Scaffolding Reflection for Preservice and Inservice Teachers

Abstract

Although all teacher education programs worldwide tout the importance of reflection in teaching, few studies, particularly in the field of literacy education, have researched the dimensions of teacher reflection. This study explores the use of scaffolded reflection in two literacy education courses in an urban university in the southwestern United States. Using constant comparative and critical discourse analyses, the preservice and inservice teachers' online and written reflections were analyzed for reflections of and challenges to various education-oriented discourses. Results show that scaffolding helped the students to formulate and articulate their personal belief system but did not substantively help them to challenge larger discourses of teaching, learning, and students