Researching reflective field practices of elementary pre‐service teachers: two‐dimensional analysis of teacher narratives

Abstract

Reflective practice on teacher education and teachers’ professional development has long been acknowledged and exercised. In this paper, student teachers’ reflective narratives are analyzed using the grounded theory. Existing typologies for content analysis were also used to investigate which aspects of practicum were reflected upon and how research procedures influence what is learned from the data. Twenty‐four pre‐service teachers, 271 entries, were analyzed. Findings highlighted that pre‐service teachers reflected on many issues, but there was little evidence of critical thought. Two analytical tools were used to examine alternative paths and provided a deeper understanding of the nature of reflection.

Keywords:

• pre‐service teachers
• reflective practice
• teacher narratives