Exploring and evaluating levels of reflection in pre-service early childhood teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to add to the current literature that focuses on approaches to assessing and evaluating reflection. It adds to this literature by developing and trialling a method of assessing reflection occurring in student teachers' reflective tasks. The reflective tasks were taken from a Self-Assessment Manual (SAM) developed specifically for early childhood practitioners and student teachers, and piloted with six early childhood student teachers. Through the application of an adapted version of the Boud, Keogh & Walker (1985) framework (Sim, 2006), six levels of reflection processes learners might experience were identified and responses aligned to these stages. Initial results show this model was able to provide an effective framework for objectively evaluating student teachers' levels of reflection, enabling a defined level of analysis for the assessor. What is also noted is the correlation between the type of reflection task and the reflection level demonstrated in the student teacher responses. Introducing the student teachers to the framework so they can self-assess, in order to deepen their understanding of their own reflection levels, is the next step of the project.