Adelia E. Parrado-Ortiz - My role this week is First Reader

Michael Newman's Critique to Transformative Learning

 

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Introduction:

Based on the ideas presented by Merriam  S. B. & Bierema L. L., "transformational learning shapes people; they are different afterward, in ways both they and others can recognize" (p. 82). The transformative learning theory has evolved from the work of Mezirow J. (1978) with his rational approach and ten steps essential to the process (Merriam & Bierema, p. 84). Merizow's groundbreaking work was revised by scholars like Dirkx (2012a) who takes a step further and from the rational side, add "the holistic, extrarational, and integrative perspective" (Merriam & Bierema, 83); Another theorist, Charaniya (2012), points out that aside to all that was mentioned before, the process of transformation also takes the individual to engage in cultural and spiritual transformation; others like Taylor (2008), O'Sullivan (2012), and Freire (1970-2000), point out that society has to be considered into the equation, so from the rational, the emotional, and the spiritual process the adult learner goes through, the transformational process goes from the individual to produce social change in his/her community.

 

Transformational Process

Bringing the ideas of Merizow, in the transformative learning approach the cognitive process requires a dilemma that triggers in the individual to question the experiences s/he has accumulated. Then comes the critical assessing and recognition of new options to explore and a plan of action will take the individual to new perspectives that eventually will reintegrate in the person's life. This process takes the individual to self transformation. At this point, Dirkx adds to all the steps just mentioned, the fact that emotions (anger, excitement, surprise, enthusiasm) are present in the learning process and there is an inner "soul work" that provides a holistic and integrated way of framing the meaning-making that occurs (Merriam & Bierema, 87) in the adult learner. This holistic aspect brings into account that the individual identity is also culturally and spiritually transformed, and from that transformation, Freire adds, that with the consensus of other people experiencing the same process, social change can be achieved.

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Michael Newman: Transformative Learning or Good Learning? Hmmm... That IS the question...

"In [Newman's] view the theory has become "all things to all people" (p. 49) and is unsubstantiated, ambiguous, and unwieldy. (...) One of his main reasons for doubting its existence is that "transformations can only be verified by the learners themselves" (Merriam & Bierema 96). In his article titled "Transformative Learning Mutinous Thoughts Revisited" (2014), Newman affirms that, "... it does make me think this mutinous thought: perhaps there is not such a thing as transformative learning; perhaps there is just good learning" (37). Newman even "critiques several aspects of the theory including the fact that it fails to differentiate between identity and consciousness, whether the learning is a finite of "flowing" experience, whether ideal, conditions of discourse exist, whether mobilization is necessary, and the "unproblematic" inclusion of spirituality in the discourse of transformative learning" (Merriam & Bierema, 98).

In his critique, to support his claim, this theorist goes a step forward and look for the "definition in the Oxford English Dictionary (...) Transform means to change the form of, to change into another shape or form, to change in character and condition, to alter in function or nature, to metamorphose (37). So, in this case, he argues that those that claim in their studies that adult learners have gone through a transformative learning experience, Newman emphatically says, that "based on the evidence presented, it was not" (37), what he affirms that happened was that "the learners experienced significant change, but there is nothing exceptional about that (...) But in none of them can I find an example of learning resulting in what I would dare describe as a metamorphosis" (p. 38).

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In conclusion, based on the arguments exposed before, Newman's approach to this theory makes him question the way this process of learning can be evaluated. It is difficult to evaluate the transformative learning process from the point of view of the educator. It seems very subjective and, as Newman says, the process can only be evaluated by the learner. As Merriam & Bierema add in regards of this sensitive issue, the evaluation part of the process is challenging and "there is much less in the literature about how to evaluate this type of learning.  This is an important question for both theory and practice" (96).

Finally, Merriam & Bierema rise other questions about "the theory itself, there is still some question as to what is being transformed in this type of learning. It is one's identity? It is our consciousness?" (...) Not only does "what" is transformed remain unclear, but so do the boundaries of transformation. Here again the individual versus the social focus comes into play" (99). As one can see there are many questions and issues presented in regards of this theory that needs to be addressed and studied further.


Sources:
Newman, M. (2014). Transformative Learning Mutinous Thoughts Revisited. Adult Education Quarterly, 0741713614543173.

Merriam, S. & Bierema, L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass