Abstract:

Reflective thinking is an important aspect of meta-cognitive thinking. Studies show that reflective techniques – critical portfolios and reflective journals, for example – help students consolidate and assess their learning of a discipline and its practices.

In the case of student teachers, written reflection techniques portray their meta-cognition processes: what they think about teaching, their beliefs and perceptions, and their attitudes toward their professional self-image.

The aim of this study was to characterize the meta-cognitive thinking of second- and third-year student teachers in a “teaching practice” course to identify the themes that emerge in their reflective journals . Forty journal entries (20 per year) were examined using a thematic analysis technique.

Findings indicate that second-year students tend more to think about and self-test interpersonal relationships between themselves and their classmates during the lesson; third-year students tend more to analyze metacognitive thinking processes and self-test internal aspects of their professional development, such as their sense of self-efficacy and capabilities.

Keywords:

Reflection, reflective practices, professional development, metacognitive development.