‘I’m not stupid after all’ - changing perceptions of self as a tool for transformation

Oct 15, 2026

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The paper examines how adult learners returning to formal education after absence cope with change and how they can shift self-perceptions as learners. Drawing on Cranton’s phases of perspective transformation, it analyzes thirteen-week academic writing-course data from the STEPS program at Central Queensland University. Findings indicate that critical self-reflection enables participants to deconstruct prior assumptions about intelligence, fear of ridicule, and perceived inability to succeed, leading to greater empowerment and personal transformation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Setting the context

Theoretical framework

Cranton’s phases of perspective transformation

Data and discussion

Findings from STEPS participants

~~432 Tom Stehlik and Michael Christie~~ Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 47, Number 3, November 2007 ~~Addresses for correspondence~~ ~~Tom Stehlik, Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, University of South Australia, Magill, South Australia 5072~~ ~~Tel: 618 8302 4040~~ ~~Email: [tom](tom.stehlik@unisa.edu.au)~~[.](tom.stehlik@unisa.edu.au)~~[stehlik@unisa](tom.stehlik@unisa.edu.au)~~[.](tom.stehlik@unisa.edu.au)~~[edu](tom.stehlik@unisa.edu.au)~~[.](tom.stehlik@unisa.edu.au)~~[au](tom.stehlik@unisa.edu.au)~~ ~~Michael Christie, CKK, IT University, Chalmers, Gothenburg, 412 96 Sweden~~ ~~Tel: +46317728556~~ ~~[Email: michael](Email: michael.christie@ituniv.se)~~[.](Email: michael.christie@ituniv.se)~~[christie@ituniv](Email: michael.christie@ituniv.se)~~[.](Email: michael.christie@ituniv.se)~~[se](Email: michael.christie@ituniv.se)~~ ‘I’m not stupid after all’ – changing perceptions of self as a tool for transformation Ms Julie Willans Central Queensland University Ms Karen Seary Central Queensland University ‘The greatest revolution in our generation is that of human beings, who by changing the inner attitudes of their minds can change the outer aspects of their lives’(Ferguson 2006). When adult learners return to formal education after a period of absence, coping with change is a constant and often omnipresent challenge. As they come to break down previous barriers to success in an educational arena, many adult learners are able to change the perceptions they have of themselves as learners. Previously held assumptions are often challenged and perceptions of how individuals come to hold these views undergo scrutiny. Using Cranton’s (2002) phases of perspective transformation asa framework, this paper explores the notion that some learners can and do change their perspectives regarding their abilities as 434 Julie Willans and Karen Seary ‘I’m not stupid after all’– changing perceptions of self as a tool for transformation 435 learners. This occurs when they are provided with opportunities to reflect critically upon themselves as learners, and deconstruct the origins of past assumptions. Based on data collected during the thirteen week academic writing course within the Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies (STEPS) program at Central Queensland University, evidence suggests that upon critical reflection of previously held assumptions about their learning abilities, many students revise those assumptions and become more empowered individuals. Introduction Throughout the passage of life, for one reason or another, many individuals come to change some long-held assumptions about themselves and their world. Sometimes this is pre-empted by a significant event or incident that ‘casts the individual into the realm of the unknown … [and which] constitutes a point of demarcation between that which was and that with which one must now contend’(Halstead 2000, p. 3). At this point, one can face confusion, despair, fear or pain, but for those who successfully meet the challenge, new knowledge of the self can be gained and a sense of liberation can occur. One significant event that can precipitate the identification and subsequent examination of long-held assumptions is the adult learner’s return to the formal learning context. Such a venture can prove problematic for those who bear emotional scars from longremembered negative schooling experiences. A negative perception of themselves as learners was, for many, cemented during this period of their life, often a powerful dictator of a self-fulfilled prophesy that directed and clouded many subsequent life choices and pursuits. Based on research obtained during the autumn of 2003 for a doctoral thesis, this paper seeks to illustrate how members of a small group of adults enrolled in a pre-university, preparatory program known as STEPS (Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies) came to change their perspective a

FAQs

What is the main focus of the paper?

The paper focuses on how adult learners change their perceptions of themselves as learners through critical self-reflection and perspective transformation.

Which program and study setting provide the paper’s evidence?

The evidence is drawn from data collected during a thirteen-week academic writing course within the STEPS program at Central Queensland University.

What framework guides the analysis of personal change?

The paper uses an adapted version of Cranton’s (2002) phases of perspective transformation as its conceptual framework.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Aldword