Aesthetic Learning in HRD:A Literature Review on Adult Learners’ Transformative Learning Experience in Shifting Paradigms and Building Relationships with Others Through Theater-based Pedagogy

Abstract: Adult learners’ ability to understand different perspectives of others and build constructive relationships despite differences is particularly critical in a world with polarization in perspectives and beliefs. Mass polarization in beliefs and perspectives has increased in the United States (DellaPosta, 2020), dividing people (Mason, 2015) from being able to see each other with empathy and understanding. Not being able to develop cooperative relationships with others hinders the social well-being of individuals, deepening the issues of isolation and conflicts according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2023). Having beliefs in one area and therefore rejecting the possibility of others is referred to as a traditional paradigm. Traditional paradigm considers human reasoning as extending the classical logic, primarily focusing on binary distinctions such as truth and falsity (Elqayam, 2016). However, such a paradigm needs to be shifted especially in a world with polarized beliefs where connections and cooperation are needed especially in organizational lives. What can human resource development professionals do to facilitate a shift of paradigms of adult learners, helping them succeed in work by fostering empathetic and harmonious relationships with others who have different beliefs and perspectives?
Mezirow describes that transformative learning involves the perspective transformation of a frame of reference, also called “meaning perspective” (p. 144), which refers to cultural, ideological, and psychological assumptions (Mezirow, 1985). Scholars have been exploring the role of art in facilitating a shift in paradigms and enhancing the understanding of alternative epistemologies and ontologies (Brookfield & Holst, 2011). Brookfield and Holst (2011) cited the work of Marcus Herbert that artistic encounters can “lift people out of the realm of everyday experience” (p. xiv). Aesthetic learning facilitates transformative learning by offering a holistic experience that opens the cognitive, affective, somatic, and spiritual domains (Kokkos, 2010; Lawrence, 2005). Such experience provides possibilities for adult learners to deepen their understanding of self and the world (Lawrence, 2005) and seek the emotional, nonrational, and spontaneous aspects of meaning-making (Brookfield & Holst, 2011). As one of the artistic expressions, theater and performing art prompts learners to try on different perspectives through role-play (Bassett & Taylor, 2007), open awareness to other ways of being (Blackburn Miller, 2020), build multicultural competence (Lewis & Viato, 2007), express difficulty and emotions through embodiment (Lawrence & Butterwick, 2007), feel a sense of achievement when suffering mental health challenges (Noble, 2005), and make sense of organizational change and culture (Pruetipibultham & Mclean, 2010). Specific theater techniques such as theater of the oppressed (Boal, 2000), playback theater (Cohen, 2006), forum theater (Dwyer, 2010), and reader’s theater (Lewis & Viato, 2007) were found to be linked to transformative learning aspects specifically in conflict resolution as well as mindsets shift (Bang, 2016).
However, there is a dearth of research focusing on theater-based pedagogy in the context of Human Resource Development (HRD). Additional literature on documenting transformative learning experiences through art and exploring the relationship between adult learning, creativity, and the arts (Hoggan, et al., 2009) is needed. Further empirical work is called upon to explain how artistic engagement fosters cooperative relationships and more constructive engagement with conflict in difficult situations (Bang, 2016).
The purpose of this paper is to construct a conceptual framework based on an in-depth literature review that describes how theater-based learning experiences influence adult learners’ paradigms through a lens of transformative learning. The research question that guides this literature review is: How do learners describe transformative learning experiences through theater-based pedagogy concerning relationship-building with others? Specifically, we examine how such aesthetic experiences aid in understanding and accepting alternative and even conflicting views and therefore, building cooperative relationships with others. Based on the findings, we propose a framework that not only captures how the transformative experiences look like through theater-based pedagogy but also identifies the practices that foster transformative learning.
This paper aims to outline how, if at all, aesthetic HRD interventions, such as theater-based pedagogy, influence adult learners to understand and embrace alternative and conflicting views, and therefore, allow adult learners to build empathy and understanding in relationship-building in the workplace. The findings offer insights into effective educational strategies for enhancing interpersonal dynamics in the workplace, which may benefit a wide range of individuals across various fields including practitioners, adult educators, human resource development professionals, and more. Moreover, they offer insights into the field of HRD and adult learning, shedding light on how theater-based pedagogy can effectively support adults’ transformative learning journey, especially when faced with conflicting views from others.
Keywords: transformative learning, theater-based pedagogy, shift of paradigm