Reflective teaching in Ethiopian secondary schools: examining teachers’ characteristics and engagement

Abstract

ABSTRACT This quantitative study surveyed 361 secondary school teachers in South and Central Ethiopia to examine their engagement in reflective teaching and its relationship with gender, qualification, and teaching experience. The study used descriptive survey design and structured questionnaire to collect data. Results indicated that teachers had minimal overall engagement in reflective teaching. Results also showed insignificant difference between male and female teachers’ engagement in reflective teaching. However, there were significant differences in teachers’ engagement in terms of their qualification and teaching experience. In this regard, teachers with Bachelor of Education had the highest level of engagement, followed by Master’s and Applied degree holders. In addition, mid-career teachers had the highest level of engagement, exceeding the level both novice and veteran teachers had. The findings suggest the need to revisit existing pre-service teacher education programme, identify teachers’ engagement patterns, identify their specific needs, design and run tailored in-service professional development programmes, and establish support system to promote reflective teaching in Ethiopian secondary schools. Most importantly, the findings suggest the need for teachers to actually engage in reflective teaching in their professional contexts.