More about strategies to improve the quality of joint reflection based on the theory-practice relationship during practicum seminars

Abstract

The present study focuses on students’ reflection during practicum seminars. The practicum is the ideal setting for reflection. Three levels of reflection have been identified. The second and third, which address the theory-practice relationship, guarantee quality in reflection. This relationship has been researched through participation patterns and tutor assistance. In this paper, we try to clarify which strategies elicit a higher quality of joint reflection. To this end, a case study was performed in the context of the Practicum III course (30 ECTS credits), taken in the fourth and final year of a bachelor’s degree program in Primary Education. 2 tutors and 10 student teachers (all women) participated in the study. The student teachers jointly analyzed several real situations that occurred during their practicum. The seminars were recorded, transcribed and coded for subsequent interactivity and content analysis. Five situations were analyzed. At the second level of reflection, the theory-practice relationship emerged during the interpretative pattern when the tutor gave assistance that facilitated a theoretical framework and academic knowledge to the student teachers, who were attempting to understand and/or solve the dilemmas of the situation under consideration. These interactions were able to mitigate the power of the ‘apprenticeship of observation’.