Analysis of midwifery students' written reflections to evaluate progression in learning during clinical practice at birthing units

Abstract

Written daily reflections during clinical practice on birthing units have been used during several years in midwifery education at Lund University, Sweden. However, the usefulness of these reflections for evaluation of progression in learning and professional development of students has to date not been evaluated. In order to analyse written reflections, two taxonomies developed by Bloom and Pettersen have been applied to the texts. Progression in the professional development of midwifery students can be seen through levels of complexity in cognitive and psycho-motor learning areas and also in the description of learning situations. Progression can be seen from a basic description of facts in simple situations at the beginning of the students' practice to a complex description of complicated situations towards the end of the practice. Written daily reflections appear to be a suitable method to help students to reflect in a structured way, thereby helping their professional development. Reflections can help clinical supervisors to understand the needs of the individual student and to support their knowledge accruement. Daily written reflections on clinical practice can be of use in other health education programs.