Reported transformational learning experiences of undergraduates in business school

As a conceptual model of how people can better adapt to change, the lens of transformational learning was used to shed light on how business schools might expand teaching and learning practices to help their students better prepare for the dynamic workplace of the 21st century. Transformational learning occurs when a student's worldview is challenged and the learner moves beyond old assumptions to see things in a new way. Students in the undergraduate business school examined reported incidences of transformational learning in this quantitative study of 256 respondents conducted in Fall 2005. Most of the learning activities expected to set the stage for transformational learning did so, specifically those classroom assignments that encouraged comparison of individual values with external circumstances, such as writing and talking about concerns, deep concentrated thinking, personal journaling, and self evaluation. Also, those learning experiences that allowed students to try on work roles such as internships were related to the occurrence of transformational learning. The challenge of a teacher was the most important personal stimulus, more so than the support of either a teacher or peer. Events external to the classroom like moving to this city also appeared to stimulate transformational learning. The incidence of transformational learning built as students spent more time in school. Women studying in this undergraduate business school experienced comparable rates of transformational learning to their male counterparts and reported experiencing the same learning stimuli in personal relations, classroom activities, and life events. The conceptual model of transformational learning appeared robust in every measure used in this study. Recommendations are made for practitioners seeking to foster transformational learning and for further research.