Reflective Learning In Higher Education Research Articles

Reflective Learning in Higher Education: Active Methodologies for Transformative Practices

In this Special Issue, Reflective Learning in Higher Education explores on tertiary education and its practices. It looks at in-house and external individuals, and collective initiatives and activities that centre on generating and reflecting on knowledge. It also explores the transformation output of learning communities, the communities themselves and their reflective practices, and discusses how reflective learning and developing one’s professional identity through reflection are linked. The connections between the theoretical and applied research on reflective practices, knowledge generation in all areas, professional practice and identity through theoretical definition, situated and grounded practice and transformative knowledge are also considered. The nine manuscripts in this Special Issue manifest that reflective learning is likely to (i) help forge students’ professional identity and ensure sustainable competences are effectively developed, (ii) transform students’ preconceived perspectives and social preferences to foster new reasoned action plans for decision-making, (iii) promote understanding one’s personal professional strengths and limitations and develop the ability to identify resources and ways to solve existing and/or future professional challenges and (iv) modify the students’ beliefs, attitudes, and daily behaviour to develop competences that will ultimately result in promoting sustainability.

Reflective learning in higher education. FAREM-Matagalpa, UNAN-Managua

The following essay reports on a short exploratory qualitative study given to pre-service English teachers who were studying the class of linguistics. In the linguistics class, they studied a chapter related to how adults learn a language, and the phases they go through. Due to the relevance of this topic, the instructor asked pre-service English teachers to reflect and examine on their learning critically from two different perspectives - my reflection as a language learner and my reflection on learning. This essay used a series of open and reflective questions as the primary source of data and asked 20 pre-service English teachers to write a two-page reflection paper about their experience learning English. For the purpose of this essay, data analysis was conducted using the grounded theory approach that involved comparing a piece of data with others. Eight essays were selected using random sampling. The results exposed the different challenges and strategies that pre-service English teachers have gone through so as to learn the language and how these have changed along the years. The essay presents both some theoretical background and challenges.

Reflective learning in higher education: a qualitative study on students’ perceptions

This article presents the results of a study aimed at determining the perceptions of students participating in reflective learning (RL) experiences at the University of Girona (Spain), specifically regarding the benefits and challenges of this methodology. Four focus groups were organized with students who had participated in RL experiences on four different undergraduate degree courses: nursing, environmental sciences, psychology and social education. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The study shows that students think RL contributes to a better understanding of themselves, their learning and their motivation to learn. Identified challenges were related primarily to understanding the aims of the experience, the degree of personal openness and the system of assessment. The study also provides some guidelines and orientation for improving experiences of undergraduate training based on RL.

Reflective Learning in Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis

A descriptive, exploratory study is presented based on a questionnaire regarding the following aspects of reflective learning: a) self-knowledge, b) relating experience to knowledge, c) self-reflection, and d) self-regulation of the learning processes. The questionnaire was completed by students studying four different degree courses (social education, environmental sciences, nursing, and psychology). Specifically, the objectives of a self-reported reflective learning questionnaire are: i) to determine students’ appraisal of reflective learning methodology with regard to their reflective learning processes, ii) to obtain evidence of the main difficulties encountered by students in integrating reflective learning methodologies into their reflective learning processes, and iii) to collect students’ perceptions regarding the main contributions of the reflective learning processes they have experienced.

Theorising a model for teaching and assessing reflective learning in higher education

The importance of reflection in higher education and across disciplinary fields is widely recognised and it is generally included in university graduate attributes, professional standards and programme objectives. Furthermore, reflection is commonly embedded into assessment requirements in higher education subjects, often without necessary scaffolding or clear expectations for students. Despite the rhetoric around the importance of reflection for ongoing learning, there is scant literature on any systematic, developmental approach to teaching reflective learning across higher education programmes/courses. Given that professional or academic reflection is not intuitive, and requires specific pedagogic intervention to do well, a programme/course-wide approach is essential. This paper draws on current literature to theorise a new, transferable and customisable model for teaching and assessing reflective learning across higher education, which foregrounds and explains the pedagogic field of higher education as a multi-dimensional space. We argue that explicit and strategic pedagogic intervention, supported by dynamic resources, is necessary for successful, broad-scale approaches to reflection in higher education.

Facilitating reflective learning in higher education – By Brockbank, Anne & McGill, Ian

British Journal of Educational TechnologyVolume 39, Issue 4 p. 750-751 Facilitating reflective learning in higher education – By Brockbank, Anne & McGill, Ian Professor Lewis Elton, Professor Lewis Elton Honorary Visiting Professor, University of Manchesterl.elton@pcps.ucl.ac.ukSearch for more papers by this author Professor Lewis Elton, Professor Lewis Elton Honorary Visiting Professor, University of Manchesterl.elton@pcps.ucl.ac.ukSearch for more papers by this author First published: 03 July 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00870_3.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume39, Issue4July 2008Pages 750-751 RelatedInformation

Facilitating reflective learning in higher education

Facilitating reflective learning in higher education

Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education

Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education

Book Reviews

Books reviewed:P. Ramsden, Learning to Lead in Higher EducationAnne Brockbank and Ian McGill, Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education