Reflective Dialogue Research Articles

War and Church. From the Peace of Westphalia to the Peace of Versailles by Carl Schmitt and Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy

Historically, religious institutions have often played some role in determining the criteria for international justice during the war and in the post-war periods. The article aims to reflect theoretically on this phenomenon, drawing on the political theology of C. Schmitt (1888-1985) and the historical sociology of E. Rosenstock-Huessy (1888-1973). Both were prominent lawyers in Weimar Germany, but their paths diverged dramatically in 1933. They shared a view of the modern state as a restrainer of war. They also focused on the church and its role in stabilizing the new international order of the Westphalian era. The Westphalian approach to international justice rested on the idea of religious pluralism in terms of a plurality of sovereign states. It was important for Schmitt that the Roman Catholic Church (to which he belonged) recognized sovereign states and their right to declare war and make peace, even if it retained autonomy of doctrinal judgment and independent government. Unlike Schmitt, Rosenstock-Huessy believed that the main role in resolving religious conflicts was played not so much by the arrangements of sovereign states, but by the new organization of society that emerged as a result of the Reformation. This organization consisted of new social forms: the monarch-legislator, the civil servant, the civil authority, and the civil population. Rosenstock saw the separation of the military from the civil service as a kind of continental system of checks and balances that promoted international justice by limiting violence. After a historical and theoretical overview, the paper will analyze why the cultural role of ecclesiastical institutions is still important. Finally, it will be shown that the perspectives of political theology and historical sociology described above form a multi-confessional dialogue. The dialogical reflection on church and politics can be a contribution to the debate on international justice.

Developing reflective dialogue educational approach using the Moodle distance learning platform

ABSTRACT Modern education is a rapidly developing field of social practice. Requirements for the professional skills of future specialists are being developed; mechanisms are being created that stimulate improving the quality of education. This research is aimed to identify the level of students’ reflective competencies with the formation of a distance curriculum within the Moodle platform. The study sample consisted of 71 psychology students from Kazakh universities: Toraighyrov University, NJSC, Pavlodar Pedagogical University, NJSC, and L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The reflective competencies were measured using a diagnostic map based on the “Method for determining the individual measure of reflection” (A.V. Karpov, V.V. Ponomareva). The test for reliability and validity was justified: the calculation showed a good value for the internal consistency of the diagnostic map: α = 0.887 in the experimental group and α = 0.822 in the control group. The findings show a significant improvement in the reflection level: from predominantly middle to high in the experimental group. More than half of the experimental group and one-fifth of the control group improved their reflective skills. This paper has a practical value: further investigation of education digitalization’s impact on the development of reflective competencies in students from other regions.

How EFL Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Grows Through Collaborative Learning: A Review Based on The Interconnected Model of Professional Growth (IMPG)

Since Shulman (1986b) argued that pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) should be a significant indicator of teacher knowledge for quality teaching, PCK has received enormous attention from researchers in the teacher education field. Nevertheless, little empirical and theoretical attention has been given to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ PCK growth in teachers’ collaborative learning activities (Li et al., 2021). In practice, collaborative learning groups for EFL teachers are often adopted as an effective teacher learning activity as it always integrates observations and discussions of real EFL teaching practices such as English teaching pedagogies and subject matters, for example. However, how EFL teachers’ collaborative learning promotes their PCK growth is less explored by empirical or theoretical studies and some teacher professional growth models. Therefore, this review will mainly discuss via existing literature how EFL teachers could increase their PCK in collaborative learning based on one particular teacher professional growth model, called the Interconnected Model of Professional Growth (IMPG) summarized by Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002). Since IMPG only generally summarizes teachers’ professional growth, this article aims to specifically elaborate the various trajectories of EFL teachers’ PCK growth. The significant role of three essential factors, namely, EFL teachers’ initiatives to learn/share, reciprocal mindset, and reflective dialogues in EFL teachers’ PCK development are stated in the paper. Several recommendations are made to EFL teachers, EFL teacher trainers, and EFL education programs.

İkinci Dil Öğrenenlerinin Yansıtıcı Dialoglarındaki Birbirlerini Desteklemenin Rolü

This article examines (1) the role of scaffolding and (2) scaffolding patterns that emerged in L2 learners’ dialogic reflections on their spoken performances. Dialogic reflection has recently become a vital concept in teacher development studies (Mann & Walsh, 2017), however, the role of dialogic reflection on learner empowerment has not been investigated. In this study, the term “dialogic reflection” is used to define 24 tertiary level L2 learners’ reflections on their spoken performances after they conduct six different paired speaking tasks which last 17 hours in total. The present study observes these dialogic reflections of the students under the scope of Sociocultural Theory, which posits human mental functioning as a mediated process that occurred with the help of others (Ratner, 2002). The data is gathered from these reflection sessions, and it is analyzed through sociocultural discourse analysis (Mercer, 2004). Thanks to microanalysis of the data, the findings show that learners use scaffolding to be able to establish mutual understanding between each other (Musiol & Trognon, 1999) in terms of word search, grammatical correction, and content development, and they used three different patterns to reach their aim; asking for help, intentional intervention, and showing joint effort.

Moral Issues in Soldier Enhancement: Military Physicians’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT Dealing with soldier enhancement can be challenging for military physicians. As research on the ethics of soldier enhancement is mostly theoretical, this study aims to gain insights into the actual moral issues military physicians encounter, or expect to encounter. To that end, we carried out a qualitative study involving six focus groups of Dutch military physicians (n = 28) in operational roles. The participants voiced their concerns about moral issues concerning soldier enhancement. Based on the group discussions, and using inductive thematic analysis, we ascertained three major themes: (1) Doing no harm in soldier enhancement: uncertainty and high stakes; (2) Dependency relationships and conflicting moral responsibilities; and (3) The risk of ethical slippery slopes. Our findings illustrate that dealing with these moral responsibilities requires considerable skill and acuity to weigh up for all the situated complexities and dependency relationships that go beyond abstract rules or moral principles. A care-ethical approach that acknowledges the contextual and relational aspects of moral complexities along with peer consultation and joint reflective dialogue on moral issues can help military physicians deal with soldier enhancement responsibly.

Caucusing Updated: Innovations to Build Belonging and Empowerment

Caucusing, as a social justice activity, is traditionally implemented to provide an insider space for marginalized persons to share experiences and build a space for belonging and safety by excluding those who hold privileged identities. Within a particular event that combines privileged and oppressed, experiences are uneven, with insiders experiencing inclusion, while outsiders have a largely isolating experience, although intended to be a place to interrogate privilege. It is not an activity to build community across identities, nor is it the intention. Through expansive reflection on a course activity, the authors share their experience of an updated caucusing activity, a three-part undertaking that first holds caucuses where all students participate, subsequently holds cross-identity dialogues, and then dialogues are repeated with different groupings. Informing this article are the authors’ separate and dialogic reflections, activity evaluations and follow-up comments by students. Results reveal high potential for building belonging and community within and across identities, potentially relevant to numerous service professionals. Caution exists when groups have low levels of engagement with each other and trusting experiences with each other and the instructor. A less successful version of this activity occurred in a part-time program which suggests this caution is warranted.

"Always opening and never closing": How dialogical therapists understand and create reflective conversations in network meetings.

Tom Andersen’s reflecting team process, which allowed families to witness and respond to the talk of professionals during therapy sessions, has been described as revolutionary in the field of family therapy. Reflecting teams are prominent in a number of family therapy approaches, more recently in narrative and dialogical therapies. This way of working is considered more a philosophy than a technique, and has been received positively by both therapists and service users. This paper describes how dialogical therapists conceptualise the reflective process, how they work to engage families in reflective dialogues and how this supports change. We conducted semi-structured, reflective interviews with 12 dialogical therapists with between 2 and 20 years of experience. Interpretative Phenomenological analysis of transcribed interviews identified varying conceptualisations of the reflecting process and descriptions of therapist actions that support reflective talk among network members. We adopted a dialogical approach to interpretation of this data. In this sense, we did not aim to condense accounts into consensus but instead to describe variations and new ways of understanding dialogical reflecting team practices. Four themes were identified: Lived experience as expertise; Listening to the self and hearing others; Relational responsiveness and fostering connection; and Opening space for something new. We applied these themes to psychotherapy process literature both within family therapy literature and more broadly to understand more about how reflecting teams promote helpful and healing conversations in practice.

The impact of dialogic reflections on teacher autonomy

ABSTRACT Teacher autonomy refers to a teacher’s empowerment in the classroom, school, and community, leading to instructional efficacy and professionalism. Despite its proven contribution to pedagogical decision-making, studies reveal that many teachers lack sufficient autonomy mainly owing to institutional constraints. It is suggested that teachers embrace such restraints and become autonomous by initiating dialogic reflections with their colleagues and reaching contextualized decisions within a community of practice. So far, no study has explored how dialogic reflections can be performed among EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. To fill the gap, the researcher investigated the process of dialogic reflections and explored whether it would affect the autonomy levels of Turkish EFL teachers. The data were collected through a teacher autonomy scale and by investigating the participants’ dialogic reflections. The results indicated that teacher autonomy levels increased thanks to social interdependence through collaborative decision-making.

MEMFASILITASI KEMAMPUAN REFLEKSI DIRI MAHASISWA KEDOKTERAN: APA DAN BAGAIMANA?

Background: Self-reflection skill is essential for doctors to develop professional attitudes, therapeutic relationships between doctor-patient, and lifelong learning. Self-reflection needs to be developed during medical study in a structured and systematic manner, either in a professionalism course or other learning opportunities. Gaps: Reflective learning in medical education often only focuses on improving the understanding of professionalism rather than developing students' self-reflection skills. In addition, the opportunity to conduct self-reflection in the curriculum is still limited, and assessment of reflection ability is challenging. There are doubts as to whether self-reflection needs to be assessed. Recommendation: The opportunity to conduct guided self-reflection needs to be allocated in a structured manner in the curriculum to develop learners’ reflection skills. The strategy to develop self-reflection skills involves a series of educational interventions, including providing guidance and feedback on reflection and ensuring that students' self-reflection is assessed. Reflections on feedback obtained within the learning process can help students to take advantage of the feedback provided, develop self-assessment skills, and improve their performance. In assessing reflection, educators need to consider the time, approach, and purpose of assessment and ensure that the focus is on learners’ ability to self-reflect. Self-reflection needs to be cultivated by creating a conducive environment. The process of mentoring and providing constructive feedback is essential in building reflective dialogue with students to increase students’ motivation to reflect.

A dialogic approach to promoting professional development: Understanding change in Hong Kong language teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding vocabulary teaching and learning

Adopting a sociocultural perspective, this paper reports on a case study that examined how a dialogic approach contributed to Hong Kong English teachers' professional development in methods of vocabulary instruction. Data were drawn from interviews, lesson observations, professional dialogues, and reflective writing to present two in-depth contrasting cases. While one teacher reported marked change in her beliefs and practice, the other adapted her practice minimally despite reporting belief changes. The findings revealed the role of dialogic reflection in facilitating professional learning and noted the potential impact of Chinese culture on teachers' dialogic reflection. Further, they showed that changes in practice are mediated by internalising new ideas, linking teacher beliefs with clear goals and contextual factors including institutional policies, time constraints, and learner feedback. Teachers' verbal participation in professional dialogues, for example, showing agreement with the suggestions of others, was insufficient for generating changes in practices. Implications, including the important roles of reflexivity and sociocultural contexts in teacher professional development programmes, along with directions for future research, are considered.

Managing Challenges Women Face in Leadership Positions: Carl Rogers' Humanistic Approach

The purpose of the study was to examine Carl Rogers' humanistic approach to supporting women in leadership positions to make a formed decision on how to manage the challenges they face. A qualitative approach was adopted for the study. The population of the study included fifteen (15) headmistresses and housemistresses in the Senior High Schools in the New Juaben Municipality in the Eastern Region. The purposive sampling technique was used to select schools, headmistresses and housemistresses in the schools. The schools selected were Oyoko Methodist Senior High School (OMESS), SDA Senior High School (SEDASS), Ghana Senior High School (GHANASS), Koforidua Technical Institute (KOTECH), Nana Kwaku Boateng Senior High School (OBOSS) and New Juaben Senior High School (NJUASCO). The main instruments used for data collection were a semi-structured interview guide and Reflective dialogue. Data was analysed through the use of the thematic approach. Within-case and across-case analytical technique was used to analyse the qualitative data. This was done through the identification of themes, categories and sub-categories the analytical tool for the qualitative data through interviews and reflective dialogue (RD). Themes that were extracted from the interview corresponding to Carl Rogers' humanistic person-centred) the approach were; inherent potentialities, support, motivation, power relation, INSET, cultural dimension, and guidance and counselling. The study revealed that women face challenges using inadequate school facilities they do their best possible to manage their challenges with the few facilities available, the introduction of Carl Rogers' intervention, and women became more aware of their potential in managing the challenges they face at work in their leadership positions. It is recommended that guidance programmes should be conducted often to inform both teachers and students about the potential of women. It has also emerged that women leaders do not know who they are and therefore they should undergo counselling in order to be self-actualised.

How Can the Professional Community Influence Teachers’ Work Engagement? The Mediating Role of Teacher Self-Efficacy

The sustainable development of education requires the continuous engagement of teachers, and the professional community has long been considered an important facilitator of teacher engagement. However, teachers’ professional community has often been analyzed as a unified construct, and thus the question of how teacher engagement is enhanced remains unanswered. Based on the conservation of resources theory, in this study, we investigated how teacher work engagement was affected by the crossover of job resources between the professional community (including shared norms, collective responsibility, collaboration, and reflective dialogue) and teachers (self-efficacy). The sample included 1123 primary and secondary school teachers in China. Covariance structural modeling was used to test our hypotheses. Shared norms and collective responsibility played a fundamental role and positively predicted collaboration, which in turn enhanced reflective dialogue. Teacher self-efficacy partially mediated the effect of the four dimensions of the professional community on teachers’ work engagement. The findings of this study indicate that the professional community offers valuable organizational and social resources that can be used by teachers to enhance their personal resources, such as self-efficacy, and thus become more engaged in their work. Shared norms and collective responsibility serve to shape a growth-oriented school culture that stimulates teachers’ willingness to collaborate and improves their confidence in teaching, and thus should be stressed by school leaders when introducing changes.

Investigating the mediating effects of professional learning communities on the relationship between leadership practices and teacher collective efficacy: a perspective of Chinese principals

ABSTRACT This study investigated the mediating effects of professional learning community (PLC) components on the relationship between leadership practices and teacher collective efficacy from the perspective of Chinese principals. Survey data were collected from 878 school principals. The results revealed that leadership practices significantly and positively affected the five PLC components, three of which (shared purpose, collective focus on student learning and reflective dialogue) had significant positive effects on teacher collective efficacy. Shared purpose, collective focus on student learning and reflective dialogue significantly mediated the effects of leadership practices on teacher collective efficacy. The practical implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Reflective writing in undergraduate medical education: A qualitative review from the field of psychiatry

The aim of this study was to identify the types of reflective writing produced by a cohort of medical students undertaking a clinical psychiatry module as part of their undergraduate medical programme at a University in the Republic of Ireland. A random sample of 80 reflective essays were selected for review. These assignments were evaluated using a comprehensive content analysis process with a pre-determined reflective writing coding instrument and coding protocol. Dialogic reflection was the most common type of reflective writing identified, with 56.3% (n = 45) of the summative assignments categorised as such. Twenty five percent (n = 20) of the assignments were classified as descriptive reflection, while 18.8% (n = 15) of the assignments demonstrated critical reflection. Overall, the findings of the study indicate that this innovative programme was successful in fostering and developing reflective writing in medical students to quite an advanced level. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for facilitating reflective writing in professional and higher education.

Intersection Between Culture and International Contexts in Early Childhood Teacher Education: Internationalisation in Action

This article presents the concept of internationalisation and explores related discourses within the context of early childhood education. The provision of educational experiences for children prior to commencing school can be understood and enacted in many ways and such provision is typically country- and culture-specific. This article elaborates on the variation within which early childhood education opportunities are afforded to children and understood in the profession. Four qualitative, autobiographical narratives explore intercultural practices in New Zealand and Sweden, using aspects of Sorrell’s (2016) intercultural framework to illustrate how internationalism links to early childhood education teacher education. The model’s six key elements of (i) inquiry, (ii) framing, (iii) positioning, (iv) dialogue (v) reflection and (vi) action inform our perceptions and experiences as early childhood educators, and the influence of internationalisation on practice.

Safe/brave spaces in virtual exchange on sustainability

This article explores the potential for fostering critical intercultural and global awareness through Transnational Virtual Exchange (TVE) focused on sustainability. The study is based on a lingua franca exchange between university students in Argentina, Poland, and Sweden. A qualitative content analysis of student e-portfolios unveiled reflective dimensions construed here as safe/brave spaces, echoing Andreotti’s (2006) notion of soft versus critical global citizenship education. Using theories of critical interculturality and third space, the analysis shows potential for developing participants’ critical reflection through TVE. However, the findings also reveal how in-depth reflection is often a lonely endeavor, overshadowed by project tasks that might unintentionally steer learners toward safe topics and consensus. So far, critical reflection is an underexplored area in empirical Virtual Exchange (VE) research. Student voices in this study bring to the fore questions regarding what it means to approach global citizenship education critically through online collaboration. The findings have implications for future design of VE projects where the focus is on social change through action-oriented tasks, but where critical and dialogic reflection after the completion of a pedagogical task is the salient part.

Transformational contribution of technology to studio culture: experience of an online first-year architecture design studio during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeDesign studios experienced an unprecedented contribution of technology when it came to organizing studios online, as imposed by COVID-19, which requires exploration of its impacts on the main metaphors of education, learning dimensions, and undoubtedly studio culture.Design/methodology/approachIn order to explore the impacts on the key dimensions of learning, a careful investigation was carried out from organizational, instructional, and learner points of view. The investigation utilized thematic analysis of records of pedagogical actions, as well as online communications, performance, and questionnaire responses of students to infer the conclusions. The freshmen architecture students were found to be an important group for study since they had no previous experiences in on-site design studios and will continue their education based on their first-year experiences.FindingsExploration of indicators—including reflective dialogue, retention, transfer of learned information to decisions, processing feedback as an investment in future performance, and self-regulation—as major contributors to design learning revealed that first-year students exhibited strong presence and interaction during online studio, and students' individuality influenced the teaching environment in terms of content and process. Hence, sense of belonging, which is a revamped feature of authentic context and studio culture, expands toward fortification of bottom-up educational frontiers.Originality/valueDeveloping pedagogies with no concern for the unprecedented impacts of the transformative role of technology on fundamental layers of design education will adversely influence students' chances of personal and professional success. The findings in this paper, regarding the transformational impacts of technology on design studio culture, follow investigation of the direction it has led current and can lead future design education. The study provides unique support for crystalizing new teaching and learning opportunities and pedagogical developments.

Complexity in Advising for Language Learning: From Theory to Practice

Research on advising for language learning has benefited from various theoretical frameworks, such as sociocultural theory, ecological theory and, in recent years, the theory of complex dynamic systems. With its holistic perspective on second language acquisition, the theory of complex dynamic systems helps integrate the manifold aspects involved in language development. It recognizes the interrelation of individual and social aspects, of internal and contextual factors, and places the focus on the various, interconnected/ inseparable dimensions of the language learning process. In this paper I will first illustrate some principles of complex dynamic systems theory and their impact on research on second language acquisition and language learner autonomy. Then, I will focus on advising for language learning, as a means of supporting learners as they become more autonomous and they implement change in their unique learning trajectories. Drawing on research on advising from the perspective of complex dynamic systems, I will show how this metatheory helps expand our understanding of advising beyond its conceptualization as a one-to-one interaction between a learner (advisee) and an advisor, by integrating the reflective dialogue between advisor and advisee into additional processes in which both advisor and advisee are involved. Finally, I will reflect on some implications for my own advising practice.

Effect of regulation scripts for dialogic peer assessment on feedback quality, critical thinking and climate of trust

Conceptualising peer assessment as a dialogue is expected to bring many benefits for learners. However, open-ended dialogue still faces many challenges in learning effectiveness because superficial feedback contents, resistance to critical thinking and distrust of peers’ assessments may negatively affect learners’ performance in their interactions. This study created regulation scripts for dialogic peer assessment, which not only engaged learners in meaningful dialogues through prompt questions, but also guided them to establish shared goals and monitor their collaboration processes. To verify their effectiveness, a quasi-experimental study was performed with 34 undergraduate students in an authentic learning environment. Learners in the experimental groups were required to exchange feedback information in stages involving case evaluation, group dialogic feedback and individual reflection with the support of regulation scripts, while learners in the control groups completed the same experimental process with general scripts. The quantitative data showed that the experimental groups achieved better development in climate of trust and critical thinking. In terms of feedback quality, however, there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Examining reflection as a tool to develop equity-mindedness in future educators: One teacher candidate's reflection with a mentor through three theoretical lenses

The purpose of this piece is to interrogate the development of equity-mindedness with one teacher candidate (TC). Reflection is widely accepted as a component of teacher education, yet it remains under-examined as an equity-based tool. Through reflective dialogue we created ‘problem spaces’ in which TCs considered how to improve teaching and learning for marginalized students. Utilizing “thinking with theory” (Jackson & Mazzei, 2012) as the research methodology allowed us to examine the concepts of reflection from varying theoretical perspectives (Van Manen, 1991/1995; Schön, 1987; Freire, 1993) for analysis. Authors selected from an information-rich sample of written reflective dialogue between a university supervisor (Author 1) and a TC from a larger data set and analyzed this artifact of reflection through the three selected theoretical lenses. Utilizing thinking with theory to interrogate a single artifact of reflection allowed authors a multi-faceted, complex view of the TC's emerging understanding of educational inequities, developing teaching practice, and the impact of reflective dialogue with her mentor on her professional growth that would not be possible using one theoretical lens only. Engaging in open, messy, and specific critical reflection led to deeper understandings of in/equities and possibilities for teaching and teacher preparation. Application of “thinking with theory” that includes critical perspectives can afford teachers, especially in teacher education, reflective analysis and honest dialogue to change inequities in schools.