Considering biographical learining through transformative experiences. Observing an adult’s self-recognised learning and development through experience

Abstract

Aim: This thesis aims at aiding a better understanding of how a person reacts to and understand their own role and place in changing life contexts. The thesis provides a groundwork for understanding the meta-cognitive processes of self-reflective biographical learning perspectives. Biographical learning is here understood to be an existential self-aware process that requires the individual to reflect on and incorporate their experiences in their own biographical narratives. This biographical development is viewed through a lens of transformational learning which is understood as the process of turning experiences into a compounded life narrative. Theory: Biographical learning and transformative learning. This thesis explores how these two theories of learning combine aspects of the human experience and tries to explain how individuals develop throughout their lives. The aim is to expand on the understanding of individual meta-cognition as an aspect of learning as the individual is aware of their own biographical progress through life, and at the same time recognising the value of experiences as the formative aspect of a developing biographical narrative, calling for transformative learning to be considered as an inextricable part of the process. Without transformation there would be no biographical development. Method: The method used to gather data was an adaptation of the Biographical Narrative Interview Method. The interviewee was allowed to freely tell of their own experiences once an initial inquiry was made. Results: The results show how the process of living life is experienced as multitude of instances of interacting with the worlds around while also carrying an inner narrative dialog with oneself, regarding one’s situatedness in life. Moments of reflection upon oneself and one’s journey provide break points in the life journey and constitute instances of reflection upon one’s biographical life story.