Transforming Theology: Student Experience and Transformative Learning in Undergraduate Theological Education

This book emerges from an extensive research project into the area of transformative learning in theology in the Australian context. The project was stimulated by the recognition of the rich prior life experience of the typically older students enrolling in undergraduate theological degrees and the common claims made by various theological colleges that they provide a transformative educational experience. It set out to test these elements against the actual experience and aspirations of students, educators and stakeholders. Over 50 teaching campuses and 700 people provided input into the research by means of interviews, surveys, focus groups and documentary analysis. While located in the Australian context, the book reviews the wide global literature emerging recently in the field of transformative education as it pertains to theological education and analyses key concepts in relation to data derived from current institutional documents and individual observations. Accordingly, it educes principles governing transformative learning and identifies examples of innovative practices that facilitate such learning. The principal emphasis of the book is the crucial area of curriculum design and delivery that will take genuine cognizance of the students' prior life experience and facilitate authentic transformative learning.