Learning Objectives

• What is reflection in scholarship?
• What components make up a reflection journal article?

Reflection

As we have seen in several of the modules about Ernest Boyer’s domains, one of the most important parts of faculty scholarly engagement is reflection. Reflective practice can be used for a faculty member to analyze and evaluate any of the scholarly activities these modules have discussed (Discovery, Integration, Application, and Teaching and Learning), practical problems/issues, or other processes related to a specific concept or discipline. Reflection allows for a deeper understanding of such to create change or to share with others.

Education reflection stems from several theorists on the topic, starting with John Dewey. Dewey (1933) contended that reflection was an active, deliberate process to examine practice, and necessary for growth as a teacher. He said reflection can happen as a person looks back on an event, or it can happen while doing (reflection-in-action). According to Rodgers (2002), reflection should:

• Make meaning and connections by moving a person from experience to experience and from idea to idea
• Become a “systematic, rigorous, disciplined way of thinking…” (p. 845).
• Occur in a community or in personal interactions
• Value the individual’s and others’ personal and intellectual growth 

Finlay (2008) stated that reflective practice “is understood as the process of learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and/or practice” (p. 1). As faculty, it can be easy to get in a rut of doing the same thing in our classes repeatedly. But reflection asks us to take a step back and really consider what is working, what is not, and what can be changed. When such purposeful reflection occurs, problems can be resolved.

Practitioners can use reflection to think about teaching practices and how to better them. Reflection can be used to consider how an interdisciplinary project went. And reflection can be used to think about how a service project went. Reflection can also become a form of scholarship by writing up the reflection and publishing it in academic journal. 

Often a reflection article contains the following components:

• An abstract
• An introduction
• A statement of the problem; identify the problem, whether that problem was known or unexpected
• A statement of purpose: what is the reason for this reflection?
• A description; describe the activity or project in detail, including context and participants
• A discussion of proposed reasons for the problem and evaluating these reasons with outside support (i.e., literature, theories, models, and so forth)
• An evaluation; explain the reasons for the problem based on the evidence
• A reflective critique
• A conclusion
• A reference list

Keep in mind that when writing a reflective article, the author should consider all audiences, including the professional practitioner who may learn from your reflection and the broader scholarly community. Research journals and what their criteria are for reflective practice articles and read reflective practice articles to get a sense of what is expected. 

Reflection should include a deep examination of values and beliefs, even ethical implications, such as grading student work. When faculty engage in reflective practice and self-efficacy, they modify skills and try new strategies (Larrivee, 2000). Reflective thinking should occur continually, evaluating beliefs and behavior against evidence. 

References and Suggested Readings

Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Chicago, IL: Henry Regnery Co. 

Finlay, L. (2008). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL paper, 52, 1-27.

Larrivee, B. (2000). Transforming teaching practice: Becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective Practice, 1(3), 293-307.

Rodgers, C. (2002). Defining reflection: Another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking. Teachers College Record, 104(4), 842-866.