the assessment of transformational potential of students in placement modules in united kingdom universities academic staff perspectives

Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ theses@gla.ac.uk Goulet, Gail M (2014) The assessment of transformational potential of students in placement modules in United Kingdom universities: academic staff perspectives. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5707/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given The Assessment of Transformational Potential of Students in Placement Modules in United Kingdom Universities - Academic Staff Perspectives Gail M Goulet, MEd A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements For the degree of the Doctor of Philosophy School of Education, College of Social Science University of Glasgow, October 2014 2 The Assessment of Transformational Potential of Students in Placement Modules in United Kingdom Universities - Academic Staff Perspectives Abstract It is generally acknowledged that two central goals of university higher education are to enable student learning and to help students develop. Within that mandate, academic staff perform many functions including teaching and assessing. It is also generally acknowledged that educators adapt as new and accessible knowledge emerges on how students learn and develop and on changing demands on Higher Education (HE). One of these adaptations has been the widening use of experiential learning, specifically the use of community placements. As the educational contexts of students expand beyond the university, both the different pedagogy of experiential learning and unfamiliar situations in community agencies can create a situation where it is possible for students to experience Transformational Learning (TL), as proposed by Mezirow (2008). This is an interpretive, qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study that uses a pluralistic methodological approach. This approach includes multiple case studies and the theoretical frameworks of TL and Service-Learning (SL). The study explores how placements in the United Kingdom are similar to SL provisions in the United States, how Academic Staff Participants (ASPs) perceive and conduct assessment of students in placements and how they consider TL experiences. Through semi-structured interviews with twenty-nine ASPs in four UK universities, the methods used in the assessment of student work are illuminated and analysed. The pedagogies of the ASPs in both professional and non- professional placement modules are compared. The ASPs relay their experiences, expectations, assignments, assessment protocols and university engagements with placement hosts and communities. The emerging themes from the ASP interviews show that change and risk, lifelong learning and employability are major concerns for stakeholders and that placement learning serves many purposes. 3 The resulting conclusions identify some of the challenges that placement learning poses for ASPs teaching in the new millennium. With the practices shared by the ASPs this thesis further proposes a framework of Participatory Action Research (PAR) that academic staff (AS) could use to support each other, further assisting student learning and development to realise the full potential of TL. 4 Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 4 List of Tables 7 Acknowledgements 8 Author’s Declaration 9 Introduction 10 1 Literature Review 13 1.1 Service-learning 13 1.1.1 Impacts of Service-learning 18 1.2 Transformative Learning Theory 19 1.2.1 Theory Development 23 1.2.2 Transformative Learning Theory 31 1.2.3 Learning Domains 34 1.2.4 Frames of Reference: Meaning Schemes, Meaning Perceptions 36 1.2.4 Transformation 36 1.2.5 Critical Reflection 38 1.2.6 Discourse 38 1.2.7 Application of TL and TLT: Examples from Practice 40 1.2.8 Critique and Defence of Transformative Learning Theory 46 1.3 Assessment 53 1.4 Educators Assessment of Transformative Learning 60 1.5 Academic Staff and Service-learning 62 1.6 Universities 66 1.7 In Summary 68 2 Methodology 69 2.1 Introduction 69 2.2 The Problems Explored 69 2.3 The Research Questions: Narrowing Down to the Main Questions 71 2.4 Service and Placement Learning 71 2.5 Four Universities 72 2.6 Selecting Academic Staff tor Participation 75 2.7 Methodological Considerations 78 2.8 Interpretive and Qualitative Dimensions 81 2.9 Case Study Parameters, Exploration of a Field and Developing Question 85 2.10 Ethical Considerations, Influences and Procedures 90 2.11 The Pilot Study in Three Phases 91 5 2.12 The Semi-structured Interviews and the Participants 93 2.13 Primary Instrument of the Research 99 2.14 Audio Recording and Transcribing of the Interviews 101 2.15 Analysis 101 2.16 In Summary 102 3 Placement and Service-learning 103 3.1 A UK Programme Similar to Service-learning 103 3.2 A Module Using Service-learning Pedagogy 109 3.3 Programmes Under Study Share some of the Same Aims as Service-Learning 111 3.4 Placements for Discipline Study, Employability and Community 119 4 Transformative Learning 127 4.1 Adult and Higher Education 127 4.2 The Domains of Adult Learning 128 4.3 Academic Staff Participants Report on Transformative Learning 129 4.3.1 Framework for Defining Perceptions of Transformative Learning Potential 133 4.3.2 ASPs Reporting Little Knowledge of Transformative Learning 138 4.3.3 ASPs Reporting Knowledge of Transformative Learning 140 4.3.4 ASPs Report Recognising and Fostering Transformative Learning 154 5 Assessment 167 5.1 Standards and ASP Views and Challenges 167 5.2 Other than Academic Staff Involved in Assessment 173 5.3 Summative, Formative and Authentic Assessment 183 5.4 Reports of Methods of Assessments 189 5.5 The Assessment of Transformative Learning by ASPs 200 6 Emergent Issues 210 6.1 Staff and Programmes Engage with TL. 210 6.2 Gaps in Transformative Learning 212 6.3 Emergent Discoveries 215 6.3.1 Change 215 6.3.2 Risk 218 6.3.3 Employability 222 6.3.4 Independent and Lifelong Learning 223 6.4 Participatory Elements 228 6.5 Universities 230 7 Conclusions, Recommendations and Epilogue 233 7.1 The Research Questions and their Answers 233 7.2 Conclusions 235 7.3 Recommendations 238 7.4 Epilogue 247 6 Appendices 250 Appendix A: Semi-Structured Interview Questions 250 Appendix B: Hand-out to ASP(s) on Transformative Learning Theory 253 Appendix C Table 4-1: ASPs Reporting of Knowledge of TL and TLT 254 Appendix D: Graduate Attributes of the University of Glasgow 256 Glossary 260 Bibliography 261 7 List of Tables Table 2-1: Overview of the Four UK Universities 74 Table 2-2: Aspects of Qualitative Research Applied to This Study 83 Table 2-3: Case Study Attributes Met by Yin’s definition 88 Table 2-4: Researcher as Instrument 100 Table 3-1: ASP Placement Focus 106 Table 4-1: ASPs Reporting of Knowledge of TL and TLT 132 Table 4-2: Merriam et al. Quadrants and Mezirow Phases 135 Table 5-1: Percentage of ASPs Reporting Utilising Each Assessment Method 191 Note: Table 4-1 in 12-point font is also found in Appendix C (see Table of Contents) 8 Acknowledgements I send a deep heart felt thank you to so many people who have helped and supported me through this journey. First and foremost is thank you to John for his amazing support, energy and belief in me. And to my family: Glenn and Lucas, and Mary (for academic support too) and Oleya, Dawn, Katrine and Dane. Thank you to all of you, for giving me roots and wings. To my supervisors Professor Michael Osborne and Dr Fiona Patrick, thank you for your wisdom, support and patience. It has been such an honour working with you. To my academic mentor and dear friend, Dr Sandra Daffron, thank you for your amazing energy, support and encouragement. To my fellow PhD students: Katja, Ulrike, Liam, Heather, Kurt, Vanessa, Hameda, Muhammad, Julie, Karen, Sally, Ageila, Natalie, Jamila, Vanessa and all the others who made the journey so enjoyable and fascinating. Thank you also to my ‘homies’, Grace and Shirley, for holding down the CCTC work-front so I could pursue my dream. And to Suzanne and to Sophie, for all that you are. Thank you to all the academic staff participants in this study. A motivation to finish is due to wanting to fulfil your request to let you know what the research shows. Thank you for providing such rich information on your educational practices. Thank you to the Faculty/School of Education at the University of Glasgow, for the support and scholarship funding, which allowed me to pursue this research. And thank you to all the scholars who provide the giant shoulders on which this works stands. 9 Author’s Declaration “I declare that, except where explicit reference is made to the contribution of others, that this dissertation is the result of my own work and has not been submitted for any other degree at the University of Glasgow or any other institution.” Signature: Printed Name: Gail Marie Goulet [...]...10 Introduction This thesis describes an exploratory study conducted on how academic staff (AS) working in placement learning modules in UK universities assess transformative learning in their students The thesis is organised mostly thematically The chapters begin with the Literature Review, followed by the Methodology, and then move into the themes of Placement and Service-Learning (SL), Transformative... the universities and academic staff participants It offers the idea of the researcher as ‘bricoleur’ and the main instrument of the enquiry It further argues for the centrality of the perceptions of academic staff as professional practitioners as well as for research that informs practice 11 Chapter 3: Placement and Service-learning This chapter introduces the ASPs It then explores the differences and... research in the field of education must include an examination of practical experience Such research in turn could then contribute to theories that are useful for improving learning Speaking to the lack of such research, Mezirow states, ‘researchers have not usually involved themselves intimately into the situations they are studying to attempt to understand the perspectives of those involved and the dynamics... theory it falls short of its mandate to prepare students for work in the professions He uses the analogy of a low lying swamp 17 to depict real life, likening traditional academic educational provision to people staying on top of the hill discussing, but not participating or practicing in the low lying swamp (p 3) where the real issues need to be dealt with SL has the potential to assist students in. .. needed as there is still much work on the part of the university staff to support students in placement The hosts need to provide supervision and training, for which they will not necessarily receive a benefit (i.e recruiting or training an employee) Issues of increasing host staff workload or the threat of replacing workers are rarely addressed in the literature, but would need to be addressed in actual... different types of courses as well as a history of the development of transformative learning theory (TLT) Some of the criticisms of the theory are relayed along with a rationalisation for using the theory in this study No study to date has integrated all five of these areas in a single study on the situation in the UK, and therefore an exploratory study is suggested Chapter 2: Methodology The methodology... especially feminist research focusing on the women’s movement As previously noted, the theory has evolved with the input of many other scholars Here Kitchenham (2008) provides us with the following historical account of the evolution of the theory and timeline of the evolution: ‘1978 Mezirow proposes the initial 10-phase theory; 1981 adapts the three domains Habermas (1972) of learning: technical, practical... 1985 expands the theory to include instrumental, dialogic and self-reflective learning Definition of meaning schemes and meaning perspectives Introduction of three learning processes: learning within meaning schemes, learning new meaning schemes and learning through meaning transformation; 1991 adds an additional phase: stressing the importance of altering present relationships and forging new relationships... subjective reframing; 2000 presents a revision of transformative learning by elaborating on and revising his original terminologies Acknowledgment of the importance of the affective, emotional and social aspects of transformative learning Introduction of habits of mind and points of view; 2003 provides a clear definition of his theory; 2005 with Dirkx at the Sixth International Transformative Learning Conference... working in professions such as law, medicine and education need to develop reflective judgment and complex thinking skills not only to be competent in their work, but also to manage their professions There is a danger that if professionals are not managing themselves, or at least providing input into the overall management of their professions, they could be managed by others who do not share their . Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ theses@gla.ac.uk Goulet, Gail M (2014) The assessment of transformational potential of students in placement modules in United Kingdom universities: . Assessment of Transformational Potential of Students in Placement Modules in United Kingdom Universities - Academic Staff Perspectives Gail M Goulet, MEd A thesis submitted in fulfilment. participants. It offers the idea of the researcher as ‘bricoleur’ and the main instrument of the enquiry. It further argues for the centrality of the perceptions of academic staff as professional