Transformative Learning: co-design with communities’ collective imagery as data for social innovation

AbstractThis paper discusses the transformative role of people and the places which they inhabit. It advocates the richness and multiplicity of actors and understandings to drive sustainable place-shaping practices. Grounded in the interdisciplinary place-based conceptualisation of social innovation, the paper aims to progress a holistic conceptual framework which integrates the active processes of learning, experiencing, and regeneration to tackle the complex challenges of sustainability. The discussion argues for moving beyond the conceptual deliberations into practice-based research. The framework proposed brings together three different lenses: first, transformative learning as an approach to experiential pedagogy with focus on education and learning based in local communities and the surrounding places; second, experiencing place through sense-making to help people relate closely to their values and meanings of place; third, regenerative action to reverse and recuperate from the negative impact of humans on the environment and promote place stewardship. Through a dynamic combination of these processes, new socially innovative agency is created. Empirical examples of this agency have been captured in this paper from a series of projects which were part of the SUSPLACE programme. In conclusion, we associate the interactive nature of this agency with sustainable re-learning, re-experiencing, and re-generation processes to reshape places in a transformative way.

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Integrating community engagement with management education

Education + Training ◽

10.1108/et-04-2016-0078 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 59 (6) ◽

pp. 579-589 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kwang-Sing Ngui ◽

Mung-Ling Voon ◽

Miin-Huui Lee

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Transformative Learning ◽

Community Engagement ◽

Social Innovation ◽

Case Study Research ◽

Reflective Learning ◽

Content Type ◽

Academic Service Learning ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an academic service learning course in a foreign university branch campus in Malaysia, and its outcomes in terms of student learning. Drawing on the transformative learning theory and case study research, it discusses three forms of learning that characterise the students’ experience, namely, instrumental, dialogic and self-reflective. Design/methodology/approach A case study of the Social Innovation Internship course at the Sarawak campus of Swinburne University of Technology was conducted. The case study draws on self-reported data gathered from the logbook entries of 60 students who enrolled in the course in 2015. Findings Thematic analysis of the data indicates that instrumental, dialogic and self-reflective learning are reflected in the students’ descriptions of learning about the community partners, the challenges in running a social enterprise, managing diversity and discovering the values and beliefs that shape one’s perceptions and identity. Originality/value The findings from the study add to the growing body of research on the impact of academic service learning on various stakeholders as well as on managing course activities in order to fulfil learning objectives. The case study confirms that service learning is an appropriate model for university-community engagement that generates mutually beneficial outcomes for the partners. In particular, it demonstrates how the service learning experience provides students with the opportunities to engage in instrumental, dialogic and self-reflective learning.

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Integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion into social innovation education: a case study of critical service-learning

Social Enterprise Journal ◽

10.1108/sej-11-2020-0101 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca Otten ◽

Máille Faughnan ◽

Megan Flattley ◽

Samantha Fleurinor

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Transformative Learning ◽

Social Innovation ◽

Single Case ◽

Critical Evaluation ◽

Multiple Perspectives ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Diversity And Inclusion ◽

Significant Factors

Purpose Social innovation education aims to equip students with the skills and mindsets to pursue sustainable and just solutions to complex challenges, yet many programs fail to address the power dynamics underlying unjust social structures. This paper aims to examine a social innovation course that integrates equity, diversity and inclusion principles through critical service-learning. Design/methodology/approach Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews of 25 students and 5 key informants in a qualitative, single case design to understand multiple perspectives on significant factors in transformative learning. Document review and auto-ethnographic insights provide additional case background. Findings Students identified the service experience as unique and high impact. Significant factors included the atypical service structure, the EDI framework, and the partner organization as an exemplar in the field. Students displayed a spectrum of learning, from recall and comprehension to critical evaluation, new worldviews, and behavior change. Research limitations/implications The findings of this qualitative study pertain to one partnership but are generalizable to theories. These findings are plausibly transferable to other experiential social innovation courses embedded in elite, private, predominately white research universities. Originality/value This empirical case examines a unique pedagogical and curricular innovation. By seeking to understand factors and outcomes of experiential learning, this study contributes to the literature on social innovation education and critical service-learning. The analysis produced novel insights for faculty and institutions aiming to integrate equity, diversity, and inclusion goals into social innovation programs.

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