A Practitioner •Inquiry into Pre-Service Efl Reflective Practicum of Haramaya University: A Condition of Inability to Reflect and Determinants of Effective Reflection
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The thrust of this study was experiential observatioll of pre-service EFL student teachers'
inability to reflect in/on their practices at Haramaya University practicum context. The
overall aim of the study was to, firstly, critically analyze the problem in its context with
the intention to understand the facts of the situation of the problem and, secondly, make
an mqUIry into ways for maximizing the student teachers' ability to reflect in their
context.
A qualitative paradigm and practitioner inquiry design were adopted. Grounded Theory
Method of data analysis was employed to systematically thematize, categorize and
discover patterns and processes in the data. Ten student teachers, as respondents and
practitioners, as well as four of their teacher educators, as informants, were selected by
means of purposeful sampling, to take part in the study. Participant observation methods
that involve unobtrusive observation, complete classroom observation, unstructured
interview reflective journaling and discussions and practicum document gathering were
used to collect qualitative data.
The findings of the Contextual Analysis showed that the core factor for the EFL student
teachers' inability to reflect is mainly their lack of effective reflection tools for reflectionforlon/
about-actions and lack of effective time for reflection-in-action. The data suggests
that, consequently, the central strategy of reflective practice they adopted was
overdependence on and replication of the existing school syllabi without critical
reflection. Based on these Contextual Analysis findings an Inquiry was next conducted,
whereby participant student teachers were engaged on reflective journaling for two
semesters. The findings of the Inquiry showed significant levels of improvement in their
ability to reflect for/in/on action. For instance, the data analysis showed that they steadily
began to reduce non-reflective behaviors sllch as over-advocating own actions,
protectionism of self and peers, and exchange of distorted information, each of which
initially blocked reflectivity. Gradually, they began to take such reflective actions as
reflective observation of pupils' behaviors, reflective planning of lessons and actions,reflective classroom acts such as appreciative judgments of pupils' behavior, revision of
some taken for granted assumptions, promotion of sharing of information in classrooms
and effective time management. Yet, some non-reflectivity behaviors such as context
dilemma continued to persist due to influence of macro factors. All the domains of EFL
reflective skills- Engli sh, teaching and inquiry- improved.
From the findings, a conclusion has been reached that the student teachers' inability to
effectively reflect related to their lack of effective reflection tools and control over lesson
times and materials. By providing these conditions, student teachers' potential to
effectively reflect and reconstruct new skills and knowledge from their experience can be
prompted. Studies on conditions for cross-institutional and interdi sciplinary practitioners'
reflection are suggested as a major further area to be researched.