Conceptual Metaphors as Facilitators of Transformative Learning: A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Review
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Abstract
This PRISMA‑guided systematic review examines how conceptual metaphors operate within transformative learning research and contribute to lifelong learning. Transformative learning involves shifts in adults’ frames of reference through disruption, reflection, and identity reconstruction. Although metaphors are central meaning‑making resources, their functional roles across transformative processes remain insufficiently synthesized. This review analyzes 31 peer‑reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2025 that integrate Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Transformative Learning Theory.
The analysis identified 36 distinct conceptual metaphors functioning through three overlapping uses: Naming (45.2%), Imagining (45.2%), and Uncovering (32.3%). Naming and Imagining metaphors supported sense‑making by clarifying complex learning experiences and projecting future identities, while Uncovering metaphors surfaced tacit assumptions and emotional tensions that initiated perspective transformation. These functions aligned closely with key phases of transformative learning: Uncovering metaphors were primarily associated with Critical Reflection (48.4%), Naming metaphors supported Critical Reflection and Reintegration (38.7%), and Imagining metaphors aligned most strongly with Exploration/Action (48.4%) as learners experimented with revised roles and possibilities.
Regarding lifelong learning outcomes, Identity Development (64.5%) and Reflective Enhancement (61.3%) were most frequent, followed by Adaptive Expertise (22.6%), Informal Lifelong Learning (19.4%), and Emotional Engagement (12.9%). Overall, conceptual metaphors function as cognitive–emotional scaffolds supporting reflection, identity reconstruction, and sustained meaning‑making across lifelong learning contexts.
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1. กองบรรณาธิการสงวนสิทธิ์ในการพิจารณาและตัดสินการตีพิมพ์บทความในวารสาร
2. บทความทุกเรื่องจะได้รับการตรวจสอบทางวิชาการโดยผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิ แต่ข้อความและเนื้อหาในบทความที่ตีพิมพ์เป็นความรับผิดชอบของผู้เขียนแต่เพียงผู้เดียว มิใช่ความคิดเห็นและความรับผิดชอบของมหาวิทยาลัยศรีปทุม
3. การคัดลอกอ้างอิงต้องดำเนินการตามการปฏิบัติในหมู่นักวิชาการโดยทั่วไป และสอดคล้องกับกฎหมายที่เกี่ยวข้อง
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