Date of Award

Fall 2024

Language

English

Embargo Period

8-21-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology

Program

Educational Psychology and Methodology

First Advisor

Robert Bangert-Drowns

Committee Members

David Yun Dai, Kimberly Colvin

Keywords

transformative learning theory, higher education, college, critical reflection, academic achievement, critical thinking

Subject Categories

Adult and Continuing Education | Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Psychology | Other Education

Abstract

Higher education institutions in the United States have an ongoing rhetoric of claiming that they offer students educational experiences that build skills and prepare them for a career. However, reports from employers and students indicate that many schools are struggling to do so, and research imperative skills like critical thinking have wide construct definitions that can be difficult for institutions to work with. Transformative learning theory (TLT) is a theoretical practice and pedagogy that could support institutions by providing both a pedagogical foundation of what should occur in a classroom and a series of steps for what transformative learning looks like. The purpose of this mixed-methods meta-analysis of forty-four doctoral dissertations and master’s theses was to review a collection of TLT observations and interventions that maintained the strong construct consistency of the TLT domain to determine what academic outcomes, characteristics, scopes, and commonalities existed in successful TLT interventions. This could then be used to create a template or lesson plan for institutions. Studies showed that interventions had consistently positive outcomes, although results found were mostly non-significant due to a lack of quantitative and experimental data in the discipline. Instead, the gaps found in the data presented by studies during the meta analysis are used to determine quantitative gaps in the literature and identify what later studies can do to promote TLT as a worthwhile pedagogical practice for higher education institutions.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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