M. Carolyn Clark

Context and Rationality In Mezirow's Theory of Transformational Learning

Transformational learning is fundamentally concerned with construing meaning from experience as a guide to action. In his theory of perspective transformation, Mezirow presents a significant conceptualization of that process, but it is flawed in one major aspect: It fails to account for context. We examine the absence of context in the theory itself, then focus on the decontextualized form of rationality that underlies the process of critical reflection central to perspective transformation. Finally, we propose a contextualized view of rationality which maintains the essential link between meaning and experience.

Learning from life experience: What makes it significant?

While several have written about the connection between life experience and learning, there is little in the literature that explicitly deals with how a particular life experience can become a significant learning experience for one person, but not another. This qualitative study examines the underlying structure of the significance of life‐experience learning. Open‐ended responses to a question about ones significant learning experiences were collected from 405 adults. In addition, 19 interviews were conducted to probe more deeply about individuals’ learning experiences and the significance they held for the learner. Findings suggest that for learning to be significant: (1) it must personally affect the learner, either by resulting in an expansion of skills, sense of self, or life perspective, or by precipitating a transformation; and (2) it must be subjectively valued by the learner.

The Dark Side of Truth(s) Ethical Dilemmas in Researching the Personal

This article explores the sometimes problematic issue of truth when conducting qualitative research on peoples lives. Four ethical dilemmas are presented relating to the potentially harmful consequences of truth encountered by the authors in their own research: a promise to share the analysis of a patients medical record containing unflattering comments by her physicians; the unintended sharing of a traumatic event, held secret since its occurrence, by a woman inmate; a disagreement with the Institutional Review Board over what constitutes ethical practice in online research; and an interview with a recently released political dissident in a totalitarian country. The authors advocate for multiple venues in which qualitative researchers can discuss ethical dilemmas such as these to learn from one anothers experience and together develop a more reflexive practice.

Becoming real: adult student impressions of developing an educational researcher identity

This study investigated the inner experiences of adults learning to become educational researchers. Through narrative analysis of doctoral students’ tales of memorable early encounters in conducting research, insight was gained into the self-questioning tension, conflict, and drama often experienced. A discussion about how to utilize students’ reflective writings to provide appropriate developmental support in doctoral programmes is provided.

Adult learning in good times and bad

This study sought to examine when adults are most likely to learn from life experience, and what the nature of that learning might be. Using a qualitative research design, a life event framework was chosen to operationalize life experience. Participants were asked to recall major life events and significant learning events over a 20 year period. Life and learning event data were collected from 405 adults; in addition, nineteen interviews were conducted to probe more deeply about the rhythm and nature of learning from life experience. Two major findings emerged. First, more learning occurs when things are going well in our lives, and second, the learning that occurs during difficult times seems to be of a somewhat different character from learning in good times. Difficult times appear to generate major, transformative learning experiences.

Work and Love: Their Relationship in Adulthood.

The ability to work and to love, according to Freud, is what defines a healthy adult. Work and love have been studied extensively, but usually separately, although recent attention has been given to how to balance the two. There has been little research, however, that focuses on the relationship of one domain to the other. The purpose of this study was to uncover the ways in which work and love relate in adult life. Qualitative data were collected from 405 adults who charted their assessment, by year, of their work and loverelated life events. These data were augmented with data from 19 in-depth interviews. Three distinct relational patterns (parallel, steady/fluctuating, and divergent) of work and love were uncovered.

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.

Work and love in adult life: A tool for structuring reflection

Work and love are central social and psychological forces that structure and give meaning to adult life. They have been studied extensively, usually separately, although recent attention has been given to the stress related to balancing the two. Missing from the literature is work on the more fundamental question of the relationship or interaction of one domain with the other. This article reports on the development of a technique to assess the interaction of work and love in adult life, and how its use with over 400 adults uncovered three distinct patterns of interaction. Comments from respondents about the insights gained into their lives from using the work and love form suggest that it can be a powerful tool in counseling and educational interventions. In particular, the instrument appears to provide a structure for the life review.