Analysis of the Concept of Transformational Learning - Research Paper Example

? Transformational Learning Transformational Learning Transformational learning is a learning approach that develops knowledge through changing individuals’ perception and potentials. It focuses on existing knowledge among learners to facilitate learning and is significant to promoting adults learning. Explored through Mezirow’s theory, transformational learning involves a process with distinct roles of the educator and the learner. The learning approach occurs in distinct steps and can be understood through lenses that were developed from Mezirow’s theory. In this paper, transformational learning is explored from these perspectives. Transformational Learning The concept of transformational learning has played a significant role in adult education. One of its major contributions is establishment of a basis for distinguishing between childhood and adult education. Unlike other learning perspectives such as SDL, transformational learning focuses on the cognitive process, which results in learning. Core to its constructs are the learner’s experience that is diverse as compared to the experience among young learners and an advanced level of maturity that adult learners have relative to their potentials at younger ages. These distinctions, as Rubenson explains, identify the learning approach as an adult learning theory and, therefore, supports previously developed theoretical concepts by Mezirow. Rubenson further explains that the basis of transformational learning is the change in people that arises from abrupt changes in their environment, their experience, and the visibility of such changes among the subjects or among people around them (Reubenson, 2011). Transformational Learning Theory Westby offers a theoretical approach to transformational learning through the Mezirow’s transformational learning theory. The author defines the type of learning as an approach that people assume in changing their present mental constructs, “perspectives and assumptions” that transform people to “become more open minded and inclusive” (Westby, 2007, p. 15). Westby further explains that transformational learning is a consequence of meditations that follows motivating experiences, disappointments, and experiences that result in surprises and that the learning approach has been associated with social change aspects. The change aspects identify experiences such as “poverty, illiteracy, and oppression” that play a significant role in adults’ cognitive constructs for transformational learning (Westby, 2007, p. 15). Another foundation for transformational learning theory is the rational nature of human beings that drives them to reflect on their experiences and develop assumptions and opinions from the experiences. Westby offers four constructs of transformational learning. These are “constructivists’ foundation, critical reflection, a shift in the world view, and a change to meaning schemes” (Westby, 2007, p. 15). Constructivism recognizes adults’ perspectives that learning is developed from life experiences and is, therefore, an intrinsic phenomenon as opposed to a development from external sources such as books and educators. Constructivism further undermines the role of educators in transferring knowledge to learners because adult learners develop knowledge from their experiences. Reflection is another fundamental construct in transformational learning and defines knowledge development through a series of reflection into actions and reflective evaluation of actions for solutions to problems that learners may encounter. This means that transformational learning is not entirely dependent on experience, but also on the learner’s rationale, which evaluates experiences for intellectual developments. A significant change in the worldview is another definitive characteristic of transformational learning and goes beyond knowledge and skills. The change in general perception involves transformation of personal values and approaches to developing meaning from a person’s environment. Personal meaning schemes is another set of fundamental constructs of transformational learning which relies on “assumptions, beliefs, feelings, and ways of knowing” that develop from an individuals’ past experience (Westby, 2007, p. 19). Meaning schemes are also fundamental to the transformational learning theory because they offer a measure of success in the learning, and this can be determined by the identification of a shift in an adult’s learning scheme (Westby, 2007). Theoretical perspectives of transformational learning require a significant shift in which “habits of mind become more open, more permeable, and better justified,” a distinctive nature of the meaning schemes (Idea Group, 2010, p. 251). Mezirow’s theory of transformational learning developed in 1978, involves an empirical study on women who returned to college and realized the role of their experiences for their values and perceptions. The author then developes the theory that “transformative learning occurs when people critically reflect on instrumental and communicative knowledge” (Idea Group, 2010, p. 251). The learning can occur at an individual level or at group or social levels depending on the nature of experience for learning. While this distinction has offered confusion for understanding of the transformational learning theory, the two approaches can be integrated because they employ similar fundamentals (Idea Group, 2010). Lenses of Transformational Learning Transformational learning can be understood from different perspectives, defined as lenses. The lenses exist in two categories, lenses that focus on individuals’ aspects and lenses that focus on socio-cultural aspects. The lenses that focus on individuals are “the psychocritical, psychodevelopmental, and psychoanalytic perspectives”; while psychocultural lenses include “socio emancipator, cultural-spiritual, race-centric, and planetary approaches” (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2012, p. 131). The psycho-critical approach to transformational learning identifies four major steps. The learner must have had an experience that is active in his or her mind set or in the learner’s point of view. A reflection on the experience follows this and is the stage at which existing knowledge is tested for validity, and the need for change by held perceptions or points of view is established. An intrapersonal and reflective debate is, then, made over the experience and possible interpersonal deliberations are made through sharing of the experience. This informs a person’s position for judgment and prompts decisions into a new perspective (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2012). Psychodevelopmental perspective, as offered by Daloz, is another lens to understand the transformational learning theory. In addition to the application of the individual’s experience into learning processes, psychodevelopmental perspectives recognize developmental changes as learners seek knowledge. A teacher offers a mentorship role and challenges learners into a critical review of their help perceptions of worldview into wider perspectives. The psychodevelopmental lenses are based on three sets of developmental theories, one of which is phase theories. The phase theories relate to activities that people encounter in attempts to resolve age related problems. Stage theories form another base for psychdevelopmental lens that covers cognitive development and learners’ ability to expand their cognitive boundaries to different cultural set ups. Another approach to the psychodevelopmental lens is “the Perry’s model of intellectual and ethical development” that explains the transition from the armature cognitive capacity to a level of higher rationale. The last individual based lens of transformational learning is a psychoanalytical perspective offered by Boyd. The approach of understanding transformational learning supports an intrinsic nature of learning that comprises “psyche such as the ego and the collective unconscious” and their application in resolving conflicting perspectives (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2012, p. 139). The lens also incorporates spiritual and emotional aspects into learning processes in the process of reconciling perspectives for a new knowledge base (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2012). The “social-emancipation philosophy,” as offered by Freire, is an example of social-cultural lenses to understand transformational learning; it integrates the concept of an individual into the society towards a macro-social learning perspective. The core to the lens is the problem solving approach to learning by which learners play active roles in generating solutions for social problems that are common among different learners. The difference between the problem solving approach and a bank perspective to learning that restricts the learner’s environment, also establishes the ground for change within an individual and the entire society, as learners assume active roles in learning and implementation of developed knowledge (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2012). Process of Transformational Learning Mezirow’s transformational learning theory is based on a ten-step process that conforms an individual’s previously held perspective to a new form that conforms to the person’s idea of the society expected knowledge. The first step in learning is an individual’s realization of knowledge conflict that leads into a dilemma. With the perceived knowledge difference between experience and influence on the point of view, an individual is forced into a self-reflection of basic assumptions that have been developed from the previous experience and fundamentals of factors that conflict the experience based assumptions. The reflection then accelerates to a critical evaluation of held perspectives that alienate the learner from “traditional social expectations” (Shivers, 2008, p. 4). An individual then correlates an identified conflict to those that are encountered, individually or communally, by others, and this process reveals the reality that the dilemma is not a personal issue, but one that affects other members of the society. This seems to develop hope for deriving a solution and leads to the fifth stage of the learning process that involves evaluation of available alternatives towards a new behavioral approach. This stage is then followed by the development of “competence and self confidence” in a learner’s active role in resolving the identified dilemma, and the learner develops a strategy for action in the society (Shivers, 2008, p. 4). The acquisition of “knowledge and skills” for performing desired plans and application of efforts towards assumptions of a new knowledge position and a new social role then follows with the aim of eliciting and evaluating feedback over the new position and roles. This leads to a new perspective, different from the previously held one, and the learner reintegrates into the society subject to the developed perspective and intellectual position (Shivers, 2008). Favorable Conditions for Transformational Learning While the discussed lenses offer bases to understanding the transformational learning process, they do not establish the environment that can support the learning. Evans, Haughty and Murphy, explain the role of relationships and trust in such relationships as one of the fundamental conditions that promote transformational learning. The role of interaction between the learner and the environment, in people and from whom dilemma is developed, requires cohesion for such influences as a teacher’s mentorship role occurs and promotes the transformational learning process. An analytical potential among learners is another significant factor for the type of learning that relies on personal rationale as the basis for knowledge expansion. A lack of analytical skills may, for example, inhibit learning even in the presence of diverse solutions to a developed dilemma. Learner’s communication skills are another set of factors that determines success of a transformational learning process. Such skills as “listening deeply, respectfully,” being accommodative in communications and paying attention to “deeper meanings, unspoken assumptions, and beliefs” facilitate the learning approach (Evans, Haughey & Murphy, 2008, p. 270). A learner’s ability to take actions, after the reflection stage, is another fundamental factor that facilitates transformational learning (Evans, Haughey & Murphy, 2008). Conclusion Transformational learning is a learning approach that relies on learners’ experiences to expand their knowledge base. Mezirow’s theory of transformational learning explains the learning approach that follows distinct stages, including realization of dilemma over perceived knowledge, critical analysis of the help perspectives, and alienation from the society, before evaluation of options into a new knowledge base that reconciles the learner and the society. The learning approach can be understood from individual based and social based lenses such as psychodynamic, psychoanalytical, psychocritical approaches, and through social-emancipation philosophy. The learning approach is also optimal under specified conditions such as strong interpersonal relationships, learners’ analytical potentials, and learners’ communication skills. References Evans, T., Haughey. and Murphy, D. (2008). International handbook of distance learning. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing. Idea Group. (2010). Web-based education: Concepts, methodology, tools and applications. London, UK: Idea Group Inc (IGI). Merriam, S., Caffarella, R. and Baumgartner, L. (2012). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Reubenson, K. (2011). Adult learning and education. Vancover: Academic Press. Shivers, A. (2008). A metamorphosis of thought: Parent education based on transformative learning theory in a title i-funded middle school. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest. Westby, C. (2007). How early childhood and K—12 teachers experience transformational learning in a dynamic urban setting: The role of knowledge facets. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest. Read More