with the intention of initiating a discussion about the 'quality' of knowledge about educational phenomenon such methodologies produce.