Toward an embodied conception of transformative learning

The purpose of this study is to discover ways in which transformative learning is embodied. Transformative learning, as described by Mezirow (1991) in "Transformative dimensions of adult learning", is conceived as primarily a cognitive activity centred on critical thinking and rational discourse. I did the research for this study through an exploration of my own shifting sense of self in learning how to fight as a result of participating in a Model Mugging self defence course. I engaged in a reflexive process of remembering my experience and the meaning I gave to the events which took place, paying particular attention to the inter-relation between emotion, thought, kinetic and somatic elements. These reflections were supported by literature in psychology, education, the healing arts, and physiology. The research suggests that meaning perspectives are embodied and that transformation of these sets of beliefs, particularly those regarding sense of self, involves conscious thought, emotional engagement, and physiological and somatic changes. This study has significance for an emerging theoretical construction of transformative learning and for adult educators who facilitate potentially transformative activities.Education, Faculty ofEducational Studies (EDST), Department ofGraduat