How do student teachers reflect on their practice through practicum courses? A case study from Iran

This article reports on the use of self-authorship as a pedagogical tool to develop pre-service teachers’ professional identities. Pre-professional identity is considered a dynamic, less mature version of professional identity. Such a notion of fluidity in the professional self necessitates the integration of both personal and professional life experiences in the process of becoming, rather than already being, a teacher. A random sample of 56 pre-service teachers from a population of first-year students at a South African university was selected for this qualitative interpretivist study. Thematic analysis of personal reflections after a professional orientation programme indicates that the pre-professional identity of first-year pre-service teachers is mostly based on external cues and naïve perceptions rather than on well-thought-through personal ideology. The authors draw on Baxter-Magolda’s theory of self-authorship to highlight this influence of past life experiences that shape the pre-professional identity that first-year pre-service teachers bring to initial teacher training programs. Self-authorship is defined as a person’s ability to conceptualise and apply their own beliefs, identity, and social relations in various contexts. Findings confirm that most first-year pre-service teachers place themselves within the first phase of self-authorship. It is postulated that higher education institutions could, through platforms such as Work Integrated Learning, shift the structure and focus of pre-service teacher training programmes away from passive observation and instruction to active partnership, engaged reflection, and critical thinking. Such an approach can then contribute to professional and personal development through the remainder of the pre-service teacher programme. It is further argued that a longitudinal study is needed to explore this required movement towards and through the three phases of self-authorship.

Section: Pre-professional Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Authorship: A Pedagogical Tool for Pre-Service Teachers to Develop (Pre)Professional Identity

Botha,

Marais,

Reyneke

2023

“…However, reflection is a complex undertaking, particularly for novices [7]. Pre-service teachers tend to engage in reflection that is superficial and predominantly descriptive [36]. Körkkö et al [37] similarly found that even when pre-service teachers' reflections were broader and more thorough, they often lacked critical analytical depth.…”

Section: Critical Role Of Reflective Writing and The Challenges Of It...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This type of analysis is helpful for categorizing reflections since it seeks to answer whether or not reflection happens and to what extent. Similarly, Azimi et al [36] coded 620 reflective writings from 41 pre-service teachers in three practicum cohorts over two years. Their study used a model based on Ward and McCotter [23] to demonstrate different reflective dimensions at different levels of reflection.…”

Section: Multifaceted Approaches To the Evaluations Of Reflective Wri...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Reflective Writing in Pre-Service Teachers: The Potential of a Mixed-Methods Approach

Zhang,

Schießl,

Plößl

et al. 2023

Reflective writing is a relevant aspect of pre-service teachers’ professionalization. Evaluating reflective writing in teacher education is demanding due to a shortage of resources. Hence, this study explores the practical possibilities of evaluating reflective writing using a mixed-methods approach to analyze reflective writing from 198 pre-service teachers at a German university. We used qualitative content analysis, computational linguistic approaches, and BERTopic. Results of qualitative content analysis results indicated primarily descriptive and low-level participants’ reflective writing. Next, computational linguistic analyses revealed that affective and cognitive terminology utilization differed across varying levels of reflection, with a higher frequency of such terms correlating with deeper levels of reflection. BERTopic results showed that reflective content mainly centered on learning materials and shifted toward affective and motivational themes related to higher levels of reflection. This study demonstrates that reflective writing can be evaluated across reflection levels and cognitive, affective, and thematic dimensions, combining qualitative content analysis, computational linguistic approaches, and BERTopic.

“…Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for PSTs to grasp the nuances of their reflective practice, including the ability to differentiate between superficial and deep reflection [16] and to understand how to immerse themselves in a practice that embodies critical reflection. To achieve this, the PSTs must be capable of deconstructing their preconceived ideas about reflection, enabling them to take the first step towards a critical evaluation of their initial understandings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diving into Real-World Practicum in Physical Education: Deconstructing and Re-Signifying Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflections

Azevedo,

Ramos,

Valério

et al. 2023

Reflection is crucial for aspiring teachers, yet many pre-service teachers (PSTs) struggle to grasp its true meaning. This study explores how PSTs deconstruct their initial reflections and re-signify their understanding based on challenges encountered in real-world practicum settings. Additionally, it examines how the facilitator supported the PSTs’ reflections over time. Over the course of a year in the physical education teacher education context, six PSTs, along with the first author, who fulfilled dual roles as external facilitator and researcher, engaged in three iterative Action Research (AR) cycles. Within each AR cycle, the external facilitator explored the authentic teaching challenges faced by PSTs, offering individualized support while unpacking reflection concepts. Data were collected through focus group interviews, reflective journals from the PSTs, and the observation of participants by the external facilitator, which provided contextual field notes on the PSTs’ teaching–learning experiences. Our findings emphasize the need to initially understand PSTs’ views on reflection. This serves as a starting point for deconstructing the three concepts outlined in our theoretical framework, through the scrutiny of PSTs’ real teaching–learning experiences. This process facilitated a resignification, leading to an advanced comprehension of reflection among the PSTs. The study emphasizes the value of integrating this approach into systemic teacher education reforms and suggests extending training and mentorship to cooperating teachers.