Abstract
This article explores how participation in a community of learning supported
transformation on a personal and professional level in a Master’s programme at a
South African university. It draws on the concept of transformational learning in the
professional preparation of educational psychologists, and how such learning plays
out in the development of critical perspectives and shifts in personal paradigms. We
report on a two-year ethnographic study that involved 13 of a total of 15 students
enrolled for an Educational Psychology Master’s course. One of us (CW) acted as
participant observer in the study and recorded the experiences of the participants
through reflective letters that included symbolic metaphors, semi-structured group
focus interviews, as well as a verification questionnaire. In our analysis and interpretation we used the metaphor of the Baobab tree, ‘the tree turned upside down’,
because it is known for its resilience, holding capacity and continuous growth. We
found the image to powerfully represent the dynamics of professional preparation
and transformation in higher education.