Pre-service teachers' reflection on reflective thinking in teacher education : a study in Babylon

Abstract EN

Reflective thinking is essential to identifying, analyzing, and solving the complex problems and challenges teachers face in their profession.

Teacher educators need to pay particular attention to the way they construct learning experiences to foster the capabilities and attributes that distinguish reflective teachers (Larrivee,2010).This study reports a research work that examined 51 pre-service teachers regarding their perception about reflection after they completed their four years programme.

Majority of pre-service teachers reported reflection as an important activity in improving their teaching performance, discovering their strengths and weakness, providing measures for innovation in education.

The focus of use reflection was mainly related to teaching tasks only.

The responses also indicated that they want to reflect with others and in groups and considered writing about the reflection as little more than moderately useful.

They reflect on assigned themes more than on unassigned themes.

The study has implications for curriculum planners, teacher educators, and pre-service teachers themselves too.