The author reads five volumes of "College English" with attention to the extent to which authors account for issues of systemic difference in their writing--both in their representations of themselves as authors and in their representations of others--as one means to explore how (indeed whether) we have begun to transcend normativity in our…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how Engestrom's "third generation" activity theory, with its emphasis on developing conceptual tools to understand dialogues, multiple perspectives and networks of interacting activity systems, has informed research into professional learning in multiagency service settings in England.…

This book presents six critical commentaries on the state of the discipline and practice of adult education. "The Critical Turn in Adult Education Theory" (Michael R. Welton) takes the position that the critical theoretical tradition from Marx to Habermas can provide a foundation for an emancipatory educational practice.…

The intensive group process inherent in alternative break service trips offers a unique opportunity to foster transformative learning in undergraduate students. This exploratory study focuses on a two-year project in which graduate students who were professionally educated in group work led undergraduate students in national and international…

How do you transform your own practice, and the practice of your peers? How do you act as a change agent in a positive, open dialogue with peers? The author seeks to explore this complex, often difficult issue, hoping to encourage others to look at their practice, and the practice of their peers, and ask: "Can we do better?" Can we…

To claim that ethics and morality lie at the foundation of effective administrative praxis is neither new nor revolutionary--numerous studies have demonstrated that moral issues are embedded in the weave and texture of schooling and influence administrative choices. This paper explores the challenges, tensions and dilemmas new administrators…

Data reported in this paper is part of a larger study which explored form five (14 to 16 year olds) students' ideas in probability and statistics. This paper presents and discusses the ways in which students made sense of task involving independence construct obtained from the individual interviews. The findings revealed that many of the students…

Experiential and Transformational Learning Theories have strong potential for application in a setting in which academic library skills are taught. These theories imply greater immersion in the academic library environment and scholarly library research and, thus, promote a deeper understanding of information literacy than traditional methods of…

The impact of travel on older adults was examined through semi-structured interviews of a purposively selected sample of eight individuals ranging in age from 56 to 89 years. The interviews were designed to determine whether interviewees' travel had resulted in any transformative learning experiences. The participants (three Caucasian married…

Surveyed and interviewed full-time faculty in colleges of education at four urban, Midwestern, universities to determine their perceptions, practice, and knowledge of diversity issues in addressing commonly mandated directives in pre-service programs. Respondents attempted to meet national accrediting standards, offered special required courses,…

Examined the effectiveness of two teaching elements (the artistic crafting of content and the modeling and scaffolding of perception and value) at fostering transformative experiences among students in a high school zoology class. Student outcomes were compared to the outcomes of students in a class taught with a case-based method. Significantly…

A participatory research project examined the transformative process that a first-grade two-way Spanish immersion classroom underwent to build a community of learners. Drawing on a critical pedagogy framework, the teacher provided daily opportunities to engage young students in dialogue to develop their voices and created a literacy-rich…

We articulate and explicate a mechanism for mathematics conceptual learning that can serve as a basis for the design of mathematics lessons. The mechanism, reflection on activity-effect relationships, addresses the learning paradox (Pascual-Leone, 1976), a paradox that derives from careful attention to the construct of assimilation (Piaget, 1970).…

This study tested and extended Dweck's social-cognitive theory of motivation with adults who deliberately chose to face the challenge of returning to school. We examined the relationships among beliefs (implicit theories) on the nature of intelligence, goal orientation, cognitive engagement in learning, and achievement using path analyses.…

This article reflects on current debate over transformations of scientific research and universities. Four well-known mutation theories (Mode-2 knowledge production, triple helix of university-industry-government relations, academic capitalism and enterprise university), and their recent critiques, are reviewed. It is suggested that a better…