A model of the transformative journey into reflexivity: an exploration into students’ experiences of critical reflection

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explain the experiences of final-year students in making meaning of their world of practice through critical reflection and to construct a substantive theory of this explanation. The design of this study was interpretive, following an emergent iterative process, where six semi-structured interviews were conducted with final-year Community Learning and Development (CLD) students. The data were analysed through grounded theory principles of constant comparison, memoing and theoretical sampling and a substantive theory of ‘The Transformative Journey to Reflexivity’ was developed. It is proposed that this model provides a useful explanation of the processes of developing reflexivity in CLD practice. It is also argued that the model could be used in teaching and learning situations to explain critical reflection development. The model was tentatively tested to check for transferability across other ‘people’ professions.

Keywords:

• reflective practice
• reflexivity
• critical reflection
• model
• grounded theory approach