Reliability of the Reflective Learning Framework for Assessing Higher-Order Thinking in Geography and Sustainability Courses

Abstract

Experiential education partnered with guided reflection is thought to support students with higher-order thinking skills. In this study, 44 reflections from two university-level sustainability courses were compared. In both courses students were asked to write a reflection, but only one course used the Reflective Learning Framework (RLF). Tests of interrater reliability support the consistency of the RLF when used by trained raters. Furthermore, comparison of means using t-tests shows significant differences between mean ratings for the two courses. This provides evidence of the effectiveness of the RLF for students to apply and demonstrate the use of higher-order thinking skills.