Examination of Factors that Promote Transformative Learning Experiences of College-level Adult ...

336 Pages·2013·2.73 MB·English

Examination of Factors that Promote Transformative Learning Experiences of
College-level Adult Learners of Foreign Languages

by

Tomoko Schwartz

A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of
Auburn University
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

Auburn, Alabama
December 14, 2013

Keywords: Transformative learning, perspective transformation, adult foreign language learners,
second language acquisition, cultural changes, intercultural competence

Copyright 2013 by Tomoko Schwartz

Approved by

Maria Martinez Witte, Chair, Associate Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and
Technology
James E. Witte, Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology
Robert Duane Leier, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Teaching
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that promote transformative learning
experiences of college-level adult learners of foreign languages. This study was conducted to
analyze how college-level adult learners of foreign languages experience transformative learning
through educational and non-educational experiences.
Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1991a, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003)
provided the theoretical framework for this study. A mixed-methods research design was used to
address the research questions. The students who were enrolled in one of the foreign language
courses at a four-year southeastern public university during the Spring 2013 semester were asked
to participate in this study. An online version of the modified Learning Activities Survey (LAS)
(N=59) together with follow-up interviews (N=7) were used in this study. Analysis of online
survey data was administered mainly with the Pearson chi-square tests while the interview data
were analyzed with a phenomenological approach.
Overall, 84.7% of participants did not have transformative learning experiences while
15.3% of the participants had transformative learning experiences. As implied by the results of
the statistical analysis of online survey, the participants who had the combination of an
alphabetic language (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Latin, Greek, or
Korean (Hangul) as first language and an ideographic language (Chinese or Japanese) as target
language were more likely to experience non-educational perspective transformation. Although
the participants who had mentoring during enrollment reported experiencing non-educational-
ii
related perspective transformation, the participants who had self-reflection during enrollment
reported experiencing educational-related perspective transformation. In the interviews,
categories such as intrinsic motivation (genuine interests/passion), cultural exposure
(active/authentic cultural participation, cultural comparison, travel experiences, movies, contact
with native speakers), and personal connection with the target culture (make friends with native
speakers, integrated identity) were emerged as factors that promoted a perspective
transformation.
This study demonstrated that (1a) cultural exposure and (1b) personal connection with the
target culture promote (2) cultural comparison between self and others and (3) self-
reflection/premise reflection, which eventually lead to a (4) perspective transformation.

iii
Acknowledgments

To my husband, Benjamin Schwartz and my daughter, Miki Schwartz…
You are my reasons and motivations to keep me going to accomplish my goals in order to
pursue fulfilled lives together. I hope that my diligent and devoted attitude speaks to your hearts
despite of my rather humbly quiet mouth.
To my family…
We cannot ever thank enough to you, Edward and Jan Caulfield, for your generous and
patient supports and understandings throughout our lives. We certainly could not have
accomplished what we have accomplished if we did not have your kind supports.
I thank my mother, Fumiyo Ikegaya, who selflessly raised me and my sisters despite of
the difficulties you had to endure. You have always put us as your first priority and cared for us
whenever we were in need. Your disciplined and persevering attitude has taught me the virtue of
consistent hard work which pushed me through this endeavor.
To my dissertation committee members…
I thank my committee members, Dr. Maria Witte, Dr. James Witte, and Dr. Robert Leier,
who gave me this wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. You showed me another door of
possibility which I may have overlooked otherwise. I had never thought I could accomplish this
great task before I came to study with y’all.
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Table of Contents

Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ x
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ xiii
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1
Statement of Problem ...................................................................................................... 5
Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 10
Purpose of Study ............................................................................................................. 12
Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 13
Significance of Study ...................................................................................................... 13
Limitations ...................................................................................................................... 14
Assumptions .................................................................................................................... 14
Definitions....................................................................................................................... 15
Organization of Study ..................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................................... 18
Learning Differences between Children and Adults ..................................................... 20
Formative and Transformative Learning ............................................................ 20
First Language Acquisition and Second Language Acquisition ........................ 23
Transformative Learning Theorists ............................................................................... 27
v
Jack Mezirow .................................................................................................... 27
Edward W. Taylor ............................................................................................... 38
Stephen Brookfield ............................................................................................. 46
Robert D. Boyd and J. Gordon Myers ................................................................ 50
John M. Dirkx ..................................................................................................... 52
Patricia Cranton .................................................................................................. 54
Edmund O’Sullivan ............................................................................................ 60
Kathleen P. King ................................................................................................. 62
Factor that Promote Transformative Learning Experiences ........................................... 63
Reflection (Critical Reflection and Critical Self-reflection) ............................. 63
Classroom Discussion and Dialogues (Rational Discourse) ............................... 67
Mentoring (Role of Educator) ............................................................................. 69
Transformative Learning in the Context of Second/foreign Language Education ......... 71
Foreign Language Learners in the United States .............................................. 71
Cross-cultural Awareness ................................................................................... 75
Intercultural Competence .................................................................................... 79
Intercultural Transformation ............................................................................... 84
Summary ......................................................................................................................... 86
Chapter 3: Methods ................................................................................................................... 88
Research Design ............................................................................................................ 89
Population and Participants ........................................................................................... 93
Instrumentation ............................................................................................................. 95
Learning Activities Survey ................................................................................. 95
vi
Learning Activities Survey - Online Survey ....................................................... 95
Learning Activities Survey - Follow-up Interviews ........................................... 98
Demographic Information ................................................................................. 100
Validity and reliability of the Learning Activities Survey................................ 101
Data Collection ............................................................................................................. 103
Online Survey ................................................................................................... 103
Follow-up Interviews ........................................................................................ 105
Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 106
Online Survey ................................................................................................... 106
Follow-up Interviews ........................................................................................ 108
Validity and Reliability ..................................................................................... 109
Ethics ........................................................................................................................... 110
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 112
Chapter 4: Findings and Results ............................................................................................. 113
Demographic Results .................................................................................................. 114
Online Survey ................................................................................................... 114
Follow-up Interviews ........................................................................................ 118
Discussion of Findings – Online Survey ..................................................................... 123
Research Question 1 ......................................................................................... 123
Research Question 2 ......................................................................................... 125
Research Question 3 and 4 ................................................................................ 134
Discussion of Findings – Follow-up Interviews ........................................................... 148
Research Question 4 ......................................................................................... 148
vii
Process of Transformation ................................................................................ 152
Intrinsic Motivation .......................................................................................... 155
Cultural Exposure ............................................................................................. 158
Personal Connection with the Target Culture ................................................... 166
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 168
Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations ............................. 170
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 171
Study Overview ................................................................................................ 171
Findings of Online Survey ................................................................................ 173
Findings of Follow-up Interviews ..................................................................... 175
Integrative Findings from Online Survey and Follow-up Interviews ............... 176
Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 176
Implications ................................................................................................................. 178
Foreign Language Educators ............................................................................ 179
Foreign Language Administrators .................................................................... 180
Foreign Language Policy Makers ..................................................................... 180
Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 181
References ............................................................................................................................... 183
Appendix A: Empirical studies in transformative learning based on Merriam & Cook, 2012;
Taylor, 1997a, 1998, 2000a, 2000b, 2007, 2008; Taylor & Snyder, 2012 ................. 225
Appendix B: Original Learning Activities Survey .................................................................. 267
Appendix C: Modified Learning Activities Survey ................................................................ 274
Appendix D: Learning Activities Survey used for this study ................................................. 284
Appendix E: Authorization letter from the chair of Department of Foreign Languages and
viii
Literatures of Auburn University ................................................................................ 298
Appendix F: Authorization letter from Dr. Kathleen P. King ................................................. 300
Appendix G: Authorization letter from Dr. Alex Kumi-Yeboah ............................................ 302
Appendix H: Email invitation/reminder sent to the participants ............................................ 304
Appendix I: Information letter of the Learning Activities Survey for this study .................... 313
Appendix J: Approval letter from Office of Research Compliance of Auburn University .... 315
Appendix K: Codebook ............................................................................................................ 318
Appendix L: A model of perspective transformation in foreign language courses ................ 322

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List of Tables

Table 1: Critiques to Mezirow’s Theory and His Responses ..................................................... 33
Table 2: Reconceptualization of Transformative Learning Theory by Taylor .......................... 41
Table 3: Jung’s Psychological Types ......................................................................................... 55
Table 4: Taxonomy of Critical Reflection of Assumptions (CRA) .......................................... 65
Table 5: Taxonomy of Critical Self-Reflection of Assumptions (CSRA) ................................ 66
Table 6: The Five C’s of Foreign Language Education ............................................................. 73
Table 7: Learning Activities Survey Questionnaires for Online Survey .................................... 96
Table 8: Combination of Participant’s First/target Language ................................................... 101
Table 9: Frequency Distribution of Online Survey Participants for Each Demographic Group ....
....................................................................................................................................... 119
Table 10: Frequency Distribution of Follow-up Interview Participants for Each Demographic
Group ............................................................................................................................ 122
Table 11: Frequency Distribution of PT-Index Group ............................................................. 124
Table 12: Cross Tabulation of PT-Index and Demographic Information (Gender) ................. 126
Table 13: Cross Tabulation of PT-Index and Demographic Information (Marital Status)....... 126
Table 14: Cross Tabulation of PT-Index and Demographic Information (Race/ethnicity) ...... 127
Table 15: Cross Tabulation of PT-Index and Demographic Information (College) ................ 128
Table 16: Cross Tabulation of PT-Index and Demographic Information (Previous Educational
Level) .......................................................................................................................... 129
Table 17: Cross Tabulation of PT-Index and Demographic Information (Continent/geographical
Region of Birth) ............................................................................................................ 130
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