The use of critical reflection manual in writing reflective journal: a case study of Malaysian student teachers’ perceptions

Reflective journal writing is a common tool for reflection to engage student teachers (STs) in reflective practice during teacher clinical experience (TCE) or teaching practicum. However, studies have shown that STs who have undergone the TCE often demonstrated low levels of reflection in their reflective writings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to discuss the effectiveness of critical reflection manual (CRM) in promoting critical reflection among STs during TCE based on the STs’ perceptions. The CRM is developed through a systematic review of literature on various models of reflection, tools for reflection and approaches to developing a manual. It is developed specifically to guide STs to engage in critical reflection in their reflective writings during TCE. Primary data were collected from in-depth interviews and analysed by using content analysis technique. Eight STs from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) who were given exposure to the CRM during TCE were purposely selected to be interviewed. The findings indicated that the use of CRM by the STs had an overall positive impact. In addition, most STs gave positive perceptions of the CRM and provided several suggestions for improving the effectiveness of this CRM

Student teachers’ level of reflection during teacher clinical experience: A case study in a Malaysian university

This study investigated student teachers’ (ST)level of reflection during teacher clinical experience (TCE). It sought to analyse the level of reflection among STs from a Malaysian university in the current practice of reflective writing and after given exposure to the critical reflection manual (CRM)during TCE. This study used Van Manen’s (1977) three-stage model (technical, practical and critical) to determine the level of reflection based on STs’ self-reflection notes in their daily lesson plan books (for the current practice of reflective writing)and weekly reflective journal writings (for STs who were given exposure to the CRM). The participants consisted of seven STs who were undergoing TCE from February to June 2014 (for the current practice) and eleven STs who were undergoing TCE from July to October 2015 (for those given exposure to the CRM). Each participant’s level of reflection was analysed based on Van Manen’s (1977) categorisation of levels of reflection. Results of the analyses showed that STs were barely reflective, demonstrating very low level of reflection for the current practice of reflective writing while STs exhibited practical and critical levels of reflection after given exposure to the CRM. Interpretations of the results are presented and recommendations are discussed within thecontext of the study

The challenge of producing progressive teachers in Malaysia: a case study of reflective writings among UPSI student teachers

Because Malaysia is determined to produce high quality teachers who are able to become agents of change and empowered decision makers about their teaching practices, it becomes the responsibility of teacher education institutions in the country to train teachers to be reflective. This study examines 428 self-reflection notes (SRNs) of seven student teachers (STs) sampled from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) during their teaching practicum. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to gauge the STs’ perceptions of the SRNs and identify the problems faced by them during reflection. The main aspects of the SRNs were feedback and assessment, lesson implementation, lesson preparation, classroom management and professional attributes. The reflection level of the STs was analyzed based on Van Manen’s categorization using content analysis of the SRNs reflective components. The findings revealed that majority of the research participants were barely reflective as their SRNs were mostly exhibiting at technical level. There were also SRNs that were at practical level but none of them had achieved the highest (critical) level of reflection. Among the problems encountered by STs when reflecting were the absence of a given format in writing SRNs, time constraints, workload problems, difficulty in suggesting recommendations to overcome problems, lack of guidance from supervising lecturers, and problems in determining aspects of focus in the SRNs

The Analysis of UPSI Teacher Clinical Experience In Comparative Perspective and Suggestion for New Teacher Clinical Experience Structure

This study was conducted to compare and discuss the teacher clinical experience structure offered by the Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) and the chosen universities from Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Australia. This comparative analysis is carried out using a qualitative approach which will focus on the purposes, duration, timing and phases or components of the teacher clinical experience offered by the UPSI and the chosen universities. This analysis has identified that the time allocation for the teacher clinical experience of the UPSI was too short; the timing for pre-service teachers to undergo teacher clinical experience was inappropriate, and the phases or components of teacher clinical experience adopted was insufficient. This paper will suggest a new teacher clinical experience structure and provide implications that can be learnt by the UPSI from other universities abroad to enhance its existing teacher clinical experience