Encouraging Postgraduate Dissertation Students’ Deep Reflection-on-Learning: A Case for a Reflective Approach to Evaluating Students’ Learning

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, the teaching profession has embraced the notion of the teacher as a reflective practitioner, which has led to an increased emphasis on teacher education programs offering learning experiences that model and encourage reflective practice. Since that time, the idea of reflection has permeated all facets of education, including the dissertation supervision process. This action research study explored the usefulness of a modified version of an exercise called the reflective approach to teaching practicum debriefing (RATPD) to encourage postgraduate dissertation students’ deep reflection on learning, primarily what they learned about research writing and dissertation supervision. While the RATPD strategy is a useful approach for encouraging student teachers’ deep reflection-on-learning, what was unknown, was its usefulness as a debriefing tool for postgraduate students who have completed their dissertation. Examples of the usefulness of the approach include the fact that (1) it encouraged postgraduate dissertation students to focus on the mechanics and affective of research writing and dissertation supervision and also consider “self as researcher” and (2) it encouraged students’ criticality and internalisation reflected in taking ownership of positive attitudes and behaviours— associated with the experience of research writing and dissertation supervision— as a part of their nature. Keywords: Thesis supervision; dissertation supervision; education; reflection; reflective learning and teaching; evaluation; University; students DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-33-06 Publication date: November 30 th 2019