%0 Generic
%A Chiu, Yin Yung
%C Heidelberg
%D 2025
%F heidok:37512
%R 10.11588/heidok.00037512
%T How do teachers' emotions facilitate or impede transformative learning?
%U https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/37512/
%X “All thoughts start from emotions.” - Leonardo da Vinci.  We are in an era of rapid sociopolitical and technological changes, which are emotional. In an era of emotions,  education must extend beyond the phase of knowledge transmission, and the irreplaceable purpose of education is to  foster profound, transformative experiences (Fleming et al., 2019). Transformative learning (TL) is crucial in today's  world, as it encourages learners to critically reflect on their assumptions and engage with the world in a meaningful  way. TL serves as the foundation for lifelong learning and personal growth. TL occurs not only to students but to  everyone, including educators of all ages. Educators face immense pressure in our VUCA (volatility, uncertainty,  complexity, ambiguity) world, making it crucial to navigate complexity and change. This thesis examines the  emotional dimension of transformative learning by addressing a key question: How do teachers’ emotions facilitate  or impede transformative learning? While TL is often associated with critical reflection, which is perceived as a  rational process in Mezirow’s framework, this thesis argues for the need to reassess critical reflection through the  lens of Franz Brentano’s mental phenomena. Emotions are inseparable from thinking; emotions are, in fact, a way  of thinking per se. Although TL is often anchored in Mezirow’s critical reflection, which tends to be framed as a  rational process, this thesis argues for a re-examination of critical reflection through the lens of Franz Brentano. The  concept of mental phenomena sheds a new light on critical reflection; emotions are not separate from cognition and  may indeed be a form of thinking. This thesis will explore this proposition in depth, tracing how emotions are not  just add-ons to thoughts but the medium itself, especially in the context of TL.