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The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of successful surgical technology graduates who achieved transformative learning during their CAAHEP accredited surgical technology program while encountering risk factors for failure. The study’s central research question is: What experiences of successful surgical technology graduates contributed to transformative learning? The theory guiding this study is Mezirow’s (1981) theory of transformative learning. Mezirow’s theory relates to this study as it requires individuals to find meaning in learning in order, through a disorienting dilemma, to acquire new perspectives on their subject matter. The setting of this study is Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited surgical technology programs throughout the country. Purposeful criterion sampling assures the identification and selection of information-rich participants who experienced the phenomenon. The data collection for this study includes surveys, interviews, and letters written by successful surgical technology graduates. Data collection and analysis occur through the continued reading of surveys, interviews, and letters which capture the essence of each student’s experience through detailed written descriptions.

"This autoethnography critically examines my experiences with the Catholic Church, Catholic schools, organizational structures, and hierarchical relationships in order to make social and cultural connections that speak to the larger Catholic community. Through this research method I use my five year journey as an administrator at a Catholic elementary school with a predominately Latino population, in a conservative West Texas city to illuminate the obstacles involved with practicing critical democracy running counter to an hegemonic culture. I identify significant themes from my experiences that disclose the illusion of democracy found in the Church's organizational structures. In addition, I reveal the oppressive relationship between pastor and laity when clergy mistake their leadership position for a positions of superiority over the laity. Moreover, this study explores the struggles and successes involved utilizing critically-democratic pedagogy in an educational environment micro-managed by an oppressive leader and structure. This dissertation makes suggestions for Catholic school administrators attempting to introduce and sustain a critical democracy in their schools and challenges the Church to discontinue its discriminatory practices and re-envision a Church where ALL are truly welcome."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of calling for seasoned pastors. Guiding the research were four related sub-questions: (a) How do seasoned pastors describe their initial experiences of calling? (b) How do they describe the ways in which they have critically reflected on their experiences of calling? (c) How do seasoned pastors describe their subsequent actions that have resulted from their calling? (d) And, how do seasoned pastors describe the development of their calling? A purposeful sampling of 11 pastors who have for six or more years functioned as a full-time pastor were engaged in this phenomenological research. Mezirow's (1991) Theory of Transformative Learning and Loder's (1989) theistic educational philosophy were used to frame the research. The data acquired from semi-structured interviews, field notes, and a focus group were recorded and transcribed by a voice recognition transcription service. A summary analysis and the transcribed interviews were sent to each pastor-participant as a member check to ensure accuracy. Guiding the collection and analysis of the data were the phenomenological research methods of Moustakas (1994), the developmental phases of transformative learning, and Peircean semiotics. Findings of this research revealed that pastors have a highly semiotic epistemology in the perception of their calling. Results also confirmed the developmental nature of a pastoral-calling as found in transformative learning theories. Finally, this study contributes to the calling literature and pedagogical theories for pastoral training programs, religious education, and vocational counselors. It also can be used as a resource for those who are seeking a holistic understanding of what it means to be called as a pastor.

"The purpose of this research was to study how work with men to understand the social construction of their own identities can contribute to creating a more socially just society. In this critical qualitative study eight participants of a critical, pro feminist college group shared their experiences of masculine and patriarchal norms, what happened socially, interpersonally and emotionally when these norms were disrupted, and what meaning and transformation came out of their involvement in a group dedicated to disrupting masculinity and patriarchy. The men realized the importance of accountability for themselves and others in creating social change around masculinity, and the need to better understand their own emotions and be more vulnerable in transforming their own masculine identity. The study provides important implications for student affairs practitioners and others in establishing and facilitating men's groups to create social change and better understand the social construction of masculinity. It provides a way to move beyond addressing individual issues such violence against women and instead fully address the negative effects of narrow gender role socialization on both men themselves and subordinate identities around them."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.

"As the number of international students studying in the United States increases, it is important to analyze how specific subsets of international students understand their experiences in order to ensure student success in specific populations. Both female students and Saudi students have individually been given very little attention in the academic literature. Because of these intersecting identities, this research sought to understand the lived experience of Saudi international women studying in the United States. Two theories guided this project, critical race feminism and transformative learning theory. Eight Saudi women were interviewed who lived in the U.S. for at least two years and who completed a degree at a university in the United States and were, at the time of the interviews, again living in Saudi Arabia. Three in-depth, qualitative interviews based in phenomenology per participant were conducted in order to gain the necessary depth for a phenomenological analysis. The research sought to answer the following questions: 1) What are the lived experiences of Saudi international women in U.S. colleges and universities? a) What social, cultural, and academic challenges have they faced? b) What do they perceive as positive social, cultural, and academic experiences? 2) How do the educational experiences and knowledge gained from being an international student in the United States influence how they view themselves? The data were analyzed using Brookfield's seven tasks of transformative learning theory (i.e., challenging ideologies, contesting hegemony, unmasking power, overcoming alienation, learning liberation, reclaiming reason, and practicing democracy) to look at the participants' international study experiences based on gender and race. I found that the participants were able to analyze their international study experiences clearly through the lens of sexism but had much more difficulty doing the same based on race. Several themes beyond Brookfield's framework were identified, namely ambassadorship, isolation, hijab, patriarchy, empowerment, and identity shifting. Due to these themes in conjunction with Brookfield's framework, I identify implications for practice as well as suggestions for future research."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

"In the United States, adults 65 and older represent a significant and growing cultural minority (Cohn & Taylor, 2011). Ageist stereotypes, whether directed at older adults or internalized by elders themselves, can cause real harm to elders' mental and physical health (Nelson, 2016a). Mezirow's transformative learning theory (TLT; 1991) directly addresses the essential nature of challenging personal prejudices and cultivating empathy as critical to development within the adult learner, and transformative empathyenhancing interventions have been used successfully to improve attitudes toward older adults in helping professionals and professionals-in-training (e.g., Friedman & Goldbaum, 2016; Henry & Ozier, 2011). Even though older adults receive mental health services at a lower rate than any other age demographic (Karel, Gatz, & Smyer, 2012), and greater numbers of older adults are entering postsecondary education (Chen, 2017; DiSilvestro, 2013; Kasworm, 2010), there has been limited focus in counseling and higher education research on meeting the needs of this expanding demographic. Intervening early in students' training to address age-related biases and to foster empathetic awareness (Andersson, King, & Lalande, 2010) aligns with the counseling profession's commitment to purposeful counselor preparation (Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding, 2014) and professional competency standards for student support professionals (ACPA & NCPA, 2015). Using Bartholomew's (1998) Intervention Mapping model (IM), I developed a three-part empathy-enhancing transformative learning intervention, "The Game of I am" (Bailey, 2016c). Using a pre-post quasi-experimental design, the purpose of the current feasibility study was to test the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention at enhancing self-reported empathy and improving self-reported attitudes toward older adults with first-year master's students training to be counselors (N = 14) and student support professionals (N = 13). Although preliminary qualitative themes emerged that supported its utility, quantitatively there were no statistically significant changes in mean empathy and attitude scores for the participants following participation in "The Game of I am" (Bailey, 2016c). Additional plans for the analysis of collected qualitative data are described and implications for integrating "The Game of I am" (Bailey, 2016c) into existing master's level coursework are discussed."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

"Using qualitative exploratory research methodology, I sought to explore the first stage implementation of a university-based initiative aimed at creating an undergraduate culture of mentorship at a small liberal arts institution. Initially formulated in 2014, the initiative was officially underway by the fall of 2016, at which point I commenced this study. I used face-to-face interviews to collect primary data from participating mentors and mentees, supplementing that data with information obtained from document analysis methods and researcher field notes. The following research questions underscored the study: 1. How do faculty and students currently understand the mentor/mentee relationship and its purpose? 2. How does the culture of mentorship initiative impact the lives of traditional undergraduate students at Private University? 3. How are mentors affected by the mentor/mentee relationship as implemented in the university's mentorship initiative? 4. Does the mentorship initiative demonstrate the theoretical frameworks of subjectification, self-authorship, and transformational learning? If so, how? Findings suggest that the mentor/mentee experience had proven meaningful for both parties; that participants invested seriously in the relationship. A chief concern that emerged from the study involved the ways in which students were initiated into a community of this nature; as such, suggesting that a more effective means for communicating expectations of student mentees--as prospective, first year, or transfer students--should be a high priority in planning next steps. Relative to emergent mentor concerns, findings suggest that more effort should be made to balance faculty roles/obligations with the demands of the mentor role. Ultimately, the value of this study lies in (a) its openness to the experiences of mentors and mentees as they occur in the occur in the field for the first time; (b) its concurrent timing with the formal implementation of the initiative so as to capture the initial, dynamic nature of this process; and (c) its potential to support ongoing/future studies of the mentorship initiative. Finally, I suggest that longitudinal studies dedicated to the culture of mentorship initiative would be useful in exploring its developmental aspects (for mentee and mentor) specific to this study's theoretical grounding in the concepts of subjectification, self-authorship, and transformational learning."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

"In light of the continual problem of attrition in the field of special education and the need for well-prepared new special education teachers, the purpose of this study was to examine how dialogic reflective electronic journaling (e-journaling) between this researcher and undergraduate preservice teachers involved in a special education field-based experience in the schools addressed their critical reflection in classroom decision-making as well as their transformative learning the Fall semester of their senior year prior to student teaching in the Spring. Performance feedback was given by this researcher as part of the teacher preparation supports already in place for the field-based experience. Specifically, this study explored the use of dialogic reflective e-journaling in addressing the preservice teachers' ability to cope with a classroom disorienting dilemma from a reflective perspective within their special education field-based experience, possibly experiencing positive personal transformation as teachers in the process. This study was underpinned by the theoretical framework of transformative learning theory (Mezirow 1978b, 1991, 1995). The qualitative methodology for this study was participatory action research (PAR), a type of action (change) research whereby researchers participate in a study alongside of other study participants. In terms of data collection, study data were triangulated through three data sources: initial interviews, e-journaling documentation, and a final researcher-developed questionnaire. Study findings revealed that dialogic reflective e-journaling enhanced the reflective skills of the study participants when faced with classroom disorienting dilemmas and resulted in perspective changes that instigated a positive personal transformation as teachers in the process."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to describe how young adults experience transformation through participation in a federally funded General Education Development (GED®) program located within a small urban area in the southeastern region of Georgia. Specifically, transformative learning theory and its overarching themes was applied to the perspective of the individuals who shared the experience of transformation. The queries of the study were to determine: (a) how the participants understood transformation, (b) how the participants described their experience of transformation in a federally funded GED program, (c) what transformation(s) were described and perceived from the GED program, and (d) what circumstances were involved with the experience of transformation. After seaming together the participants' lived experiences of transformation through the GED program, the following textural and structural themes emerged: (a) transformation in confidence, (b) transformation into autonomous individuals, (c) perspective of the GED, (d) the GED program was the best option, (e) compared the GED school as more positive than high school, and (f) influence of others to transform.

The purpose of this thesis is to describe transformative learning, explain why it is an extremely effective form of learning, and analyze the common characteristics among transformative learning practices. First, some of the goals of a liberal arts higher education are described in order to provide the context in which to discuss transformative learning. Next, the findings from recent brain research are discussed to explain the biology of learning. Transformative learning theory is then described and explained. The relationship between transformative learning theory and brain research are emphasized to make the case that transformative education is a form of teaching and learning that best matches the way the brain actually functions. The original research includes an analysis of current practices in a variety of disciplines and settings in order to find the common elements that foster transformative learning. A short-term study abroad trip, an American literature course, and social justice training for residential life student-staff are examined. The methods and strategies in which these educators promote transformative learning are reported and analyzed. Educators in academic and student affairs settings may use the findings to inform their own practices to create opportunities for transformative learning for their students.

Legends are all around us. Our conceptions of who we are and the places we inhabit are shaped and defined by the stories we hear and the ways in which we interact with our physical world. Legend-tripping is a misunderstood yet widely practiced activity in which people visit sites that have a (typically scary) legend attached to them in search of a transformative experience or just to scare themselves and their friends. While legend-triping has come to be associated with teenage delinquency, it is an important way for adolescents to gain a sense of independence, learn about and come to terms with the contested (and sometimes negative) history of their home, and claim some ownership of their environment and regional identity.