Using video-stimulated thinking aloud protocols as reflective tools to enhance teacher development

Reflection is recognized as a crucial and fundamental competence for pre-service teachers to develop their teaching skills, experience and professional knowledge (Cavanagh & Prescott, 2010). Teachers making use of critical reflection are reported to be able to control their own development and to ensure professional improvement (Cornish and Jenkins, 2012, as cited in Coffey, 2014). Therefore, it is of great importance to provide pre-service teachers with necessary training in reflection through the most effective means (Coffey, 2014). The use of VSR has been reported to support and increase teachers' reflectivity by important studies such as Rosaen et al, (2010); Sherin & Van Es, (2002). In the light of these information and depending on the researcher's own experience as a former pre-service teacher with limited experience in reflection, the purpose of the current study was to present the effectiveness of VSR technique as a tool of reflection to be utilized by teacher training programs. To accomplish this, answers to three questions were sought. Firstly, pre-service teachers' levels of written (traditional) reflection and levels of verbal reflection were determined according to Hatton and Smith's (1995) reflection parameters (1-descriptive writing, 2- descriptive reflection, 3- dialogical reflection, 4- critical reflection). Secondly, the difference between their levels in written and verbal reflection were compared to shed light on the effects of VSR on pre-service teachers' reflectivity. Thirdly, participating pre-service teachers' perceptions about the use of VSR were questioned. The present study made use of qualitative research methods. VSR interviews and written reflective assignments were the main tools of data collection. The verbal data consisted of interviews made with four pre-service teachers after each micro-teaching they performed at practicum schools. The written data contained their reflective papers (self-evaluation reports, weekly observation reports and final reflective reports) they submitted as a requirement of the practicum course. The data was classified according to Hatton and Smith's parameters sentence by sentence. After that, the analysis was completed in two stages. An in-depth analysis was done to understand each 3 participant's cases through within-case analysis. Similarities and differences among these 3 participants were identified by the use of cross-case analysis. The findings revealed that the participants do not employ higher –order types of reflection either in VSR interviews or in written reflective assignments. They were found to be non-reflective in both reflective papers and VSR interviews. They usually preferred to give summaries of classroom events rather than reflecting on them. The reflection category with the highest frequency was found to be the descriptive reflection, which is the easiest and less demanding type of reflection. VSR technique was found to be an effective reflection tool since the reflectivity levels for each reflection category increased after the use of VSR compared to the levels in written reflective assignments. Finally, it was found that all pre-service teachers' perceptions about VSR was quite positive.