The final iteration of the framework

The study explores the process of understanding and articulating the significance of life experiences The theories that underpin this process provide the foundation for the study’s framework, the final iteration of which is shown at Figure 2.5.

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Figure 2.5: The final iteration of the study’s framework

The final iteration of the framework represents the researchers’ review of literature on adult learning, significant learning and meaning-making and the selection of key theories that inform the study to create an approach to addressing the research questions. The framework acknowledges that the learning process (and learners themselves) is extraordinarily complex but attempts to capture the key elements of learning in a way that allows for the exploration of the personal significance of life experiences. It draws largely on constructivist approaches to learning that champion the learner’s construction of meaning from experiences by interpreting them through their own lens and in the context of their prior experiences (Gogus 2012). It draws inspiration from developmental psychology and the notion of life-span development that occurs across several domains, such as social, emotional and cognitive (Keenan, Evans & Crowley 2016). The framework also serves as a means of presenting the research findings in a meaningful way. There was also a deliberate choice by the researcher to base the framework on the meaning-making process as it is essential for learning (Mezirow 2000) and it aligns with the constructivist approach adopted in the study.

The middle part of the framework (the grey circles) shows the definition of learning used in the study, by Peter Jarvis (2006). The tri-coloured circle and green box underneath explain the process of

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meaning-making to understand and articulate the significance of an experience, representing the alignment between Jarvis’s concept of learning and significant learning theory (Merriam & Clark 1993). This meaning-making process involves assigning meaning to an experience to render it coherent, determining the impact of the experience, and subjectively valuing the experience and its impact. Jarvis (2006) describes the outcome of assigning meaning as the changed or more experienced person. The changed person has understood the significance of their experiences by determining the kinds of impact (i.e. perceptions of growth or positive life changes, from Park 2010) that matter to them (i.e. there is subjective value in the experience). This meaning-making process is mirrored in the study’s investigation of what (RQ1), how (RQ2) and why (RQ3) experiences are significant, in the context of international study. The research questions are represented by the segments in the tri- coloured circle.

The work of Kegan, Mezirow and Jarvis provide the key theoretical underpinnings for the inclusion of the learner’s meaning-making lens in the framework (the orange box) as the overarching perspective from which experiences are interpreted, based on the learner’s values, beliefs and assumptions (Mezirow 1991; 2000). The framework acknowledges that emotions play a key role in meaning-making, as proposed by Dirkx (2001a; 2001b). The influence of prior experiences on each new experience is well documented in the adult learning literature (Boud & Walker 1990; Knowles 1984; Jarvis 2006); this is the rationale for including prior experiences as a component of the lens. The framework also recognises that individuals may come to some informal learning experiences with learning intent, motivations and expectations (Boud & Walker 1990; Gopalan et al 2017). These ideas emphasise the complexity of the learning process and the various influences on meaning- making and highlight the subjective and self-directed nature of adult learning (Knowles 1984). Socio- contextual influences on meaning-making (Boud & Walker 1990; Jarvis 1987; Usher 1993) are also acknowledged. Inclusion of these ideas in the framework allows the researcher to explore how an individual’s personal meaning system influences meaning-making, to deepen understanding of the (significant) learning process. The right-hand input arrow into the meaning-making lens box represents the developmental progression of the learner’s meaning-making lens through learning from an experience. This progression has an influence on meaning-making from subsequent experiences (Kegan 1982; Mezirow 2000).

As discussed earlier in the chapter, it should be noted that the work of Dewey (1963) and Kolb (1984; 2015) and Boud and Walker (1990) provide the broader context for the study around theories of experiential learning, where experience is the basis and impetus for learning, and where the learner’s

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interpretation of the experience turns it from just being an experience into actual learning. The extant literature on learning is clear, too, on the elements that must always be present in any learning situation. These elements are “the person as the learner, the social situation within which the learning occurs, the experience that the learner has of that situation, the process of transforming it and storing it within the learner’s mind/biography” (Jarvis 2006, p. 198). These ideas underpin the overall construction of the framework. Learning as a meaning-making process is represented in the framework, which picks up the process after the individual has experienced a social situation. The learner then interprets that situation by transforming its perceived content and then assigning value to that content to integrate changes to the learner’s sense of self. Recognising that an experience has facilitated significant learning involves assigning meaning to an experience to render it coherent, determine its personal impact, and subjectively value it. This meaning-making work frames the way the learner interprets and assigns value to an experience as part of the learning process. The outcome of this process is a changed or more experienced person (Jarvis 2006), who understands the ways they have grown or changed where they have also attached personal value to these changes.

From this framework, a set of reflective prompt questions was developed for collecting data to address the research questions. The framework was also used to structure the data analysis process and presentation of the findings. The methodological approach to this study is discussed in Chapter 4.

2.11.1 A final note on learning

It is important to note that the theories of learning proposed by Mezirow and others suggest one direction of growth, i.e. that growth-enhancing outcomes result from making meaning of experiences. These theories assume expansion, whereas it may be possible for an individual to find their meaning structure is less inclusive, open, or reflective as a result of a learning experience. Dewey (1963) called such experiences ‘mis-educative’, where they have the effect of halting or misconstruing the growth of future experiences. Other theorists (Jarvis 1987; Merriam, Mott & Lee 1996) have noted there are instances of learning that are detrimental to the person’s growth. Jarvis (1987) contends that not all change is progressive in the usual sense of the word; change can have a detrimental effect on the learner if it creates emotional responses that limit positive thought and action. Merriam, Mott and Lee’s (1996) study found that where participants’ sense of self was challenged by an experience, they responded with self-protective behaviours (e.g. blame, anger, and fear) and changed only in growth- inhibiting ways. They suggest that the core of growth-enhancing outcomes is the cognitive complexity of the learner’s meaning-making system and their ability to mitigate the damaging impact of an experience. This idea demonstrates the subjective nature of life-experience learning and how

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individuals may perceive the same experience and its resulting impact in different ways. This points to the influence of the learner’s meaning-making lens, where what one person may see as ‘restricting’ may be perceived as ‘enhancing’ by another. Moreover, the concept of ‘positive’ and’ ‘negative’ impact may be open to debate. The researcher acknowledges that these concepts may be interpreted in different ways by the learner, depending on context and culture.

For many people, life is seen as a series of isolated, unrelated events that are not always valued as triggers for personal growth (Costa & Kallick 2008). Furthermore, over time, growth-inhibiting impact may be reinterpreted by the learner to shift it to growth-enhancing, with the benefit of an advanced meaning-making system that has become more discriminating that provides a more circumspect mindset (Greenaway 2018).