Transformative Learning Theory— an Overview
Transformative Learning Theory— An Overview
This section of the monograph provides a brief overview of transformative learning theory from the perspective of Jack Mezirow. Also discussed are the conditions that need to be present, from his perspective, to foster transformative learning. Its intent is to provide a synthesis of its major premises, not an exhaustive discussion, that includes enough information from which to understand the implications and insights gained from discussing the various unresolved issues about transformative learning theory. This overview is followed by two alternative perspectives of transformative learning: Boyd’(transformative education) and Freire’(social transfors s mation) that contribute to our understanding of transformative pedagogy.
Mezirow: A Rational Transformation
Transformative learning offers a theory of learning that is uniquely adult, abstract, idealized, and grounded in the nature of human communication. It is a theory that is partly a developmental process, but more as “ learning is understood as the process of using a prior interpretation to construe a new or revised interpretation of the meaning of one’experience in order to guide future action” s (Mezirow 1996, p. 162). Transformative learning offers an explanation for change in meaning structures that evolves in two domains of learning based on the epistemology of Habermas’ communicative theory. First is instrumental learning, which focuses on learning through task-oriented problem solving and determination of cause and effect relationships— learning to do, based on empirical-analytic discovery. Second is communicative learning, which is learning involved in understanding the meaning of what others “ communicate concerning values, ideals, feelings, moral decisions, and such concepts as freedom, justice, love, labor, autonomy, commitment and democracy”(Mezirow 1991a, p. 8). When these domains of learning involve “ reflective assessment of premises . . . [and] of
This section of the monograph provides a brief overview of transformative learning theory from the perspective of Jack Mezirow. Also discussed are the conditions that need to be present, from his perspective, to foster transformative learning. Its intent is to provide a synthesis of its major premises, not an exhaustive discussion, that includes enough information from which to understand the implications and insights gained from discussing the various unresolved issues about transformative learning theory. This overview is followed by two alternative perspectives of transformative learning: Boyd’(transformative education) and Freire’(social transfors s mation) that contribute to our understanding of transformative pedagogy.
Mezirow: A Rational Transformation
Transformative learning offers a theory of learning that is uniquely adult, abstract, idealized, and grounded in the nature of human communication. It is a theory that is partly a developmental process, but more as “ learning is understood as the process of using a prior interpretation to construe a new or revised interpretation of the meaning of one’experience in order to guide future action” s (Mezirow 1996, p. 162). Transformative learning offers an explanation for change in meaning structures that evolves in two domains of learning based on the epistemology of Habermas’ communicative theory. First is instrumental learning, which focuses on learning through task-oriented problem solving and determination of cause and effect relationships— learning to do, based on empirical-analytic discovery. Second is communicative learning, which is learning involved in understanding the meaning of what others “ communicate concerning values, ideals, feelings, moral decisions, and such concepts as freedom, justice, love, labor, autonomy, commitment and democracy”(Mezirow 1991a, p. 8). When these domains of learning involve “ reflective assessment of premises . . . [and] of