Browsing by Subject "Reflective Practice"

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    A Qualitative Study Exploring Early Childhood Interventionists' Experiences of Ongoing Participation in a Reflective Consultation Program
    (2014-08) Harrison, Mary
    Background: Reflective Consultation (or Reflective Supervision) is a model of professional support and development for practitioners working with families and young children who, in many cases, are facing multiple stressors. Designed to bring principles of Infant Mental Health to non-mental health practitioners, this model is now widely used in several federally funded, evidence-based programs. Despite its growing utilization, there exists little empirical research examining the implementation, essential elements of the model, or its impact on practitioners or clients. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore one model of Reflective Consultation as experienced by a group of early childhood practitioners and to contribute their voices and perspectives to the growing body of research. Methods: Qualitative research methods were used to answer the research question: how do early childhood interventionists experience the Reflective Consultation Program? Practitioners who had participated in Reflective Consultation for one year or more were invited to participate and fifteen agreed. Semi-structured interviews were audiotaped and analyzed for both variable and comparative case-based themes. Results: Variable-based analysis showed that most practitioners experienced an iterative process of release, reframe, refocus, and respond as part of their ongoing participation in the Reflective Consultation program. Participants described a shift between feeling helpless, hopeless, and overwhelmed by the stressors their clients faced to feeling a greater sense of self-efficacy in being able to better refocus and respond to the needs of their clients. A comparative, cased-base analysis raised questions about for whom and under what circumstances the program may be most beneficial, for example, based on the professionals' tolerance for discussion and reflection on emotions, or the characteristics of the agency or existing supervision. Participants described the incorporation of the reflective processes they had experienced in the large group into their smaller team meetings and peer conversations.
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    Understanding Teacher Professional Identity Development: An Exploration of Secondary Science Teacher Beliefs and Practices Through Reflective Practice
    (2019-08) Titu, Preethi
    Teachers' beliefs about science teaching are established and nurtured through their own experiences as learners. While teacher beliefs have a significant impact on their classroom practices and provide a strong basis for their classroom actions, teachers’ sense of identity has been shown to play a key role in their understanding of their own actions (Kelchtermans, 2005). New teachers are forced to confront their professional identities on a regular basis and in multiple ways during their beginning years in the profession (Thomas & Beauchamp, 2011). A greater understanding of their own identities can assist new teachers as they face many of the challenges in their careers. This longitudinal qualitative study followed three beginning science teachers throughout a three-year induction period. The study used a framework of evolving teacher identity modified from Beauchamp and Thomas (2006) to explore the teachers’ identity development in terms of their classroom roles and responsibilities, the ways they think of and describe themselves as professionals, and their beliefs and practices about their classroom teaching and student learning. The research design employed is an exploratory multiple case study (Yin, 2014) of three teachers working in high need schools. Data were collected from multiple sources, including classroom observations, teacher interviews, and reflective journals. The findings provide insight into how beginning teachers perceived their identities based on the three themes: (a) role as a teacher; (b) teaching practice, and (c) enhancing student learning. The findings indicated that the beginning teachers’ roles had fluctuated between “authoritative” and “facilitator” over the first three years as they struggled with classroom management. In two cases, the teachers reverted to direct instruction during their first and second year, but over time they developed routines and pedagogical strategies to implement more student-centered, hands-on lessons aligned with their identity as “facilitator.” In the third case, the teacher’s practice maintained throughout the three years was primarily lecture with an occasional hands-on activity to promote student engagement, as opposed to learning. This traditional practice was aligned with his beliefs about his role as a teacher and how students learn in spite of his stated identity as a “guide.” This study informs teacher educators about the importance of reflection as they work to prepare future teachers and support in-service teachers in developing their identities and shaping their beliefs toward teaching in their classroom.