Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: Critically Reflective Research for a New HRD Landscape

2020 ◽  
pp. 152342232097342
Author(s):  
Oliver S. Crocco ◽  
Robin S. Grenier

The Problem The pandemic and subsequent changes to norms and practices in the workplace mean that for many, existing meaning-making structures are challenged and the limits of existing ways of knowing are revealed. The problem for HRD scholars and practitioners is that dominant approaches to research are largely insufficient for understanding individuals’ meaning making in response to the pandemic. The Recommendations Two critically reflexive method/ologies are presented and overlaid with Constructive-Developmental Theory (CDT) to offer not only a means of capturing data about individuals’ experiences during/post-pandemic but for interpreting the data with an understanding of the mental complexities associated with capturing an emic perspective. The Stakeholders Stakeholders include HRD scholars and practitioners who conduct research in organizations.

2021 ◽  
pp. 074355842110108
Author(s):  
Wendy G. Gwyn ◽  
Michael J. Cavanagh

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis and Robert Kegan’s constructive-developmental theory, this study investigated how developmental stage shaped the subjective experiences of 13 adolescents ( Mage = 15.92 years, 54% females) in a developmental coaching and outdoor adventure education program. Participants were drawn from socioeconomically disadvantaged schools in Sydney, Australia, and represented Asian, Middle Eastern, and European ethnicities. A single, semi-structured interview was conducted with participants postprogram, following protocols approved by an institutional ethics committee. Interview data were used to investigate participants’ meaning-making structures as evidence of constructive-developmental stage both at the time of interview and program participation. We found that, despite being similar ages at program commencement, participants displayed a range of constructive-developmental stages. The data demonstrate how participants at different stages of meaning-making experienced the same activities differently, including what they experienced as challenging and supportive. Furthermore, our findings suggest that there is a valuable role for developmental coaching in scaffolding program challenges to stimulate constructive-developmental growth. Constructive-developmental theory provides a novel framework for understanding the different ways in which adolescents make meaning of developmental programs. We hope the findings from this study will help those who design and implement these programs to appreciate constructive-developmental differences in their participants to better target interventions aimed at facilitating developmental growth.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett J. McAuliffe ◽  
Roger F. Strand

Advisors can enhance development by, first, identifying students' meaning-making assumptions and, second, challenging those assumptions while offering support as students struggle to increase the complexity of meaning making. Constructive developmental theory is offered as a useful framework from which to encourage greater student ownership of the educational planning process. Methods of assessing and enhancing development are suggested. Two cases that depict advising from the constructive developmental perspective are offered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELEANOR DRAGO-SEVERSON ◽  
JESSICA BLUM-DeSTEFANO

In this essay, Eleanor Drago-Severson and Jessica Blum-DeStefano add a new dimension to the literature on social justice in education and constructive-developmental theory by exploring how adult developmental theory can shed new light on the challenges and opportunities of teaching and leading for social justice. Drawing from their decades of research and teaching about leadership that supports educators' internal capacity building, they posit that adults' qualitatively different ways of knowing—or developmental meaning-making systems—will influence how they understand diversity of all kinds, as well as what it means to teach and/or lead for social justice. Given the imperatives of equity and access in educational institutions, US society, and the world, this essay aims to help us better understand how to support diverse adults in their efforts to serve all students well and to work more collaboratively and productively across lines of difference.


Author(s):  
Eleanor Drago-Severson

This research was part of a larger, mixed-methods study, funded by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, which examined the learning and change experiences of 41 learners in three ABE/ESOL programs. This paper examines a Polaroid diploma program with a focus on women workers, employing gender (relational) and constructive-developmental theory to frame their learning experiences. Data for this paper focuses on analysis of 224 qualitative interviews, focus groups, and developmental assessments. Three emergent themes regarding women's motivation emerged: practical benefits, the importance of timing, and leadership aspirations. This paper presents how these women describe and understand their learning motivations from both a qualitative and developmental perspective. This investigation informs understanding of women's motivations for learning, and suggests how individual ways of knowing inform such motivation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie C. Smith ◽  
Tina M. Smith-Bonahue ◽  
Olivia R. Soutullo

Family engagement in young children’s education is widely touted as valuable, but challenging, particularly for teachers in high need, highly diverse schools. Professional development efforts in this area often fall short, in part due to the difficulty inherent in changing teachers’ attitudes and beliefs. This study uses Kegan’s (1982) Constructive Developmental theory as a framework for understanding teachers’ belief changes as the result of course designed to improve family-school engagement.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Drago-Severson ◽  
Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski ◽  
Jessica Blum-Destefano

This article extends mixed-methods longitudinal research with school and district leaders (2008–present) about their most pressing leadership challenges. Here—through in-depth, qualitative interviews—we explore how a subsample of 30 principals described and understood their internal experiences of addressing pressing challenges. More specifically, using an adaptive/ technical lens, social-emotional frameworks, and constructive-developmental theory, we illuminate how principals‘ social-emotional and developmental capacities influenced their leadership, and highlight findings with in-depth mini-cases. By focusing on the inner workings of principals’ leadership for managing change, this article offers implications for professional practice and school-wide change locally and globally, leadership preparation, policy, and future research.


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