Detailing Reflection Instruction: The Efficacy of a Guided Instructional Procedure on Prospective Teachers' Pedagogical Reasoning

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate instructional conditions aimed at improving future teachers' reflective thinking, to systematically trace how features of a guided instructional procedure influenced these teachers' pedagogical reasoning. The reflective thinking protocol that formed the basis of the instructional approach was built on a clear definition of reflection as a process, individual and collaborative, involving experience and uncertainty about teaching situations, dilemmas, and problems. Based on a mixed-methods design in Study 1, the analyses revealed the differing effects of genre (article, case study, and field teaching experience) and type of engagement (individual and group). In Study 2, analyses of several data sets examined the power of the instruction to enhance teachers' reflection and problem-solving abilities. Taken together, these studies, formative in nature, provide protocols and assessment tools that can support teacher educators' intentional and guided reflection instruction and inform future research.