Integrating information from multiple texts relates to pre-service teachers’ epistemic products for reflective teaching practice

Abstract

Integrating information from multiple texts is a core aspect of pre-service teachers’ preparation for reflective teaching practice. This study connects research on multiple text use with teachers’ epistemic reflexivity. Using qualitative content analysis, we investigate how information is integrated to explain real pedagogical situations in essays by 87 pre-service teachers. Competent text integration was related to a higher number of reflexive statements. These analyses are supplemented with an expert rating, showing that essays with competent text integration were rated higher on the quality of their conclusions for professional teaching practice than those without substantial text integration.