Reflective thinking skills of pre-service teachers: An action research

This study focuses on Donald Schön's notion of reflective practice for pre-service teachers in practicum settings. The aim of this study is to analyze the reflective thinking skills of pre-service teachers and to identify factors that contribute to the development of reflective thinking skills. Within this process, it analyzes how pre-service teachers' use their reflective thinking skills on teaching process, how they can solve problems using this skills and how they use reflective thinking into their own thinking process. In relation to these, it analyzes what pre-service teachers reflect upon and what factors enhance reflection. This study was conducted in the form of an action research in qualitative research paradigm. The study was conducted with 6 pre-service teachers in fourth grade at Akdeniz University Faculty of Education Department of Classroom Teaching during the 2013-2014 academic year. Data collection consisted of weekly guided reflective journal entries, tape-recorded reflective interactions and interviews, camera-recorded practicum lessons/settings, mid-course and end-of-course perception questionnaires and peer feedbacks. The data were collected from diaries of teacher training students who kept diaries on a regular base and interviews in groups of three teacher training students which involved their personal thoughts and interpretations of their practice in period of 10 weeks. Also they were provided to observe and assessment each other's practices and engage in constructive suggestions on the implementation in this process. Content analysis method was employed in the data. The study showed that student teachers reflect on teaching practices with regard to four basic element of curriculum development: objectives, content, teaching-learning process and evaluation. It was indicated that the pre-service teachers focused primarily on the instructional processes (strategies, methods, techniques, activities, materials, student motivation, classroom atmosphere, classroom management, time management, the next course design decisions, etc.) The study revealed that following factors was important in development of pre-service teachers' reflective thinking skills in this process: to gain experience in specific teaching environments, to use video recordings related to practice, peer observations and suggestions, interaction about teaching practices during the past learning interviews, weekly journaling, planing for the next lesson in accordance with reflective decisions and supporting environment for a long-term interactions, pedagogical knowledge and interaction with school advisor. Key words: Reflective Thinking, Teacher Education, Practicum Settings, Action Research