Using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand the development of legal ethical competence through reflection in a clinical learning environment

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study proposes to investigate the contribution clinical legal education (CLE) can make to student learning in legal ethics. CLE (in the form of student law clinics and CLE modules) is a learning environment in which students learn from experience by providing legal advice to live or simulated clients with the support of their tutors or supervisors. Reflection has been identified as a key feature of CLE in terms of teaching legal ethics. The main impetus for this study is that reflection as a facilitator of professional learning is, however, not well understood and insufficiently explored. This study will therefore aim to fill this gap in existing research by investigating how reflection, as one of the key features of CLE, develops ethical competence in law students, using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach. The findings of this study therefore have the potential to be an original contribution in this field, as well as having practical implications for the design of CLE modules and student law clinics in future.