Abstract
Effective co-practice is considered a linchpin of inclusive education. Speech and language therapists (SLT), in collaboration with teachers, are amongst the professionals who have a role in ensuring inclusion for students. The challenges of collaboration are well documented, with communication considered a potential antidote. Proposals for how collaborative communication can take place often align with models of reflection. Uncertainty around a shared language for reflection within and across the professions of teaching and SLT may pose a barrier to it occurring. Reflection has long been documented as a strategy used by effective clinicians to improve practice. Hence, teachers and SLTs reflecting together could be considered 'a port of entry' for effective collaborative practice. This study aims to synthesise literature and knowledge on the phenomenon of reflective practice across the professions to facilitate collaboration for inclusive education. The method of qualitative evidence synthesis will be an integrative review. A systematic search will be conducted to extract empirical studies, reviews and theoretical papers on the topic of reflection across both professions. An adapted version of the PRISMA reporting guidelines will be used in the development, design and reporting of this review. Four databases will be searched: CINAHL, SCOPUS, Education Source and ERIC. A web-based search will also be conducted to retrieve relevant policy documents. Included literature will be appraised using the M-MAT and an adapted checklist from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Deductive content analysis will endeavour to determine if a shared language exists about reflection, across the professions of teaching and speech and language therapy. Establishing a shared language represents a first step towards the development of a framework for collaborative reflection between teachers and SLTs. This is turn serves to inform future research, policy and practice regarding how speech and language therapist can work collaboratively with teachers in schools.
Highlights
The need to work towards inclusive education for all was recognized internationally with the publication of the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994)
From reviewing the literature to date, it appears that this will be the first integrative review seeking to synthesise what is shared and what is different in terms of how speech and language therapists and educators engage with reflection in their practice
This review will contribute to the growing body of literature regarding speech and language therapists (SLT) and teachers working in collaboration with those who have SLCN (Ebbels et al, 2019; Gascoigne, 2006; McCartney, 2002; McKean et al, 2017; Starling et al, 2012)
Summary
Any reports and responses or comments on the article can be found at the end of the article. Keywords Reflection, reflective practice, Speech and Language Therapist, speech language and communication needs, teacher, education, collaboration, inclusion
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