Reflection in teacher education: exploring pre‐service teachers’ meanings of reflective practice

Abstract

Reflective practice in teacher education is one reform effort that has taken hold in the education community. This article shares some of the findings of a qualitative interpretive study that explored how five pre‐service teachers constructed meanings of reflective practice, and how these meanings informed their practice. The purpose of this study was to better understand reflective practice in teacher preparation. The theoretical framework originates in the works of Dewey and Schön, and applies a symbolic interaction theoretical and analytical framework to give voice to the pre‐service teachers within the historical and institutional contexts of a teacher preparation program. Nine themes were culled from the data and categorized within the symbolic interaction social processes of acquiring perspective, achieving individuality, and situating the act of reflection. These themes highlighted how the pre‐service teachers interpreted and practiced reflection in this teacher preparation program. The findings suggest that these pre‐service teachers had a general understanding of reflection and learned to reflect through various opportunities, and in different contexts. This study has implications for the ways in which pre‐service teachers learn about reflection, raises questions about innovative writing practices in reflection and is insightful for teacher educators who prepare pre‐service teachers to become reflective practitioners.