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oai:keep.lib.asu.edu:node-2023402025-08-18T22:22:09Zoai_pmh:repo_items

202340 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.202340 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ All Rights Reserved 2025 2027-08-01T17:23:34 381 pages Doctoral Dissertation Academic theses en Zaikovskii, Mikhail Adams, Karen L. Prior, Matthew T. Schugurensky, Daniel Arizona State University Partial requirement for: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2025 Field of study: Linguistics and Applied Linguistics This dissertation examines the transformation of negative attitudes toward individuals who do not conform to traditional norms of identity and relationships through an integrated framework combining Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory and a corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) approach. Despite legal and social progress, negative views toward these populations remain entrenched in many cultural and religious contexts. Through phenomenological interviews with twenty participants who represent a range of religious affiliations including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Atheism, and who shifted from negative to more neutral or accepting perspectives, this study explores the interplay of personal, religious, and societal influences that shape such transformations. Findings indicate that early negative attitudes were shaped by societal norms, religious teachings, conventional biological assumptions, and limited exposure to individuals perceived as different, often reinforced by geographic isolation, traditional family structures, and dominant cultural standards. Participants described their shifts in perspective as gradual and complex, evolving through emotional disruption, critical reflection, and meaningful interpersonal relationships. Key turning points included forming personal connections with individuals from these communities, witnessing instances of discrimination, encountering more inclusive messages through media, education, and workplaces, and experiencing crises of faith or value conflict. These often emotionally charged events served as catalysts for reassessing previously held beliefs. Religious and cultural frameworks, though initially sources of negative judgment, also became spaces for reinterpretation and reconciliation. Personal traits such as empathy and curiosity influenced the pace and depth of these attitudinal shifts. Participants who had faced social challenges in other areas of their lives were more likely to relate to and empathize with the difficulties experienced by others. Ultimately, transformation occurred through deliberate reflection, emotional openness, and the exercise of personal agency, especially in contexts where change was socially discouraged. This study contributes to the understanding of attitudinal change by identifying recurring patterns and mechanisms of transformation. It proposes five pathways for promoting broader social acceptance: encouraging personal storytelling and shared experience; integrating transformative learning into educational settings; fostering inclusive interpretations within religious communities; improving representation in media; and supporting community-based engagement efforts. These findings offer practical strategies for encouraging empathy, challenging negative assumptions, and promoting mutual understanding. Linguistics Prejudice, Transformative Learning, and Attitudinal Change: A Corpus-Assisted Discourse Analytic Study