Student Teachers Reflective Learning Practices Within Secondary School Teacher Education Curriculum Implementation Processes At Bahir Dar University

In this study attempts were made to explore student teachers’ reflective learning practicesrnby taking levels and forms of reflection into account. It was also planned to examinernwhether or not teacher education curriculum implementation processes were facilitativernfor student teachers reflective learning practices through examining different actors’rninvolvement. Qualitative case study was the design of the study. Eight purposivelyrnselected student teachers (3 females and 5 males) and four teacher educators (1 femalernand 3 males) were participating in the study. Multiple data gathering instruments such asrninterview, observations and document analysis were employed. Analysis andrninterpretation were made following multiple qualitative case study design with thernapplication of pattern matching, case-by-case and then inter-case analysis technique.rnAccordingly, the following major findings were obtained. In general terms, even thoughrnstudent teachers were good enough in conceptualizing the theoretical frames of learningrnand reflective learning practices, their status in reflective learning practice is found to bernin its descriptive level and theoretical type of reflections. They were less-engaged in thernproductive and higher level (e.g. critical reflection) and practical type of reflection. Thisrninformed that student teachers’ reflective learning practices were below the expectedrnstandards. Of the three levels of reflection fixed in this study, descriptive level ofrnreflection stood first and followed by comparative level of reflection with rare occurrencernof critical level of reflection. In contrast, student teachers sometimes were being totallyrnnon-reflective particularly in their practical learning engagements such as in teachingrnpractices and examination responses. In terms of forms of reflection, student teachers didrnbetter on reflection-on-action than reflection-in-action, which indeed was better than howrnon reflection-for-action, was practiced. The process of curriculum implementation, inrngeneral, was theory-focused and close-ended which did not as such facilitative andrnencouraging student teachers’ towards reflective learning practices especially forrnpractical type of reflection. Except the curriculum materials, as a document, which wererntaken as an opportunity, the other actors (teacher educators, student teachers, andrnmanagement body) of curriculum implementation processes were not supportive enoughrnto facilitating reflective learning practices. In view of the findings, this study suggestsrnthat the teacher education management system in general and teacher educators inrnparticular should encourage student teachers towards reflective learning practices byrndesigning and delivering mainly open-ended and practice-focused contents/tasks and ofrncourse through initiating self-critiques, critiques among professional colleagues andrnstudent teachers as well. This can be realized with informed consent and positive mindsetrnof the management body, the teacher educators and student teachers about reflectivernteacher education paradigm

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