Today's complex global environment calls for leaders to be agile decision makers, engage in critical self-reflection, integrate reflection with action, and partner with those who are different in significant ways. These capabilities and skills are the core qualities of transformative learning. This paper weaves research findings that explore…

This research project explored the manner in which veteran school principals learn of, and become committed to, new perspectives and practices. Personal stories of formative and transformative change from the careers of 23 school principals were collected and analyzed comparatively. Four analytic frameworks emerged from the project and provide a…

Research shows that learning efficiency increases by building on prior knowledge and using multiple assessment tools. Powerful learning environments start with authentic problems and build knowledge through cooperative learning. Informal assessments integrated with assessments of prior knowledge identify further educational approaches. (SK)

To improve the teaching skills of peer educators in Iowa Extension, workshops exposed them to constructivist and transformative approaches to adult education. Attendees identified two challenges as impediments to adopting or adapting the contemporary model for adult education: low confidence in facilitating discussions and concerns about…

Describes an organizational learning course based on transformative learning theory that illustrates approaches to developing constructive learning environments, enhancing team learning, examining mental models, supporting systems thinking, and achieving personal mastery. (SK)

Explores the growth of mathematical knowledge and the relationship between abstraction and context. Builds on work to construct a viable model of the micro-evolution of mathematical knowledge in context whose central feature is the visibility of its mechanisms. Illustrates a case study of 10-11-year-old children's construction of meanings for…

For most reentry women students, development entails a shift from identifying themselves in terms of their psychological surroundings to authoring and authorizing their own identity. Reentry women need both self-direction and supports that promote development. (SK)

A survey of 208 adult learners of English as a second language and 24 follow-up interviews showed that 66.8% experienced transformation in their frames of reference and thinking about culture, language learning, and themselves. Learning activities that facilitated transformative learning included discussions, exercises, essays, assigned readings,…

The stories we tell ourselves about nature and human/nature relationships influence which nature experiences we seek out and our interpretations of such experiences. In turn, these experiences reinforce or disrupt our stories. Since nature experiences are interpreted in multiple ways, environmental educators should move away from the linear model…

Asserts that coercive restraint is justified when grave social injuries are sustained. Argues that adult education theories that advocate enlightenment of perpetrators are inadequate. Urges a pedagogy of coercive restraint to alleviate social injustice. (SK)

Addresses limitations of a behavioral approach to communication. Explores the use of transformative learning theory in teaching communication. Outlines a learning map for nursing students: experiencing a disorienting dilemma, critically assessing internalized role assumptions, recognizing the social construction of practice, and exploring and…

Research using Freire's critical pedagogy and critical educational gerontology revealed that a Maltese University of the Third Age uses traditional one-way models of educational practice that fail to engage learners in transformative learning. Overemphasis on adult participation neglects the question of the purpose of learning. (Contains 72…

A British Columbia off-campus program enables cohorts of adults to undertake graduate study at a distance. Groups promote transformative learning and continuing professional development. Key principles include adult-centered learning; diverse, inclusive groups; learner participation in program design; and collaborative learning. (Contains 49…

Interviews, surveys, and journal entries were used to examine 41 teachers' and 6 teacher trainees' experiences with educational technology. About 91% experienced perspective transformation, most frequently through hands-on experience, discussion, and reflection. The most significant outcome was the way confidence in technology use empowered them…

Examined the conceptions of learning held by second-year medical students in South Africa in relation to their academic achievement. Found that students with a good academic record expressed more transformative conceptions of learning than did their lower-achieving peers, who appeared to rely on memorization and recall. (EV)