An Investigation into the Level of Reflection and Barriers to EFL Teachers’ Reflective Practice

Abstract

The present study aimed at investigating English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' level of reflection and the barriers to their reflection. To do so, based on an experimental research method, 98 EFL teachers were recruited and the English language teacher reflection inventory (ELTRI) was distributed among them. To consolidate the findings of the inventory, 20 volunteers from the same pool were interviewed. As the next phase of the study, to investigate the barriers to the teachers' reflectivity, the same participants were given an open-ended questionnaire to probe their ideas about barriers to reflective practice. Based on the obtained data and the related literature, a Barriers to Reflective Practice Questionnaire (BRPQ) was developed and distributed among the participants. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, one sample t-test, and content analysis were employed. The findings revealed that EFL teachers did not practice reflection at high levels. They considered top-down curriculum, disrespect for teachers' authority, teachers' inclination to the conventional teaching practice, lack of appropriate context for reflection, teachers' workload, and lack of appropriate training courses as the most important factors which bar their reflection. Teacher education programs should raise EFL teachers' awareness regarding the concept and use of reflective practice.

The Use of Vlogs and Collaborative Reflection in Teacher Education

“…This study presented the findings related to the student teachers' reflections on their teaching practices. In teacher education, teachers' reflections cannot be separated from their professional development of teachers (DeLuca,2022;Körkkö, 2021;Orakcı, 2021;Schön, 1983, Slade et al, 2019Farahian & Rajabi, 2022;Van Beveren et al, 2018). According to Tripp and Rich (2012:678), in reflection teachers put themselves into "investigative process" in which they evaluate the consequences of their teaching with the purpose of developing their teaching.…”