Learning by Going: Transformative Learning through Long-term Independent Travel

Developing and Testing the Transformative Travel Experience Scale (TTES)

“…This raises the question of how travelers can actually challenge their worldview and go out of their comfort zone (Phillips 2019). As a solution, Mezirow (2003) postulates that travelers are pushed to reassess their worldview when faced with a problematic situation for which they are unable to formulate a solution.…”

“…For example, Mezirow (2003) mentions that travelers who have ethnocentric tendencies and visit a foreign country can decide to focus on the "perceived shortcomings" of the residents and reinforce their own prejudices or these individuals can develop more tolerance toward others by "becoming aware and critically reflective of their own bias" (Mezirow 2003, p. 7). Hence, the travelers' ability to engage in reflection is the principal reason why travelers question the relevance of their assumptions (Phillips 2019). For this reason, Mezirow's theory is crucial to understand how traveling can be an opportunity for individuals to questions their attitude toward tolerance, equity, and consumerism (Smith 2017).…”

“…Another critique is that important variations can occur with regard to the degree of transformation experienced by each individual (Hoggan 2016;Phillips 2019). In her comprehensive review of transformative travel, Phillips (2019, p. 35) mentions that "different individuals may process and interpret an event completely differently, depending on their cognitive capacity."…”

“…Although Mezirow's theory faces critiques, it has triggered fruitful and ongoing discussions across multiple fields, which has allowed the theory to mature and strengthen over time (Kitchenham 2008;Kucukaydin and Cranton 2013;Moyer and Sinclair 2016;Newman 2012Newman , 2014Taylor 2007). Phillips (2019) also suggests that Mezirow's theory is considered a pinnacle of adult learning thanks to the contribution of many researchers across different disciplines and theoretical foundations.…”

“…Each of these studies explore unique facets and pave the way for the development of a Transformative Travel Experience Scale. Although there are notable differences across models, the commonality is that travelers face a disorienting dilemma characterized by heightened emotions, this feeling of disorientation pushes them to engage in self-reflection, and the self-reflection ultimately creates a new worldview (Phillips 2019). Looking ahead to the procedure of scale development, the conceptual model of Wolf, Ainsworth, and Crowley (2017) represents the strongest features to help with defining the conceptual boundaries of the construct interest, identifying key themes and attributes of the traveler's transformative experience, and providing a general outline for the creation of items.…”