MEASURING TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES IN GEOLOGICAL FIELD SETTINGS (Invited Presentation)

Field education has long played a central role in undergraduate geoscience curriculum, typically involving multiple segments of field experiences for most students. These include field trips within courses, independent research, and an immersive capstone course or field camp. Engagement in fieldwork can have positive outcomes on undergraduate students' cognitive and affective development. Additionally, engagement in fieldwork experiences can help develop students' science identity, sense of belonging, sense of place, and enjoyment of field science disciplines. Although fieldwork can have many positive outcomes, negative experiences occurring during fieldwork may drive students away from further study in geology. Transformative Experience (TE) is a body of theory and empirical research describing the profound changes in interest and identity that happen due to specific educational experiences. It is defined in terms of three characteristics: motivated use of new knowledge, expansion of perception due to an experience and the personal experiential value of an educational event. This research investigates the factors that affect a student undergoing a transformative experience within a geological field setting. Through a mixed-methods approach we have discovered and are refining concepts from qualitative interview data with the goal of developing and expanding quantitative instruments to measuring transformative experience in this setting. By deconstructing the nature of TE, we can create environments that foster positive experiences, further assisting in the recruitment and retention of students in geology programs.