INVESTIGATING ECOLOGICAL IDENTITIES IN NONMAJORS BIOLOGY EDUCATION: TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE AS A MEDIATOR OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING

Abstract

Addressing the escalating climate crisis requires sustained and collective pro-nature behaviors. Such behaviors are most reliably predicted by ecological identity rather than knowledge or attitudes alone, so higher education institutions must seek to understand the processes through which ecological identities develop and become centralized in learners. This dissertation contributes to that understanding by examining relationships between transformative experience (TE), transformative learning (TL), and ecological identity in nonmajor introductory biology students during ecology instruction. Using a mixed methods approach across three university campuses, the study investigated: (1) the nature of transformative teaching in ecology; (2) the predictive relationship between transformative teaching strategies and student outcomes; and (3) the mediating role of TE in ecological identity formation. Qualitative data from instructor interviews, classroom observations, and documents revealed the highest presence of TE elements, followed by TL components and then identity. Quantitative analyses of pre-post student surveys (n = 199) demonstrated significant increases in student scores across all three constructs, with differences in TL by instructor. Further analyses indicated that instructor levels of TL teaching significantly predicted student TL outcomes and that students in sections with higher overall transformative teaching had significantly higher TL and ecological identity then those sections with less transformative teaching. Path analysis revealed that TE shifts mediate the relationship between TL and ecological identity shifts. This research establishes empirical connections between previously disparate constructs and suggests that pedagogical approaches emphasizing transformative elements may better promote the ecological identity shifts necessary for long-term pro-nature behaviors.