A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
How reflective are teachers? – A study of kindergarten teachers' and special teachers' levels in reflection in day care
Subtitle: A study of kindergarten teachers' and special teachers' levels in reflection in day care
Authors: Pihlaja Päivi, Holst Teija
Publisher: Routledge
Publication year: 2013
Journal: Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research
Number in series: 2
Volume: 57
Issue: 2
First page : 182
Last page: 198
Number of pages: 17
ISSN: 0031-3831
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2011.628691(external)
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' reflections of their early childhood special education work in Finnish day care. Work contents and work roles have faced many challenges in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), and therefore general reflection and research need to be developed. Teachers (n = 218) evaluated, via an electronic survey, the work fields of ECSE. Reflectivity is assessed by means of open-ended questions in the different fields of ECSE. All the answers were divided into the following categories: the technical, practical, and critical level of reflection. The researchers compared their evaluations and found the baseline to be very similar. The data revealed that the reflectivity was mainly at the technical level. It was almost impossible to reach the critical reflection level.
The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' reflections of their early childhood special education work in Finnish day care. Work contents and work roles have faced many challenges in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), and therefore general reflection and research need to be developed. Teachers (n = 218) evaluated, via an electronic survey, the work fields of ECSE. Reflectivity is assessed by means of open-ended questions in the different fields of ECSE. All the answers were divided into the following categories: the technical, practical, and critical level of reflection. The researchers compared their evaluations and found the baseline to be very similar. The data revealed that the reflectivity was mainly at the technical level. It was almost impossible to reach the critical reflection level.
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