Wie lassen sich Studierende hinsichtlich ihrer (Selbst-)Reflexionsfähigkeit typisieren?

Abstract

The paper addresses the increasingly important issue of professionalization of prospective teachers and, within this process, the promotion of (self-)reflection as an essential element of professionalism. Specific focus is to model the capability to (self-)reflect. (self-) reflection means both the self-reflection of the students about themselves and their actions as well as the reflection on external circumstances and structural factors. In order to make this understanding tangible, a competency structure and level model of (self-)reflection is developed with a content-analytic approach and used as a starting point for the analysis of the (self-) reflection competence of prospective teachers. The model comprises the four dimensions: Inward look backwards, outward look backwards, inward look forward and outward look forward with 4 consecutive levels each. To confirm the competency structure and level model, a reflection motive of 265 students of vocational and business education is evaluated content-analytically by means of a coding guide. This coding guide is characterized by a high degree of intra and inter coder reliability (Krippendorfs ɑ ≥ .92). By means of an LCA, three classes of (self-)reflection types could be identified among the students. In each class, the inward look backwards has the highest level and in all classes there is a clear potential for improvement with regard to the outward-looking dimensions. The developed competency structure and level model provides information on how the (self-)reflection competence can be purposefully analyzed and promoted. The three types of (self-)reflection that were identified allow teacher educators to take into account the level of (self-)reflection competency when designing courses and to adapt the lessons to learners’ requirements. Against this background, it can be said that the competency structure and level model provides teacher educators with an analytical tool, because it uses the types of (self-)reflection to explain and describe options as well as oriented knowledge for a targeted promotion of (self-)reflection competence, which is based on the existing (self-)reflection level of the students.