This dissertation gives a back-ground presenting what Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and pedagogical drama is, and it presents research on drama-use in ESD. The aim of the study is to explore drama as a tool in adult learning for sustainable development, in a Western context. The assumption is made that drama does have a potential as a tool in learning for sustainable development, and the question of how is raised. The study has a qualitative approach and by interviewing five drama teachers it explores possibilities and difficulties with using drama in ESD and what makes drama useful in ESD. Phenomenography has been used as the method to analyse the phenomenon Drama teachers’ perceptions of drama in adult learning for sustainable development. The result shows both possibilities and difficulties with using drama in ESD and four categories of description are presented: Conditions for Drama, where sufficent time, skills of the leader, ethical awareness and voluntary participation are described as prerequisites for drama. The category Meet is about creating a group climate that is the basis of all drama work. The category Learn is about acquiring knowledge, becoming motivated and equipped to act for sustainable development. Drama is helpful here as it is action-oriented, fun and evokes emotions that can lead on to reflection and motivation.  Create is the last category, where focus is on a deeper understanding of yourself as an actor in a larger context. Drama is described as a tool to become a co-creator of something new and focus is on a larger societal change, rather than individual behavioural change for sustainable development. Transformative learning is presented as a theoretical framework and the results show that the learning discribed in the category Create can be seen as transformative. / Uppsatsens bakgrund ger en sammanfattning av vad lärande för hållbar utveckling (LHU) respektive dramapedagogik är, samt exempel på studier kring dramaanvändning i LHU. Studiens syfte är att undersöka drama som verktyg i vuxnas lärandeprocesser kring hållbar utveckling i en västerländsk kontext. I studien görs antagandet att drama är ett användbart verktyg för detta och ställer forskningsfrågorna: Vad gör dramapedagogik användbart som verktyg i vuxnas lärande för hållbar utveckling? samt Vilka möjligheter och svårigheter finns det med att använda drama som del vuxnas i lärande för hållbar utveckling? Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och undersöker genom intervjuer med fem dramapedagoger vilka möjligheter och svårigheter det finns med drama som verktyg i LHU samt vad som gör drama användbart i LHU. Analysmetoden fenomenografi används för att undersöka fenomenet Dramapedagogers uppfattningar om drama som verktyg i vuxnas lärande för hållbar utveckling. Resultatet, som visar på både möjligheter och svårigheter med drama i LHU, presenteras i studiens utfallsrum med fyra beskrivningkategorier: Förutsättningar för drama, där tillräckligt med tid, kompetens hos ledaren, etisk medvetenhet och frivillighet för deltagarna beskrivs som förutsättningar för drama. Beskrivningskategorin Mötas handlar om att skapa det goda gruppklimat som är centralt i allt dramaarbete. I kategorin Lära sätts lärandet i centrum, här handlar det om att inhämta kunskap och bli motiverad och rustad att agera för hållbar utveckling. Skapa är den sista kategorin där kunskapen tas vidare till en djupare förståelse av sig själv som aktör i ett större sammanhang och förmågan att bli skapande utifrån detta. Transformativt lärande presenteras som en teoretisk ram och resultatet visar att i kategorin Skapa sker ett transformativt lärande.

The study explored the learning experiences of first-year resident physicians during the first year of graduate medical education. The experiences of four intern physicians in the first year of residency training at an urban academic health system provided the site for the research. An exploratory case study research design was employed to examine the learning experiences of these new physicians. A qualitative approach was used to analyze data from interviews and ethnographic observations. The findings of this research study provide evidence surrounding how and what these physician trainees learned regarding professionalism during the first year of residency training. The findings indicate these first-year resident physicians experienced significant learning related to professionalism through incidental learning in the clinical environment, particularly from role models and the hidden curriculum. The interns learned both positive and negative professional behaviors from attending physicians. The findings illustrate the increases and decreases of confidence due to the development of clinical skills, increase in responsibilities, and increase in autonomy experienced by all four participants across the first year of residency training. Additionally, the findings highlight the important role of critical incidents, particularly memorable patient encounters, as potentially transformative learning experiences for these interns. Finally, the findings enumerate the pervasive influence of the hidden curriculum of graduate medical education on what these new physicians learned about professionalism, particularly the unprofessional social norms transmitted through attending physicians and others within the context of clinical learning. The findings of the research study support the conclusions that a) incidental learning experiences during the first year of residency education directly influenced how and what these new physicians learned regarding professionalism; b) these intern physicians experienced non-transformative learning during the first year of residency, but critical reflection and critical self-reflection after critical incidents did hold the potential to result in learning that was transformative; and c) the ubiquitous nature of the hidden curriculum significantly impacted what these first-year residents learned about professionalism. These conclusions contribute to the literature related to the development of professionalism in the new physician and the power of the hidden curriculum in medical education to influence professional identity development. Implications for medical educators and recommendations for future research are also identified.

Looking through the philosophical lens of love, this study seeks a deeper understanding and appreciation of how postsecondary social justice educators use storytelling, in the context of critical peace education, to create social change. This research explores the guiding question of how storytelling is used to encourage social change and to inspire action toward the goal of greater social justice. The argument for the importance of this research is located within the crisis of neoliberalism, where the very tenets of democratic education are being challenged by an educational agenda that favors standards-based learning and employment training over the critical and analytical thinking skills required for democracy to flourish. The results of this study identify storytelling as a method of ideology critique, and locate it within a larger process of loving praxis. A theoretical model of loving praxis is offered to explain how postsecondary social justice educators engage story as an action that leads to the goal of social justice. The steps in the model describe how valuing the common good motivates social justice educators to take action through storytelling, toward the outcome of building transformation, voice, and agency within students as a means to build greater social justice. The sense of possibility that is cultivated in this process re-engages the cycle by validating the value of and hope for the common good.

Transformative learning theory (TLT) describes the process of reframing discriminative, untenable worldviews with a more inclusive, permeable, and reflective epistemology. Although TLT has been around for more than 50 years, few studies empirically engage critical theoretical frameworks to move beyond personal learning to identify the impacts of transformation on society. Through a critical race theory (CRT) framework, this study analyzed how the participants' socio-cultural identities (race, class, gender, sexuality, and heritage language) impacted the transformative learning of eight study-abroad students from a medium-sized, rural Midwestern university. Focusing on the extent to which the participants experienced the elements of transformative learning during a month-long study-abroad experience in Spain, this project explored what the experience of traveling to an "other" place and experiencing "otherness" had on transformative learning. This qualitative study drew from extensive ethnographic observations, photo analysis, and informal, semi-formal, and focus-group interviews. During the study, the researcher analyzed data to construct codes and categories for further analysis, incorporating multiple member-checks to promote the narratives of the participants. Following data collection, the researcher used constructivist grounded theory to further scrutinize the data searching for salient themes and patterns connected to the research questions. Race and class privilege (or marginalization) had an impact on the study-abroad participants' worldviews and transformative learning. Participants from backgrounds of racial and class privilege experienced transformations that were deeply engaging on a personal level, but were not motivated toward more justified beliefs or action toward others. In contrast, participants from backgrounds of lesser socio-cultural privilege demonstrated increased critical social reflection and transformative outcomes, both personal and social. These findings led the researcher to question if there might be more effective avenues toward critical social transformation than the pedagogy of the privileged of travel for transformation.

As community gardens (CGs) become increasingly popular, it is timely to investigate whether they further sustainability goals. Underpinning my research were questions like why people get involved in CGs, what benefits they derive, what they learn from gardening, and how governance facilitates that learning. Through interviews with gardeners, my data show that key benefits of gardening included building community, environmental protection, improved health, and resisting the industrialization of food. CG membership also facilitated learning in all three domains of Transformative Learning: communicative, instrumental, and transformation. Learning outcomes included gardening skills, improved insight into self and others, and increased prevalence of pro-environmental perspectives. The primary source of learning was interaction with other gardeners. CG involvement may contribute to sustainability by providing an environment which allows people to connect with nature, learn from others (if governance, garden organization, and social capital are strong), and choose more pro-environmental behaviours. / May 2016

A aprendizagem torna-se vital para gestores que atuam em ambientes organizacionais envoltos em mudanças, complexidade, paradoxos e incertezas, permeados por inovações tecnológicas e desafiados por questões éticas, políticas, ambientais e econômicas. Este estudo propõe-se compreender os processos de aprendizagem de gestores e as implicações destas transformações em suas aprendizagens, nele integrando-se a teoria da aprendizagem transformadora, que enfatiza a reflexão crítica e o pensamento autônomo para analisar estas questões. Investigam-se, pela abordagem de história de vida, processos de aprendizagem de sete gestores e suas coletividades, em macrocontextos e em contextos específicos, integrando níveis de interação, aspectos objetivos e subjetivos. Os resultados revelam a interligação entre as aprendizagens ocorridas nos âmbitos profissional, pessoal e familiar, bem como entre desenvolvimento e aprendizagem, ao longo da vida. Destacam-se as aprendizagens envolvendo mudanças de esquemas de significados e transformações de perspectivas em mudanças profundas, além do papel da intuição e da emoção nesses processos. As mudanças contemporâneas que demandam aprendizagens incluem globalização e seus reflexos no contexto brasileiro; novas tecnologias; maior participação das mulheres no mercado de trabalho; responsabilidade sócio-ambiental. A análise das entrevistas dos sujeitos pesquisados evidenciou que estas mudanças implicam novos pensamentos, atitudes e sentimentos, nas carreiras e nos arranjos familiares. Neste movimento, são relevantes aprendizagens autodirigidas, constantes reciclagens de conhecimentos e superação de expectativas para o crescimento profissional. As carências de aprendizagem centram-se na ampliação de competências sociais relacionadas às interações (na gestão de pessoas, na criação e manutenção de networks e no equilíbrio entre as suas esferas de vida); à percepção de mudanças e previsão do futuro; ao autodesenvolvimento de paciência, de tolerância, de confiança e do controle da ansiedade, entre outros aspectos pouco contemplados pela educação gerencial. / Due to change, complexity, paradox and uncertainty in the organizational context, faced with technological innovations and with global ethical, political, environmental and socioeconomic problems, managerial learning becomes vital. The study aims to understand management learning processes and the implications of these transformations in their learning, integrating transformative learning theory, which emphasizes critical thinking and independent thought to analyze these issues. The life history approach is used to investigate processes of learning in macro contexts and in specific contexts, including levels of interaction, objective and subjective aspects of seven managers and their communities. The results show the link between learning occurring at the professional, personal and family levels as well as between development and lifelong learning. The study highlights learning process involving changes in meaning schemes and perspective transformation in deep changes, the role of intuition in complex problems and of emotion in these processes. Contemporary changes that require learning include globalization and its consequences in the Brazilian context, new technologies, the increased participation of women in the labor market and socio-environmental responsibility. These changes involve new thoughts, attitudes and feelings, in careers and family arrangements of the subjects studied. They also emphasize selfdirected learning, constant recycling of knowledge and the overcoming of expectations for professional growth. The learning needs focus on the development of social skills related to interactions (in the management of people, in the creation and maintenance of networks, and in the balance between their spheres of life); to the perception of changes and prediction of the future; to the self-development of patience, tolerance, control of anxiety and selfconfidence among other issues lacking in management education.

This multi-article dissertation explores the experience of becoming a professor who effectively facilitates students' identity formation. While the growing body of literature on student transformation suggests that faculty must transform themselves to authentically invite change in others, little research has been done on helping professors become mentors who facilitate students' movement toward their potential for meaningful contribution. To address this gap, this dissertation suggests a framework to facilitate transformative faculty development based on a review of the literature on learning as a process of becoming (Article #1). The major components of this framework are (a) facilitating meaningful engagement in communities of practice, (b) inviting community members to take on new responsibilities, and (c) construing learning as a process of identity development. I also propose several interventions in each of these areas that may increase the likelihood that professors will engage in transformational learning practices. This dissertation also explores the identity development of faculty who invite transformation in their students through narrative case studies of professors' transformative learning experiences (Article #2). Through a series of semi-structured interviews with highly rated faculty at various career stages—one from the humanities, one from the social sciences, and one from the natural sciences—we examined six turning points our participants' identified as pivotal in becoming the kind of mentor who helps create transformative experiences for others. The findings of this study suggest that transformative faculty formation is a process of moral becoming that occurs as professors take purposive stands in their communities of practice. Cross-case themes also suggest that transformative learning is most effectively invited through relational activities that are meaningful, authentic, and altruistic.

abstract: Institutions of higher learning can be centers of meaning-making and learning and are expected to play a pivotal role in a global shift toward sustainability. Despite recent innovations, much sustainability education today is still delivered using traditional pedagogies common across higher education. Therefore, students and facilitators should continue innovating along pedagogical themes consistent with the goals of sustainability: transformation and emancipation. Yet, more clarity is needed about pedagogical approaches that will transform and emancipate students, allowing them to become innovators that change existing structures and systems. My dissertation attempts to address this need using three approaches. First, I present a framework combining four interacting (i.e., complementary) pedagogies (transmissive, transformative, instrumental, and emancipatory) for sustainability education, helping to reify pedagogical concepts, rebel against outdated curricula, and orient facilitators/learners on their journey toward transformative and emancipatory learning. Second, I use a descriptive case study of a sustainability education course set outside of the traditional higher education context to highlight pedagogical techniques that led to transformative and emancipatory outcomes for learners partaking in the course. Third, I employ the method of autoethnography to explore my own phenomenological experience as a sustainability student and classroom facilitator, helping others to identify the disenchanting paradoxes of sustainability education and integrate the lessons they hold. All three approaches of the dissertation maintain a vision of sustainability education that incorporates contemplative practices as essential methods in a field in need of cultivating hope, resilience, and emergence. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2019

Teachers are being asked to implement cultural awareness into their instruction in the 21st century classroom, yet many lack the requisite knowledge and skills to accomplish this. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore the perceptions of teachers who are returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCV) regarding what in their long-term international experience influenced them to include cultural awareness in their instruction. Bennett's developmental model of intercultural sensitivity and Mezirow's transformative learning theory were the conceptual frameworks. The research questions for this qualitative study asked how a long-term international volunteering experience impacts teachers' pedagogy and what instructional practices RPCV teachers consider to be influenced by their Peace Corps experience. From 11 interviews, codes were identified and categorized into patterns and themes. There were three key findings. The first was that teachers who are RPCVs recognized their Peace Corps experience provided them with a deep cultural experience that brought about the realization of their own culture. The second was their recognition of their ability to adapt to cultural differences more easily than before they had their Peace Corps experience. The final finding was that RPCV teachers choose to use deep and engaging teaching practices with varied approaches, forms, styles, and subject matter in their classrooms upon their return to the United States. Given the current problem of preservice teachers entering teaching jobs with a lack of cultural understanding, these findings could contribute to positive social change by providing a practical approach for policy makers and universities to increase attention to promoting international volunteering and implementing cultural awareness in their curriculum.

Community college faculty need to learn and understand the technology that is available in their classrooms so that they can teach students how to use these tools. Professional development workshops are one way that faculty members acquire knowledge of classroom technology. However, little is known about the usefulness of technology professional development workshops using active learning in a community college setting as a development option. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify faculty members' perceptions and beliefs regarding technology professional development that incorporated active learning as a learning method. The conceptual framework included the concepts of transformative and active learning. Participants for this study included 5 faculty drawn from full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty who registered for a technology professional development workshop featuring active learning at a community college in the U.S. Midwest. Data sources included interviews conducted before and after the workshop. Data were analyzed using NVivo software and inductive coding to identify patterns and themes. The findings of this study indicated that faculty prefer active learning to self-study or problem-based learning when learning technology because of the collaboration available within the workshop setting. This study contributes to social change because it provides insights on how teachers believe they best learn technology. Educational leaders can use this knowledge to maximize quality in future technology trainings.