The Transformative Learning Process: Variations in the Phases of Meaning Clarification

This paper reflects on the nature of the process through which Transformative Learning is realized through a review of assumptions and the clarification of meaning. The transformative process is considered from the individual’s point of view, focusing on transformation as developmental transitions, paying particular attention to the role of the disorienting dilemma, emotions and to the critical self-reflection. The study analyzes the data from 46 interviews with adult students who attended a course in which they studied the Mezirow transformative theory from a theoretical point of view and then worked through the theory as it related to their own lives. From the data it is possible to shed light on the complexity of the transformation process, non-reducible to a sequence of successive stages but comparable to a deep inner journey and that examines one’s self concept and wherein critical self-reflection plays a crucial role.