Lisa M. Baumgartner

The Incorporation of the HIV/AIDS Identity Into the Self Over Time:

In the mid-1990s HIV/AIDS transitioned from a terminal illness to a chronic disease because of medical advances. In this qualitative study the author examines how people incorporate the HIV/AIDS identity into their selves at three points in time. Findings demonstrate a five-component process, including diagnosis, postdiagnosis turning point, immersion, post-immersion turning point, and integration. In addition, the disclosure process corresponds to a particular component of incorporation. The author makes comparisons with the incorporation process of other chronic illness. Findings augment the literature on HIV/AIDS, chronic illness, and identity and have practical implications for HIV/AIDS educators.

Living and Learning with HIV/AIDS: Transformational Tales Continued.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the nature of learning during the incorporation of HIV/AIDS into identity over time. It sought to understand participants’continued meaningmaking of their chronic illness. Interviews conducted with the same 11 participants in 1995, 1998, and 1999 composed the data set. Data were analyzed using psychological, biographical, and linguistic approaches to narrative analysis. Fourmajor findings emerged: First, the nature of learning was transformational, and the perspective transformation remained stable. Second, meaning scheme changes evident in 1998 were acted on. Third, new meaning schemes included (a) an increased appreciation for the human condition and (b) an expanded view of intimacy. Fourth, social interaction was integral to the learning process. The stability of the perspective transformation, the additional changes in meaning schemes, and the importance of social interaction in the learning process have implications for adult education.

On Becoming a Witch: Learning in a Marginalized Community of Practice

Much learning in adulthood is informal, social in nature, and firmly embedded in the life context of the learner. It takes place in social groups engaged in a common practice. One model for considering the learning that takes place in social groups is Wengers notion of communities of practice. In a community of practice, learning, practice, and identity development are intertwined. The purpose of this study was to investigate learning in a marginalized community of practice—that of witches. Twenty witches belonging to several different covens, or communities of practice, were interviewed. Data analysis revealed (a) a trajectory of participation representing movement from the periphery to the center of the group; (b) learning in practice that is experiential, that combines formal and intuitive knowledge, and that is spread across the group; and (c) an identifiable process of identity development in becoming a witch. To some extent, the marginality of the community shaped the groups learning and practice.

Accepting Being Poz: The Incorporation of the HIV Identity Into the Self

In a previous study, the first author of the current study examined how people who were diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) when it was considered a terminal illness incorporated their HIV/AIDS identity into the self over time. In the qualitative study reported here, we examined HIV identity incorporation in participants diagnosed with HIV after 1996, when it was considered a chronic illness in the United States. We uncovered a three-step process: diagnosis, a postdiagnosis turning point, and integration. We compared and contrasted the results to those from the previous study and studies of other chronic illnesses. The findings advance our understanding of HIV/AIDS, chronic illness, and identity. Practical implications for HIV/AIDS educators are also discussed.

Witches Ways of Knowing: Integrative Learning in Joining a Marginalized Group.

Although the literature on adult learning is extensive, most of the content is based on research with adults who enrolled in mainstream groups and organizations. Why adults would engage in learning to become a member of a marginalized group and the learning process they undergo to achieve that goal is a question that has been largely ignored in previous research. The authors of this study wanted to know how the decision to join a stigmatized, less visible and less accessible group would be different from or similar to the motivation for participation in mainstream groups. Further, they were interested to determine the nature of the learning process and how it extends what they already knew about the learning process. Wicca was chosen as the context for the study because Wiccans are not easily accessible and provide instances of harassment from employers, friends and family, both indications of a marginalized group. Data were gathered by personal interviews and analysed by the constant comparison method. Adults who embark on the learning experience to become a Wiccan are motivated by an intense internal curiosity that may begin in childhood, that is prompted by recognizing they are different from other people and/or that they cannot find satisfactory answers to questions about the meaning of life. The deeply internal motivation is enduring for years, even decades for some. The components of the learning process include the initial motivation, an exploratory period of self-directed study and a focused component where learners participate in formal classes, experiential learning activities, reflection and mentoring. The complementary nature of these three components reflects an integrated learning process.

Paving Paths toward Transformation with Incarcerated Women.

The purpose of this study was to elicit the experiences of women who participated in a gender-responsive program in jail. Through the collection of life history interviews, this article highlights the transformative learning experiences of 13 women participants. Research questions included (1) how did the program foster transformative learning? (2) What effect did the program have on participants’ thinking, feeling, and behavior? Despite the highly regimented and regulated jail context—an environment where the women’s bodies are literally imprisoned—the results indicate the holistic programming and learning environment served as an emancipatory context in which transformation could occur through interpersonal and intrapersonal engagement. The results of this study also reveal the need for more and targeted advocacy and education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women.

Book Review: Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning (2nd ed.), by P. Cranton. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006:

In Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning (2nd ed.), Cranton situates transformative learning within the adult learning literature and details several lenses through which transformative learning can be viewed including the individualistic perspectives of Mezirow, Daloz, and Boyd and the sociocultural approaches of Freire and O’Sullivan (Taylor, 2005). She investigates individual differences in the transformative learning process and provides concrete suggestions for fostering transformative learning in the classroom based on her many years of experience in the field of adult education. Last, she focuses on adult educators as transformative learners. This review will explore the purpose of the book, describes its contents, and offer a critique. The purpose and audience for the second edition remains the same as the first edition. Cranton’s book is written for adult educators who want to “understand what transformative learning is, distinguish it from other forms of learning, and foster it in their practice” (p. vii). In the second edition, Cranton describes Mezirow’s conceptualization of transformative learning and adds the affective/extrarational perspectives of Dirkx (2000) and Belenky and Stanton (2000) who emphasize “the role of spirituality in transformation and the importance of affect in the process” (p. viii). In chapter 1, Cranton states that adult learning is distinctive because it is self-directed, voluntary, experiential, and problem based. She situates transformative learning within adult learning theory and explains that transformative learning theory is somewhat selfdirected but not necessarily practical, problem based, or experiential. Next, Cranton presents an accessible and comprehensive view of Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning using his updated terminology (e.g., habits of mind instead of meaning perspectives), although she uses the term rational discourse instead of the more current term reflective discourse in the book (Mezirow & Associates, 2000, p. 11). Third, Cranton delineates several lenses through which to view transformative learning. She deftly describes Mezirow’s approach. She introduces Boyd’s (1989) extrarational approach that stresses the importance of feelings, imagination, dreams, and the unconscious; mentions Freire’s (1970) social-emancipatory approach that emphasizes the importance of social change in the transformative learning process; and touches on O’Sullivan’s (1999) planetary view of transformative learning. She urges readers to integrate the extrarational approach with Mezirow’s rational approach to strive for a more holistic theory of transformative learning. In chapter 4, Cranton considers the role of empowerment, the disorienting dilemma, critical questioning, dialogue, time, and the extrarational perspective in the learner’s transformative learning process. Next, she examines the place of Jung’s psychological-type theory

“Being a Presence to Each Other”: Adult Educators Who Foster Empowerment With Incarcerated Women:

Our research explored the experiences of educators who teach in a gender-responsive program for women in a jail. We interrogated how educators fostered empowerment in their classes, what their motivations were for teaching in the program, and the tensions that existed for them when using emancipatory teaching practices in jail. Findings indicate that educators used Freirean concepts to foster empowerment, were motivated to share their knowledge, were motivated to counter dehumanization, and recognized their commonalities and privilege. Trust and agency created tensions while using an emancipatory pedagogy at a jail. Findings have implications for educators teaching marginalized populations.