Transformative learning: UAE, women, and higher education...President of the UAE). A place without...

Transformative learning: UAE, women, and higher education

Susan R. MadsenUtah Valley University, Orem, Utah, USA, and

Bradley J. CookSouthern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah, USA

www.emeraldinsight.com/raf.htm

AbstrAct

Purpose – Research on education for women in the Arab world is just beginning to unfold. In some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, higher education for women has only been encouraged for the last few de-cades. Research that explores the perceptions of women in college learning environments is important to dis-cover better ways of educating Emirati women for lifelong learning.This paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach – An online quantitative survey (English and Arabic) was used to explore these perceptions, and 294 students participated.

Findings – The paper uses transformative learning theory to investigate potential influences or factors on the transformation of female Emirati students during their college years.

Originality/value – This and other research does support the assumption that transformative experiences for individual students within higher education can result in interest, intention, and action toward varying degrees of social transformation. Higher education, while having no explicit political or activist agenda, has resulted in some degree (among these respondents at least) of a redefinition of the role of work for women and their broad-er role in Emirati society, and in some ways have challenged prevailing social constructs based on male-female stratification.

Keywords Higher education, Learning, Women, United Arab Emirates

Paper type Research paper

The wealth of any nation is its intellectuals, and the progress of peoples and nations is judged by the level and extent of education they reach (HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan, Late Founder and President of the UAE).

A place without women is a place without spirit (HH Sheikh Mohmmed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates).

Transformative learning in adult, continuing, and higher education has been studied and examined since 1978

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and continues to be the “most researched and discussed theory in the field of adult education” (Taylor, 1997, p. 173). Although a multitude of studies, primarily qualitative, have been conducted on transformative learning, most have used samples within the USA and Europe. Yet, learning that truly transforms individualsis critical to training, development, and educational efforts in every corner of the globe, including the Middle East. Perhaps, more importantly, transformative learning fosters certain emancipatory knowledge essential to personal and national development.

As discussed in this paper, transformative learning is characterized at the individual level by the development of critical consciousness of personal assumptions. At a macrolevel, transformative learning contributes to broader social progress by encouraging dialogue and constructing critically informed understandings of social assump-tions (Daloz, 1990).

Research on education for women in the Middle East is just beginning to unfold. In some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), higher education for women has only been encouraged for the last few decades. In fact, most female Emirati college students today are first generation college attendees who have relativelyuneducated mothers who married in their early teenage years and immediately began bearing children. Since, women’s participation in postsecondary settings is a fairly recent phenomenon, it is understandable why schol-arly research (in most disciplines) on the UAE and its women nationals is difficult to find. However, it is clear in the past few decades that there have been many emerging perspectives and hermeneutics associated with the role and capabilities of Emirati women and how they make meaning of information and experience. For exam-ple, the Minister of Economy and Planning in the UAE, H.E. Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi (2007, pp. 33-5), stated:

I believe that the pace of women’s empowerment is set to unfold even more quickly [. . .] By creating an environment in the UAE that enables women to be flexible in their approach to work – to choose a career path, to balance the demands of home, and the office, to contribute to the development of this nation, we are unquestionably contributing to the growth of the UAE’s GDP [. . .] The benefits of having women as agents for social change through taking a more visible role in society is not limited to paid employment [. . .] Women play a vital economic role in every country in the world, including the UAE, that keeps na-tions like ours moving forward [. . .] These women, whether they are doctors or home-makers, are on the front lines of our community in transition. They are demonstrating that women have a voice, as well as a unique perspective, and a key role to play in the social and economic development of the Arab world.

With these changes it is now expected that there will be many future opportunities for women to work, man-age, and lead in a variety of settings (e.g. business, government, community, and non-profit). However, without research that explores the perceptions of women in learning environments that produce transforming results during early adulthood (college and university settings), it may be difficult to design programs that will ef-fectively meet their critical lifelong developmental needs. Hence, using the transformative learning theory as a conceptual and theoretical framework, the overall purpose of this study is to explore the potential influences (i.e. influential individuals, learning assignments and activities, and outside college-related opportunities) on the transformation of female Emirati students during their college years.

Transformative learning theoryTransformative learning is a theory of adult learning that tries to “describe and analyze howadults learn to make


meaning of their experience” (Mezirow, 1991, p. 198). Clark (1993, p. 47) stated that “Transformational learn-ing shapes people; they are different afterward, in ways both they and others can recognize.”Not all learning is transformative, and not all schooling delivers an education. Possessing information is not the same thing asunderstanding.Wecan learn by adding knowledge, but does it help us understand howwe make meaning out of experience and information? Transformative learning is focused on the kind of learning that facilitates a deeper reflection and critical consciousness in an individual. According to Mezirow (1991), it involves “reflectively transforming the beliefs, attitudes, opinions, and emotional reactions that constitute our meaning schemes or transforming ourmeaning perspectives” (p. 223).Educators focused on helping learners become more imagina-tive, intuitive, critically reflective of assumptions, and rational through effective participation in critical dis-course, are those who are teaching with a transformative focus. Educators interested in helping students acquire perspectives that are more “inclusive, integrative, discriminating, and open to alternative points of view”(p. 224) are those concerned with helping others. These individuals teachmuch differently than those faculty, for example, who spend most of their energy preparing for the delivery of their next profound lecture.

Merriam and Caffarella (1995, p. 318) explained that “transformational learning theory is about change – dra-matic, fundamental change in the way we see ourselves and the world in which we live.” The process of trans-formative learning is anchored in life experience. Mezirow (1990, p. 1) defined learning as “the process of making a new or revised interpretation of the meaning of an experience, which guides subsequent understand-ing, appreciation, and action.” Mezirow’s (1991, p. 167) theory is about how adults make meaning from and interpret their experiences. He defined a perspective transformation as:

The process of becoming critically aware of how and why our assumptions have come to constrain the way we perceive, understand, and feel about our world; changing these structures of habitual expecta-tion to make possible a more inclusive, discriminating, and integrative perspective; and finally, making choices or otherwise acting upon these new understandings.

One ofMezirow’s major contributions to the adult learning field is his proposed ten-stage perspective transfor-mation process (that do not necessarily need to be sequential) (Merriamand Caffarella, 1995;Mezirow, 1991). Briefly, the transformation seems to begin: (1) A disorienting dilemma (e.g. crisis and/or life event) that cannot be resolved through past coping skills.

(2) Next, the individual engages in some type of self-examination process.

(3) This leads to a critical assessment of his or her epistemic, sociocultural, or psychic assumptions.

(4) The individual then has a recognition that others have also gone through similar experiences (e.g. discon-tentment, transformation, and change).

(5) The person then goes through an exploration of options for forming new roles, relationships, and actions.

(6) And formulates a plan of action.

(7) To accomplish this plan or strategy, the individual begins acquiring the knowledge and skills to implement it.


(8) Through this the individual tries out these new roles and/or behaviors.

(9) And builds competence and self-confidence in these new roles or relationships.

(10) Lastly, the individual then needs to integrate these changes back into his or her life (Merriam and Caffarel-la, 1995).

Research has found that transformative learning has three core components (Merriam and Caffarella, 1995; Mezirow, 1991):

(1) Mental construction of experience. It is through engaging with each life experience to make meaning that there is an opportunity for a change in perspective and behavior.

(2) Critical reflection. “Effective learning does not follow from a positive experience but from effective reflec-tion” (Criticos, 1993, p. 162). To reflect critically individuals must not only think about their experiences, but they must also examine the underlying beliefs and assumptions that influence how they make sense of their experiences.

(3) Development/action. Individuals must explore options for forming new roles, relationships, or actions. To truly transform, they need to try out their new knowledge, skills, or roles and then build new competence and self-confidence.

These three constructs provided the transformational learning core components for the transformative learning model (Figure 1) that guided this research study.

Mezirow’s theory has been explored in many studies with various types of participants. In 1997, Taylor pub-lished a critical review of the empirical studies of Mezirow’s transformational learning theory. He reviewed manuscripts that involved Mezirow’s model of perspective transformation or a related component, and those that provided a methodology section that demonstrated it was an empirical study and not just a conceptual piece. He found 39 individual studies including journal publications,


Masters theses, conference proceedings, and dissertations. Taylor (2007) updated his review in 2007 by analyz-ing 41 additional peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1999 and 2005. The majority of the articles and dissertations he analyzed in these two studies were again reviewed for this paper. Taylor found that the majority of studies employed qualitative research designs that captured an often retrospective snapshot of the subjects/participants learning experience. Additional studies from 2006 to 2008 were also reviewed to gain insight for this current study. In all, a variety of samples were used in past research, some of which included interculturally competent individuals (e.g. Euro-Americans and African-Americans) (Taylor, 1994); professional women (Compton, 2006); leadership development program participants (Neuman, 1996); mid-career women professionals (Carter, 2002); environmental activists (Kovan and Dirkx, 2003); university extension participants on fostering active citizenship (Lange, 2004); student nurses (Liimatainen et al., 2001); ethical vegans (Mc-Donald et al., 1999); adult learners in social crisis (King, 2003); HIV-positive adults (Courtenay et al., 1998); women educators working overseas (Lyon, 2001); clients with rheumatoid arthritis (Dubouloz et al., 2004); cohort group learners (Scribner and Donaldson, 2001); and graduate students (Young et al., 2006).


In sum, transformative learning theory has been used as a theoretical framework for a variety of studies in a multitude of unique learning environments from dying patients to healthy graduate students to working profes-sionals. To date, no research has been published on Mezirow’s theory being utilized as a basis for research in learning environments within the Arab world. Yet, it is clear that in some of these countries there is an emerging transformation in the opportunities available to and the perspectives toward women nationals. As higher educa-tion is now a focus for women in the UAE, anecdotal evidence has suggested that possible transformative learn-ing experiences are occurring for many female Emirati students. It has been argued (Cranton, 2006; King,1997; Mezirow, 2000; Perry, 2000) that higher education in general has a distinct role in transforming students through challenging them to expand their minds, evaluate their assumptions, discover new meanings, and broad-ening their world views.

UAE, Abu Dhabi, and ADWCTo understand this research study, it is important that readers have some background about the UAE. Although there is evidence of extensive human occupation in 5500 BC, the UAE as a nation-state has only been in exis-tence since 1971, shortly after the first export of oil from Dubai in 1969 (Al Abed et al., 2007). Since its estab-lishment, seven emirates have federated their status to comprise the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qawain, Ras al-Khaimah, and Fujairah). According to Gimbel (2007, p. 170), “The emirate’s 420,000 citizens, who sit on one-tenth of the planet’s oil and have almost $1 trillion invested abroad, are worth about $17 million apiece.” With a small portion of this wealth, the government provides free higher education to Emiratistudents in the form of various types of institutions throughout the country. Yet, this education comes with high expectations for success, and when students do not meet these expectations they lose their opportunity to attend college. For many young women who now have desires to contribute both inside and outside their homes,college is their only hope to obtain the preparation they need to work outside the home and professionally con-tribute to their communities.

The same Fortune article also deemed Abu Dhabi – the cultural, governmental, and economic capitol of the UAE – as the richest city in the world (Gimbel, 2007). Within this city lies the campus of the Abu Dhabi Wom-en’s College (ADWC), which is the largest single campus within the 16,000 student multi-campus system of the higher colleges of technology (HCT). The HCT system was established in 1988 to offer a more professional and career-oriented education for Emirati citizens. All of the courses taught in these colleges are done so in Eng-lish, hence, for most students the first year (i.e. foundations year) focuses primarily on learning English as most young women have learned very little in their elementary, middle-school, and high school. ADWC (2006, p. 1) is a teaching-centered institution that, according to the college, provides “Emirati women with exceptional aca-demic, technical and professional learning experiences in the classroom, on campus, and in the local and global community.” It was opened in 1988 and the student population has grown from 43 to now over 2,500 students. There are approximately 220 faculty and staff from over 27 nationalities at the college. In addition to relying on more modern epistemological and innovative methodologies, one of ADWC’s strengths is its heavy investment in technology. Contemporary media forms such as the internet, networked personal laptops, satellite channels, video conferencing, and blended-learning programs are intended, according the ADWC (2006, 2007), to harness the power of open dialogue with each other. With its technological support and globalized faculty, communities of thought and practice are readily accessible from other parts of the world.


Emirati women and educationTo help the reader understand the context of this study, this section will discuss:

• higher education for Emirati women;• previous educational experiences; and• ADWC learning strategies.

Higher education for Emirati womenWomen have made monumental strides in education in the UAE in the past three decades of the country’s existence and are truly a success story to be celebrated. According to a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) (2007, p. 17) report, “the proportion of females in higher education has risen remarkably, at a rate that has not been achieved in any other country in the world” (Ferghany, 2005). In fact, 95 percent of Emirati females enrolled in secondary school apply for acceptance to colleges and universities (Al Abed et al., 2007). Females account for more than 70 percent of university graduates, and the vast majority of these students (80 percent) are first-generation college attendees. The fathers of these students are more likely to be better educated than their mothers, because Emirati men had access to education and wider employment opportunities well before their female counterparts.

This tremendous success story of women’s education in the UAE is likely due to a confluence of factors (Fer-ghany, 2005; UNDP, 2007). The first factor is that UAE’s political leadership has been extremely supportive of women’s education even from its earliest days of the federation, albeit schooling for women was established a decade after it was made available to men in the 1950s. Imbedded in this support is a cost-free primary, sec-ondary, and tertiary public education system, allowing women of varying socio-economic status and familial circumstances to access higher education. Female students have also taken advantage of these opportunities in ways that the males have not due to the many other post-high school options male students have that women donot. Many male students choose to go into the military or police forces. Males also have more opportunities to study abroad or to go into family businesses not requiring a college education. The current political leadership is quite concerned with the imbalance and lagging participation of males in the higher education system as amatter of economic development policy. That said, however, women having fewer postsecondary employment opportunities have tried to maximize their educational opportunities, and their commitment and enthusiasm is paying dividends as they outperform their male counterparts in virtually every learning outcome category and atevery educational level. Literacy rates among women in the UAE were 90 percent in 2007, one of the highest in the world (Embassy of the UAE, 2009).

Previous educational experiencesTo understand transformation or change for female Emirates at any level, one must contextually understand past base-line experiences. A potential predictive factor in this perceived transformation of students at the ADWC likely stems from their comparative pedagogical experience in their families and at the primary and secondarylevels of education. Schools and public institutions overseeing child pedagogy complement the role of the fam-ily in shaping the mindset and values of children. According to Madsen (2009b), students at ADWC generally appear to be having a different set of learning experiences than they previously had before attending college.

Schools (K-12) in the UAE rarely give sufficient encouragement to initiative, discovery, or the development of creative and critical faculties. Indeed, one of the greatest challenges to the economic and social development of the UAE is the substandard quality of the primary and secondary level experience. High school teachers are


often poorly paid and unmotivated, contributing to poor teaching performance in the classroom. The contem-porary education system in the UAE still emphasizes memorization and recitation as an important modality of learning. Of course, many educators in the Arab world are products of their own educational systems where memory was central to their educational experience and an important modality of learning. The value placed on memorization during a student’s early educational training directly influences his or her learning approach on entering formal higher education. A common frustration of some educators in the Arab world is that while their students can memorize copious volumes of notes and textbook pages, they often lack competence in critical analysis and independent thinking. The issue of memorization has been debated throughout Arab society, but analysts like Waardenburg (Williamson, 1987, p. 26) suggest that the constrictive range of subject matter have “a narrowing effect upon the minds of educated Muslims” and that “the memorization methods, becoming hab-its, ma[k]e independent thought impossible in practice.”

In addition to archaic pedagogical methods, secondary schools have also largely perpetuated traditional concep-tions of the role of women in society. Despite the inroads Arab women have made in political, social, and eco-nomic fields, the gap between such progress and stereotypical images of women in secondary school curricula is enormous. Those images invariably confine a woman to the roles of mother, homemaker, and housekeeper (UNDP, 2005).

ADWC learning strategiesThe ADWC (2007), as a deliberate dimension of its recent strategic plan, promotes strategies which stimulate more critical reflection. Much of this is attained through action research projects, case studies, and supervised practicum experiences with writing tasks intended for students to make explicit their own thoughts and nar-ratives. ADWC has also been intentional in adopting a more applied, active-learning strategy that tries to cre-ate opportunities for students to discuss and debate issues, express their opinions, and engage in collaborative learning by working in teams on problems and projects. The college has been thoughtful in creating a variety of teaching strategies that encourage peer learning and group integrated projects (Madsen, 2009a). To the extent possible, faculty are encouraged to foster greater social competence in their students by placing them in teams to face complex and real problems that students are likely to confront later in their careers. As students work and interact with one another, they inevitably take on leadership roles that require conflict-management skills and foster positive interdependence and social competence (Madsen, 2009a).

Research methodsAn online quantitative survey was used to explore student perceptions of transformative learning at ADWC and to also determine the potential factors that may affect these perceptions. After reviewing the literature, an initial ADWC transformation learning model was created to guide the study (Figure 1). The study explored three potential factors or influences (influential individuals, learning assignments and activities, and outside college-related influences) on the transformation of students during college (perceptions of change in self and others, considering and making changes in thought and action, and awareness of the benefits of change and predictions of future behaviors) through the three core components of the transformative learning lens (mental construction of experience, critical reflection, and development and action). Also of interest was that of discovering the role of various demographics in predicting transformative learning. Hence, two research questions guided this study:

RQ1. Are individuals, learning assignments and activities, and specific outside opportunities or activities predictors of the transformative learning perceptions and experiences of female college students in Abu


Dhabi?RQ2. Are any demographic variables predictors of the transformative learning process these students experience while at ADWC?

InstrumentationThe survey instrument was created after a thorough review of the literature focused on transformational learn-ing, transformative learning, and transformative education. While it was expected to find multiple quantitative instruments in the literature, nearly all previous studies were actually based on qualitative interview research methods. Although a few dissertations with some quantitative dimensions were found, the scales had no proven reliability and validity and were not applicable to the purpose of this study and the culture of the participants. The one instrument that was useful was a survey found in King (1998) which was used as the foundation for this survey, but substantial revisions and additions were made; hence, the final instrument for this study was quite different from King’s original instrument. For example, the majority of items in the original instrument were written to the participant to merely check off or yes/no. All items in the revised instrument asked for Likert scale type responses for agreement, extent, or influence. It is important to note that the full survey was available for students in both English and Arabic.

The first section of the survey focused on student perceptions of transformative learning. Many of King’s items focused on “an experience” while the revised instrument referred to their college experiences in general. King’s (1998) 13-item transformational learning scale instrument focused on the ten transformative perspective steps with one or two items focusing on each of the ten steps. Although six of these questions were used, it was deemed more beneficial for the purpose of this study to use the three transformative learning core components presented previously as the framework for this section (Figure 1). The newly created 18-item instrument fo-cused on the students’ transformation through exploring the three change categories described previously: per-ceptions of change in self and others (a ¼ 0.59), thoughts and actions in considering and making changes (a ¼ 0.81); and awareness of the benefits of change and predictions of their own future behaviors (a ¼ 0.86). These three constructs served as dependent variables for this study. A factor analysis (varimax rotation, sorted bysize, suppressed absolute values,0.50) (see Table I for factor loadings) of these 18 items eliminated one item and grouped the remaining 17 items in the three categories noted previously (Table I). Table I lists the core concept of each item and its mean, standard deviation, and factor loading (pattern coefficient). Each item was measured on an agreement scale with “1” being strongly disagree and “5” being strongly agree. The statement read by stu-dents before completing this section was as follows: “Thinking about your educational experiences at ADWC, please check the number that most accurately describes your feelings, thoughts, and views.” An example of an item is “My educational experience at ADWC has changed my life in some way (for example, opinions, expec-tations, or attitudes)” (Table I, 1a). The Cronbach’s a of the final 17-item scale was measured to be 0.90 which indicates good internal consistency.

The second and third sections of the instrument focused on reflection and learning influences. The two reflec-tion questions (reworded from King, 1998) loaded together in the factor analysis conducted for all three sections of the instrument. These two items were measured on a four point scale (almost never, occasionally, often, and almost always) with “1” being almost never (α = 0.66). The third section of the instrument (learning influences) had 22 items, many of which were taken from King (1998) and then refined for the culture and college. A factor analysis (varimax rotation, sorted by size, suppressed absolute values ,0.40) was run for the 22 items and each item loaded with its intended category as planned: influential individuals (α = 0.79), learning assignments and


activities (α = 0.89), and outside college-related influences (α = 0.73). The descriptive sentence introducing this section was “When you think of your educational experiences at ADWC, how much influence has each of these groups of individuals, activities, or experiences been on your learning and development?” Each item was measured on a five-point influence scale (no influence, a little influence, some influence, average influence, and strong influence) with “1” being no influence. Reflection and learning influences served as independent vari-ables for this study.

The final section of the survey included seven intervening demographic variables: marital status, collegemajor, prior education, years at the college, age, living location, and significant changes that have occurred during the past year (marriage, birth of children,

Table I.Instrument item topics, means, standard deviations, and factor loadings

Category variable Items Mean SD Factors1. Perceptions of change in self andothers (scale: 1-5)

(a) Changed my life 4.31 0.78 0.596(b) Other students have experienced change 4.28 0.71 0.782(c) Changed previous attitudes or opinions 3.71 0.96 0.518

2. Considering and making changesin thought and action (scale: 1-5)

(a) Considered thinking differently 4.19 0.78 0.555(b) Considered past actions/behaviors 3.96 0.96 0.745(c) Thought about acting differently 3.93 0.94 0.779(d) Now think differently 4.07 0.82 0.608(e) Now act differently 3.97 0.87 0.604

3. Awareness of the benefits of change and prediction of future behaviors (scale: 1-5)

(a) Helped me understand self 3.99 0.82 0.639(b) Helped me understand others 4.08 0.77 0.551(c) Helped me be a better family member 3.78 1.04 0.585(d) Influenced my choices and decisions 4.07 0.76 0.544(e) Will make future impact or difference 4.12 0.82 0.797(f) Will contribute to society 4.34 0.76 0.649(g) Have more future options 4.19 0.80 0.712(h) Have more potential 4.23 0.84 0.670(i) Have changed future goals 4.14 0.94 0.533

4. Reflection (scale: 1-4) (a) Caused me to reflect on my past 3.08 0.73 0.663(b) Caused me to reflect on the impact of my studies

3.20 0.75 0.621

5. Influential individuals (scale: 1-5) (a) Advisors/counselors 3.29 1.25 0.721(b) Classmates 3.99 1.00 0.415(c) College administrators 2.88 1.30 0.807(d) Other students at college 3.45 1.13 0.548(e) Staff members on campus 2.82 1.25 0.863(f) Teachers 3.98 1.09 0.554


Category variable Items Mean SD Factors6. Learning assignments and activi-ties

(a) Class/group projects 4.05 1.00 0.460(b) Writing about your concerns 3.67 1.16 0.415(c) Personal journals 3.39 1.31 0.583(d) Non-traditional course structure 3.60 1.14 0.642(e) Internships 3.39 1.25 0.520(f) Deep, concentrated thought 3.76 1.11 0.636(g) Verbally discussing your concerns 4.00 0.99 0.605(h) Writing assignments/essays 3.93 1.10 0.755(i) Class activities/exercises 3.97 1.03 0.553(j) Lab experiences 3.59 1.38 0.480(k) Personal reflection 4.06 1.05 0.775(l) Assigned readings 3.63 1.20 0.732

7. Outside college-related influences(scale: 1-5)

(a) Field trips/practicum 3.43 1.48 0.819(b) Guest speakers 3.49 1.21 0.670(c) Employment 3.78 1.29 0.475(d) Extracurricular activities 3.67 1.31 0.683

move, divorce/separation, death of loved one, change jobs, loss of job, and new job). For this final item, partici-pants were asked to merely check the ones that apply.

Participants and procedureThe population of this study was the group of students contacted at ADWC who had attended the college for two years or more. Approximately, 750 students were asked to participate via face-to-face or e-mail invitation. One week prior to the administration of the survey, an information letter was sent to department chairs by the director of the college via e-mail. The chairs were asked to distribute the letter to their faculty so they would be aware of the visit and request to have students participate in a 15-20 minutes online survey regarding their trans-formative learning experiences at ADWC. In preparation for this study, the investigator worked closelywith a faculty member on the ADWC campus that assisted with all aspects of this study. She had obtained a master-class schedule and we visited approximately 20 upper-level classes during a two-day period to ask stu-dents directly to take the survey. We provided information about where they could find the survey link, whichwas conveniently posted on the college’s network drive. The investigator also gave lectures and workshops on campus for staff and faculty, and asked them to have their students participate as well. After the primary inves-tigator returned home, the faculty contact on campus continued to recruit participants in appropriate courses by sending e-mails to instructors and students with information about this study and the network link to the survey. The survey was posted for one month on the ClassApps (SelectSurvey ASP) survey tool, which is the tool that the faculty, staff, and students at ADWC currently use for taking any online surveys and was known to maintain the anonymity of the participants. The students were also very familiar with the functionality of this survey tool.

Data analysis procedureA number of statistical tests were used to analyze the results of this study. First, frequencies, means, and stan-dard deviations were used to describe the sample (demographics) and general results. Pearson correlations were used to test magnitude and direction of the relationship for all factors. Although correlations also provided


some data into construct relationships (dependant, independent, and intervening variables), the primary method of analysis was multiple regressions. These were useful in determining the predictive ability on each of the three dependent constructs, of potential predictor variables (other two dependent constructs, independent variables,and demographic variables).

ResultsThe majority of the respondent population (n ¼ 294) were between the ages of 20-25 (76 percent) and nearly 71 percent of the participants were single (percentages including only those who answered the demographic items). Nearly, 65 percent of the respondents had not received a diploma (first college degree offered) and 22 percenthad completed their diploma/higher diploma and were now working on their bachelor’s degrees. There is vari-ety among participants in the number of years they have been enrolled at ADWC with approximately 54 percent being at the college for three years or less. Of the program fields offered at ADWC, the majority of participants were either business or information technology students (76.8 percent). Table II includes additional details re-garding the demographic responses of the students.

Overall, students in this study perceived themselves as having gone through a transformative learning experi-ence while at ADWC. The means for the three transformative learning constructs range from 4.02 to 4.11, sug-gesting that the students agreed they have significantly changed their opinions, expectations, and views becauseof their college experience. Their educational experiences often caused them to reflect on their previous deci-sions or past behaviors and on how their studies impact them personally (M = 3.14; SD = 0.64). Student par-ticipants also believe that influential individuals (M = 3.40; SD = 0.82), learning assignments and activities (M = 3.76; SD = 0.78), and outside influences (M = 3.60; SD = 0.99) have influenced the transformation they have made throughout their college career thus far. Table III lists descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha scores, and intercorrelations. All dependent and independent variables (excluding demographics) showed significant posi-tive intercorrelations at the 0.001 p-value level except one (outside influences/perceptions

Table II.Demographic frequencies

Demographic Category FrequenciesSample Total Number 294Major (48 missing) Business 95

Education 26Health sciences 20Information technology 94Communication technology 11

Age range (49 missing) 18-19 1920-22 13723-25 4926-30 31Over 31 9

Marital status (48 missing) Single 177Separated/divorced 10


Demographic Category FrequenciesMarried 59

Prior education (49 missing)α School leavers 159Completed a diploma 32Completed a higher diploma 54

Years enrolled at ADWC (51 miss-ing)

Less than two-and-a-half years 41Three years 90Four years 57Five to six years 46Seven to 12 years 9

Location (49 missing) Live in Abu Dhabi 147Live off the island of Abu Dhabi 98

Yes NoMajor changes (40 missing) Marriage 38 216

Birth of child 42 212Moving 60 194Divorce/separation 5 249Death of a loved one 56 198Change of job 14 240Loss of job 5 249

Table III.

Intercorrelations among study variables and coefficent αsVariable M SD Scale α 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 121. Major – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –2.Age – – – 01 – – – – – – – – – – –3. Marital status – – – –13 32 – – – – – – – – – –4. Prior education – – – 11 18 05 – – – – – – – – –5. Years enrolled – – – –10 50 22 35 – – – – – – – –6. Location – – – 07 –16 –09 –10 –12 – – – – – – –7. Perceptions of change 4.10 0.61 0.59 –09 06 11 18 17 02 – – – – – –8. Considering and making changes

4.02 0.66 0.81 –01 11 15 05 19 –22 51 – – – – –

9. Awareness and prediction 4.11 0.59 0.86 –06 05 06 07 15 –16 51 64 – – – –10. Reflection 3.14 0.64 0.66 03 02 08 –04 11 –08 33 42 46 – – –11. Influential individuals 3.40 0.82 0.79 09 00 –03 –08 03 –13 21 32 31 30 – –12. Learning assignments/activities

3.76 0.78 0.89 10 06 02 06 14 –10 31 40 49 41 51 –

13. Outside influences 3.60 0.99 0.73 03 –05 –12 03 03 –02 15 23 30 21 40 61Notes: Decimals for intercorrelations are omitted; r ≥ [13], p < 0.05, r ≥ [17], p < 0.01, r ≥ [20], p < 0.001


of change, p = 0.05). Also, note the significant correlations between years enrolled at ADWC and four of the study variables (including all three dependent variables) as well as the correlations between living on or off Abu Dhabi island and various variables. The negative correlation here means that those who live on Abu Dhabi island responded higher on the scales than those who did not.

Table IV reveals the results of the regression analysis with the seven dependant and independent variables (Fig-ure 1). This regression is appropriate for detecting significant predictors of multiple independent variables on one dependent variable. A regression was run for each of the three dependent variables so as to determine whichother variables influenced it. Although all showed significant intercorrelations in Table III, none of the three potential influence categories predicted perceptions of change or considering and making changes. It is clear that each of the three components of transformative learning are related to one another. Reflection was a predic-tor of two of the three transformation learning components. Interesting, learning assignments and activities are the only potential factors that predicted awareness and prediction of future behaviors. In two of the three models outlined, the independent variables explained close to 50 percent of the variance in for “Considering and Mak-ing Changes” and “Awareness and Prediction.”

Table V outlines the influence of intervening (demographic) variables on each of the three dependent variables. Only 4-8 percent of the variance is explained by these variables, so even the significant predictors appear to be fairly weak influences. Years attending ADWC is a predictor of each dependent variable in its respective model, and location (living in Abu Dhabi) is a predictor of two of the three. Three categories of major changes (mar-riage, divorce or separation, and loss of job) occurring while attending college also have some predictive power on perceptions of change.

DiscussionThe data clearly suggest that most students who completed the survey considered their learning experiences at the ADWC to be transformative to one degree or another. This result in itself is not surprising as higher educa-tion often has a transformative effect on its participants and often alters what students know, how much they know, and what they are able to do with that knowledge. Indeed, higher education may exercise a distinct role in educating or leading students out of inherited habits of mind, assimilated meaning perspectives and accultur-ated world views (Cranton, 2006; King, 1997; Mezirow, 1991, 2000; Perry, 2000). What is notable in this study is the unusual circumstances women face in the Arab world generally relative to educational access and the interesting historical moment of the UAE’s rapid economic and social development in particular. Also notewor-thy is how female students in the UAE are generally overcoming the persistent epistemological limitations and habitual entrenchment of their past educational experiences and succeeding in tertiary education and subsequent employment. The results clearly confirm that something happens to these students during their college experi-ence that provides greater selfreflection and confidence and a reconceptualization of their futures.

To understand the transformation of the students, the predictive factors explored in this study were learning as-signments and activities, influential individuals, and outside college-related influences. These results found that all factors were significantly correlated with student transformation. Considering the literature already discussed


Table IV.Results of linear regression analysis of transformative learning constructs

Perceptions of change Considering and making changes

Awareness and Prediction

Independent variables β R2 ΔR2 F β R2 ΔR2 F β R2 ΔR2 FPerceptions of change 0.235

* *0.184 * *

Considering and mak-ing changes

0.317 * *

0.410 * *

Awareness and predic-tion

0.260 * *

0.431 * *

Reflection 0.041 0.131 *

0.134 * *

Influential individuals –0.018 0.089 –0.017Learning assignment and activities

0.074 0.021 0.211 * *

Outside influences –0.049 0.318 0.301 18.367 0.010 0.495 0.482 38.574 0.013 0.519 0.507 42.497Notes: *p < 0.05, * *p < 0.001; standardized β-coefficients for each variable are based on the complete model with all variables in the equation; ΔR2 at each step represents the incremental proportion of variance accounted for by the set of variables

Table V.Results of backward linear regression analysis of demographics as predictors (final models)

Perceptions of change Considering and making changes Awareness and PredictionIndependent variables β R2 ΔR2 F β R2 ΔR2 F β R2 ΔR2 FMarital statusMajorPrior educationYears at college 0.153 * 0.163

* *0.133 *

AgeLocation –0.212

* * *–0.147*

Marriage 0.149 *Birth of childrenMove –0.119Divorce/separation 0.133 *Death of loved oneChange jobsLoss of job 0.260 *New jobModel summary 0.089 0.070 4.594 0.082 0.074 10.515 0.044 0.036 5.485Notes: *p < 0.05, * *p < 0.01, * * *p < 0.001; standardized β-coefficients for each variable are based on the final model with the remaining variables in the equation; ΔR2 at each step represents the incremental proportion of variance accounted for by the set of variables in the final backward model


(Madsen, 2009b), one important change students identify in their learning has been the shift from predominately rote memorization modalities and other types of non-engaging pedagogies to more stimulating pedagogical activities or assignments in college (e.g. personal reflection exercises, group projects, and verbal discussion in class). It should not be surprising that students would have transformational experiences even if changes were only in their academic life. Having come through rote-based learning experiences to a college outcome-based environment with stated core-values (i.e. student success, accountability, professionalism, openness, excellence, and team work) (ADWC, 2007), there is evidence of perspective transformation inADWC students, as outlined by Mezirow (1991, 2009a). The introduction of innovative learning technologies also contributed to the influence of learning assignments and activi-ties on student transformation. For women these pedagogical features open up new avenues of liberation that allow them to occupy spaces that they could not have entered throughconventional ways.

Students’ college-related learning assignments and activities were specifically found to predict their awareness of the benefits of change and prediction of future behaviors. Previous research has also found links with learning assign-ments and activities to transformational learning with adults in learning environments (King, 2003). One of the most significant manifestations of the transformation ADWC students experience as a result of their college expe-rience (i.e. assignments and activities) is an enriched sense of self-understanding, a greater self-realization of their potential, and the recognition that the future offers more options than they had previously imagined. Until relatively recently a women’s role in the family was her defining function and the conception ofwomen’s work was entrenched as merely a temporary material requirement resulting from need and not something intrinsic to their existence or life choices. As participation of women in higher education and civil society has grown, their work has contributed to a reeducation of their communities and fostered an acceptance of an active female presence. Women taking advantage of the educational opportunities found at the ADWC (and others like it) have replaced old and limiting feminine stereotypes with an image of women engaged in a wide range of activities, afford-ing them much greater space for professional contribution and creativity. New developments in educational peda-gogy as found in progressive higher educational institutions have had their owneffect on transforming students and the perception of themselves.

Critical reflection is at the heart of the transformational learning core components as shown in Figure 1. This re-flection is necessary to have important learning experiences from the potential predictive factors (i.e. influential individuals, learning assignments and activities, and outside college-related influences). Since students at ADWC report that their learning has transformed them, it is expected that they would have participated in critical reflection processes. Previous research (Madsen, 2009a, b) has provided evidence of learned reflection activities and experi-ences at ADWC. In this study, there is evidence that students reflect often atADWC and that their perceptions of their reflective experiences have influenced their transformation (i.e. considering and making changes, awareness and prediction). Hence, reflection has helped them not only consider thinking and behaving different, but it has resulted in students actually thinking and behaving differently (based on their own perceptions). Their reflective experiences have also helped students better understand themselves and others, feel that they have more potential, and believe they have more options in life and can successfully make a difference in their communities and/or workplaces.

Analysis of the demographics resulted in a few additional insights. First, as anticipated, the longer a student had been attending college, the more she was transformed through her learning experiences. The number of years at col-lege was significantly related to all three transformational learning variables (i.e. perceptions of change, considering and making changes, and awareness and prediction). Hence, the longer students are influenced by the college experi-


ence toward increased learning and development, the more transformed or changed the student becomes. Second, it appears that perceptions of change (and not the other two transformational learning variables) were influenced by marriage, divorce/separation, and loss of job. It makes sense that these life changing events would affect their percep-tions of change. It is interesting, however, that these events were not related to the other two variables. The items in the perception of change scale referred to fairly general change, while theother variables were directed toward changes in deeper perceptions and actual behaviors. Maybe because these events had occurred within the last year, students did not perceive a deeper impact on their overall learning experience.

Limitations and directions for future researchThere are five primary limitations in using the instrument, sampling these populations, and conducting this study. First, some of the students who were invited to take the survey did not, and many who started the survey did not complete. Because it was an anonymous survey, a non-respondent investigation was not possible. Although there is speculation (e.g. time constraints, lack of interest), it is not specifically known why some students did not complete the survey. Second, transformative learning can be influenced by variables not measured in this study. Third, conclu-sions of this study are based on self-reported data which is a common problem in research on teaching, learning, and individual development. In addition, a quantitative study cannot explorethoroughly into participants’ opinions and feelings. More in-depth perceptions were explored in another study conducted by the principal investigator, which has provided additional information into the phenomenon. Fourth, results of this study can be generalized only to the applicable population within the institution surveyed. Finally, although the translated survey into Arabic was reviewed by a number of Arab speakers, further refining should be done before it used by other researchers. The participants did have both English and Arabic, so when there were questions about meanings, they could refer to both versions for clarification.

Further research is needed to expand the external validity of these findings. Additional instrument validation is sug-gested since many items were revised from the King (1998) version, others were added, and the rating scales on most items were altered. Because this is the first study to measure transformative learning in the UAE and Arab culture (of which we are aware), replication of this study in other colleges or universities is also recommended so that generaliz-ability can be expanded. In addition, non-school influences should be added so that a more comprehensive scope of transformative learning influences can be explored. It is also recommended that many relationships between demo-graphics and the dependent and independent variables be explored moredeeply using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Since there has been so little research on Emirati women conducted, nearly every area of research is encouraged, including the relationship of transformative learning in college to the development of lifetime leadership competencies. Relationships between transformative learning experiences in college and future efforts toward social transformation should also be researched. Future research in the learning and development of Arab women is important to a variety of fields and disciplines (e.g. education, man-agement, psychology, sociology, and human resource development). Researching these and other related phenomena can provide ideas for specific strategies, initiatives, curricula, and programsthat may be helpful for the future development of Emirati women in a variety of settings (e.g. schools, colleges, workplaces, and government).

ConclusionThe rapid and successful development story of the UAE in terms of the economic and social progress of its people is tremendously compelling. In no other area is UAE’s achievement best embodied than in the growing and evolv-ing prominence of women as partners in the nation-building process. This and other research (Madsen, 2009a) does support the assumption that transformative experiences for individual students within higher education can result in


interest, intention, and action toward varying degrees of social transformation. Higher education, while having no explicit political or activist agenda, has resulted in some degree (among these respondents at least) of a redefinition of the role of work for women and their broader role in Emirati society, and in some ways have challenged prevail-ing social constructs based on male-female stratification. Such educational experiences and methods have created a greater awareness of self and fostered fresh intellectual perspectives helping restrict the scope of conservative think-ing, traditional knowledge, and regressive attitudes regarding the role of women, reproductive life, and transcen-dence of traditional expectations.

Transformative learning, based on Mezirow’s model, offers the possibility that learners emerge not only better pre-pared for today’s postmodern realities in all of its dynamic, permeable, interconnected complexity, but also with the promise for transformed consciousness and emancipatory understanding. It is no longer sufficientthat educational institutions be mere purveyors of information and knowledge. It is becoming increasingly impor-tant that educational institutions become intentional in developing mechanisms fostering perspective-rich, critically reflective, and contextually competent learners, professionals, and decision makers. Transformativelearning curriculum models need to be supported by societies in order that they may respond more meaningfully to ever changing social obligations and economic realities. But societies and the educational institutions that serve the larger social-good must invest accordingly and wisely foster reflective discourse that is inclusive, open to other view-points, and critically reflective of assumptions.

This study has modestly illustrated the impact of transformative learning at a women’s college in the UAE – a coun-try, 40 years old and one that is experiencing immense change due to the convergences of global social and economic forces. It is evident fromthis study that students are having transformative learning experiences atthe ADWC and illustrating the power of intentional strategies that prepare citizens for a postmodern global society. But it also illustrates the essential nature of the relationship between the educational development of the individual and the development of the society itself. As individuals transform and their futures become more self-authored, reflective, and critically informed, societies can also escape the regressive liabilities of habitual entrenchment of their educational past. The relationship that exists between the individual and society, particularly in an emerging nation like the UAE, must be a product of a new form of education that goes beyond knowledge transfer to personal and national transformation. While the ADWC represents a small and imperfectcase, it illustrates the tremendous promise that imaginative and transformative educational strategies can have on the lives of individual students. And as the student is transformed, so goes the society. It is a strategy worth investing in; indeed, for a promising, emerging nation like the UAE, its very future may depend on it.

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Corresponding authorSusan R. Madsen can be contacted at: [email protected]


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