ERIC Number: EJ1031751
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1941-5257
EISSN: N/A
Developing Teachers' Reflective Practice: An Explorative Study of Teachers' Professional Learning Experience in a Private Lebanese School
Shabeeb, Lina El Ashi; Akkary, Rima Karami
Professional Development in Education, v40 n3 p376-397 2014
This article examines the in-house professional development program in a private school in Lebanon and the approach it adopts to train teachers on reflective practice. It identifies the contextual factors in the school that teachers perceive as supporting their professional learning of reflective practice, and investigates the teachers' perceptions of the impact of this professional learning experience on enhancing their ability and understanding of reflective practice. The study adopted a qualitative case-study design guided by interpretive epistemology to explore the meaning that the participants gave to their professional learning experiences as they developed their reflective skills within the organizational context of a professional learning community. The study finds that the school vision of building a professional learning community combined with an in-house professional development program that provides structured opportunities for professional collaboration have set conditions that successfully promote the teachers' ability to reflect on their practice. However, despite the promises of the school approach for promoting reflective practice, the study reveals two areas for improvement: differences in the teachers' and administrations' interpretations of reflection; and a limited view that both teachers and administrations hold of reflection and how it can be practiced at higher levels.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Faculty Development, Private Schools, Reflective Teaching, Qualitative Research, Case Studies, Epistemology, Communities of Practice, Teacher Collaboration, Program Effectiveness, Context Effect, Teacher Attitudes, Elementary School Teachers, Grounded Theory, Interviews, Observation, Barriers, Holistic Approach
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Lebanon
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A