This research investigates the influence of introduced forest management approaches on transformative social learning in the community surrounding the Pugu and Kazimzumbwi forest reserves in Tanzania from 2000 to 2015. The term transformative social learning reflects an understanding of learning processes that emerge through conscious changes in the perspectives of individuals or communities while interacting with forest management practices. The investigation explores the learning (if any) that occurred in the community and how and why the learning occurred. It also explores whether the learning was social and transformative and examines the conditions that enable or constrain transformative social learning at the Pugu and Kazimzumbwi community. Thus, the three concepts of social learning, transformative learning, and social practices are central to the research. Participatory Forest Management (PFM) emerged globally in the early 1980s to mobilise rural capabilities and resources in development and environmental stewardship. The Pugu and Kazimzumbwi community was introduced to Participatory Forest Management (PFM) projects by the late 1990s. The recent global focus on empowering communities around forests has drawn attention towards transformational adaptation to climate change impacts and building resilience capacities. As a result, in 2011 the Pugu and Kazimzumbwi community started working with a project for Reduction of Emissions through Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD), which forms a key focus in this study as the most recently introduced PFM with embedded social learning assumptions. This research is designed and conducted as a qualitative case study. The research seeks to study the complex object of socially and contextually constructed learning through a systemic exploration of learning,using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, analysis of documents and archival records as well as observations and a reflexive workshop. Supportive information throughfield notes and audio voice and video recording was also generated. A contextual profile of the research site was conducted in March 2012, prior to the actual data collection in 2013 and 2014. Field explorations during the contextual profile helped to describe the research site and promote initial understanding of the context. During data collection, field inquiries based on interactive relationships between a researcher and participants stimulated practice memories and people’s living experiences with forestry and the introduced PFM projects under examination. Analysis of data employed analytical modes of induction, abduction and retroduction. Thick descriptions of learning obtained from fieldi based interactionswere produced before re-contextualising data through theoretical lenses. The research employed realist social theory by Archer (1995), under-laboured by critical realism, and practice theory advanced by Schatzki (2012) and Kemmis et al. (2014). The research process as a whole was underlaboured by the layered ontology of critical realism which proposes emergence of phenomena in open systems as shaped by interacting mechanisms which in this study were both material / ecological and social /political /economic /cultural. And more...

The purpose of this case study was to explore and describe educational psychology students' experiences of academic service learning (ASL) as part of a higher education- rural school partnership in order to inform knowledge on higher education community engagement. The Transformative Learning Theory framed the study by engaging students in an active meaningmaking process of critical self-reflection and integration of experiences. Qualitative methodology was chosen as the preferred mode of inquiry which contributed to my insight and understanding of participants' subjective experiences of ASL. A constructivist epistemology guided dynamic interaction with participants, providing a platform for co-constructing knowledge generated based on participants' retrospective experiences. Seven cohorts of Master's students in Educational Psychology (2007 to 2013; n=22), who were involved in assessments and interventions at a rural school as part of their training at the University of Pretoria, were purposefully selected. Participants were, as far as possible, representative in terms of gender, age and cultural background. Qualitative data generation techniques (i.e. questionnaires and semi-structured interviews) were used to collect data, which were then thematically analysed by reporting on patterns across cohorts. The findings suggested that participants experienced the ASL practicum as an engaged scholarship that is socially transformative. The findings furthermore revealed that participants experienced ASL as an integral part of the educational psychology curriculum and a platform for initiating and developing professional identity. The ASL practicum experiences of participants are consistent across cohorts and similar to that experienced by other students in ASL programmes. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / The post-modem society is described as a society on the move, a phenomenon the anthropologist, (Vigouroux, 2005) describes as 'flows'. These flows are mostly manifested by people moving in and towards countries with better economic prospects. In most African countries there is a large-scale migration from rural to urban areas and a lot of trans-national migration across countries, due to recent socio-economic and socio-political trends. Democracy in South Africa became a powerful drawing card on the African continent for those nations plagued by poverty, unemployment and civil wars and migration to South Africa became increasingly popular. Therefore, democracy in South Africa is also a spatial process, which transcends local and national geographical spaces.

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This dissertation assesses the impact of structural constraints to participation on residents of a rural, non-core county and members of a local grassroots organization in conjunction with the measurement of grassroots members for the presence of transformative learning. This study was motivated by three research questions: (1) To what extent may the presence of structural constraints to participation in community action activities be found in the adult residents of a rural, non-core county? (2) To what extent may the presence of structural constraints to participation in community action activities be found in members of a local grassroots organization? (3) How many members of a local grassroots organization show evidence of the 10 phases found in transformative learning? Theoretical foundations for this work are based upon the following research; Theodori’s (2008) analysis of structural constraints to participation in community action activities; Mezirow’s (2009) development of transformative learning theory in adult populations; and King’s (2009) Learning Activities Survey as a measurement of transformative learning. Purposefully obtained data were collected from the general population to establish a measurement of structural constraints to participation. Within the grassroots organization, survey data were used to determine the presence of structural constraints to participation and transformative learning. The findings utilizing regression analysis suggest significance for structural constraints to participation in the general population is minimal, and not significant at all in members of the grassroots organization. Transformative learning in members of the grassroots organization was confirmed by significance for 5 of the 15 variables analyzed. The results were contrary to expectation; yet, these conclusions do contain important implications for those involved in community development.

Responding to gaps in the executive coaching literature, this study’s purpose was to identify coaching practices for facilitating growth in leaders’ developmental capacity to help them more successfully navigate the demands of their increasingly complex contexts. Through the lenses of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1978, 1991, 2000) and constructive-developmental theory (Kegan, 1982, 1994), this study aimed to identify and understand coaching practices for facilitating reflection (at content, process, and premise levels) toward transformative insight, conceptualized as an insight occurring at the heart of Mezirow’s perspective transformation and Kegan’s subject-object move. Also, using constructive-developmental theory, this study explored how a select sample of executive coaches with various developmental capacities or forms of mind differ in their understanding of these practices. This exploratory multiple-person case study investigated the experiences of 21 executive coaches via semi-structured interviews. Thematic data analysis revealed 16 coaching practice themes across all three levels of reflection. Given the importance of premise reflection in the literature, an unexpected finding was that these practices were used less than 10% of the time. An overarching process and coaching practices model for facilitating transformative insight emerged, describing the movement from a client’s current way of knowing (experienced as limiting) to a new way of knowing (seen as more desirable and effective). Using constructive-developmental theory’s methodology, the Subject-Object Interview (Lahey, et al., 1988), participants’ forms of mind were identified. A comparative developmental analysis revealed that coaches with different forms of mind used reflective practices (from all themes and levels of reflection) to a similar extent and with similar intent. However, the qualitative differences that emerged followed the “transcend and include” principle, meaning that coaches, with each subsequent (and more complex) form of mind, expanded upon the ways in which these practices were used by coaches with a less complex form of mind. Findings confirmed and expanded upon the coaching processes and practices related to transformative learning and the constructive-developmental literature, uniting them in similarities and differences and integrating them into an overall system for facilitating transformative insight. Implications for scholars, practitioners, and coach educators interested in transformative coaching with developmental impact are discussed.

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Within the educational community, there is a growing shift towards the development of essential skills, emphasizing process-skills over mastery of content. This shift is mirrored in the rapid changes in workplace-related technology, outpacing the creativity and flexibility of current graduates. Makerspaces and related technology education approaches have been increasingly implemented to offer students opportunities for developing these desired skills. Parallel to this effort, students who receive special education services but access the general education curriculum continue to lag behind the general education population in high-stakes testing, graduation-rates, and long-term employment outcomes. Remediation-based services often preclude students receiving services from exposure to technology- or other enrichment-based educational opportunities. The initial phase of this exploratory case study focused on the impacts of a technology-based enrichment club on a small group of special education learners. Through this proof-of-concept study, it became apparent that adult participants across stakeholder groups were showing evidence of transformative learning through their experiences with the club. The follow-up study, therefore, focused on changes in adult perceptions and/or practices resulting from these experiences, as evidenced through the Nerstrom Transformative Learning Model (2014). Following exposure, interviews were conducted with participating cosponsors, school-based educational leaders, and guest presenters from technical fields. These interviews were analyzed for both commonly identified and group-specific themes. Results suggest that experiences with the club challenged various assumptions held by participants, often leading to new perspectives on special education practices and students who receive services. These results suggest that potential shifts are a function of how many established perspective-based obstacles these challenged and reformed assumptions can address. Recommendations for future research include replication, extension beyond a club setting, and further exploration of identified themes, as well as investigating the deeper implications of obstacles to transformative learning. / Doctor of Education / Within the educational community, there is a growing shift towards the development of essential skills, emphasizing process-skills over mastery of content. This shift is mirrored in the rapid changes in workplace-related technology, outpacing the creativity and flexibility of current graduates. Makerspaces and related technology education approaches have been increasingly implemented to offer students opportunities for developing these desired skills. Parallel to this effort, students who receive special education services but access the general education curriculum continue to lag behind the general education population in high-stakes testing, graduation-rates, and long-term employment outcomes. Remediation-based services often preclude students receiving services from exposure to technology- or other enrichment-based educational opportunities. The initial phase of this exploratory case study focused on the impacts of a technology-based enrichment club on a small group of special education learners. Through this proof-of-concept study, it became apparent that adult participants across stakeholder groups were showing evidence of transformative learning through their experiences with the club. The follow-up study, therefore, focused on changes in adult perceptions and/or practices resulting from these experiences, as evidenced through the Nerstrom Transformative Learning Model (2014). Following exposure, interviews were conducted with participating cosponsors, school-based educational leaders, and guest presenters from technical fields. These interviews were analyzed for both commonly identified and group-specific themes. Results suggest that experiences with the club challenged various assumptions held by participants, often leading to new perspectives on special education practices and students who receive services. These results suggest that potential shifts are a function of how many established perspective-based obstacles these challenged and reformed assumptions can address. Recommendations for future research include replication, extension beyond a club setting, and further exploration of identified themes, as well as investigating the deeper implications of obstacles to transformative learning.

The Master's in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) offers a transformative learning experience, yet its alumni encounter difficulties in the professional arena that have not been fully explored. This thesis illuminates the difficulties MSLS alumni face in integrating transformative learning outcomes of the program into their professional lives, their coping strategies, and what could support them. The research involved a mixed-methods approach with 34 survey responses and 13 follow-up interviews. The analysis, based on the typology of transformative learning outcomes, revealed that alumni particularly struggle integrating sustainability leadership practices, tools and concepts. Moreover, they have difficulty sustaining their new ways of being and attributes such as enthusiasm, trust and hopefulness. The main impediments to integration are the absence of a shared mental model or language with others and a working culture that inhibits the exploration of new approaches. MSLS alumni tend to address these challenges by surrounding themselves with like-minded people, developing communication strategies, and cultivating personal practices. The findings indicate a need for transition preparation as part of the MSLS program and self-organized support structures that assist alumni in transitioning into the professional world, integrating transformative learning outcomes, and assuming their role as agents for systemic change towards sustainability.

This research claims that transformative as opposed to informative learning cultures in higher education are capable of promoting student identity development alongside subject development. It makes a significant pedagogical, conceptual, methodological and contextual contribution to contemporary discussions regarding the nature and purpose of higher education in the 21st century. Transformative learning cultures, based on the pedagogical values of the teachers involved, create an identity workspace where student development is encouraged. This workspace reflects the active demonstration of empathy on the part of the teachers and is represented by an integrated pedagogical pattern consisting of four elements; the development of trust, (ii) the creation of collaborative and supportive communities where students have the opportunities to play different roles, (iii) active confrontation and challenge and (iv) the effective use of pedagogical time and space. A naturalistic, ethnographic methodology and case study approach was used to answer the question ‘what is going on here?’ with teachers of Foundation Degrees in two colleges across several subject disciplines in order to explore the nature and purpose of the learning cultures created. A conceptual framework was developed through the active integration of empirical research and scholarship resulting in a socio- cultural approach to understanding the learning contexts. This was supported by the collection of rich and varied data including photographs, observations and interviews with both teachers and students. Visualisation also supported the interpretation and representation of data in an accessible format. An activity theory approach was adopted to support an integrated analysis of the data, enabling the isolation and identification of the influence of teacher intentions, student dispositions, roles and relationships and how development was influenced by time, space and context.