Reflective teaching: empirical research findings and some implications for teacher education

Abstract

Reflection has been very fashionable in all sectors of teacher education, including vocational and adult education, for a number of years. Despite numerous articles, there is little solid empirical evidence that supports the view that it results in superior teaching practices with teacher trainees. This article examines the results of relevant empirical studies and some of the more recent writings that have undertaken a more critical view of underlying concepts. Case study material from a new Bachelor of Education in Adult Education degree designed around the concept of reflection is cited. Problems inherent in reflective approaches are examined along with reasons why reflection became so widely adopted in teacher education in the absence of any empirical evidence to support its wide scale adoption. Future developments in teacher education practices involving aspects of reflection are considered briefly, as is the need for rigorous empirical studies before the wide implementation of new teacher education strategies.