Let’s get real! : exploring in-service English teachers’ reflective practices in a Hong Kong primary school

Abstract

In recent years, reflection has become a core component in many teacher education programs and professional development endeavors. The literature reveals abundant theorizing of what teacher reflective practice (TRP) “should be”, its potential benefits and ways to help foster it in pre-service teachers. However, few studies seek to first understand it as it is in the realities of in-service teachers’ work life and its efficacy in practice, especially in the Hong Kong context in an era of increasing accountability. This qualitative multi-case study aims to explore three in-service English teachers’ reflective practices in a Hong Kong public primary school. Specifically, it investigates: 1) Why, what and how do the teachers reflect in the school setting? And 2) What is the relationship between their daily reflective practices and the work nature in their workplace? The first research question zooms in to explore in-service TRP as it naturally occurs in the school context. Three dualities in the literature (technical vs. critical, introspective vs. social, and cognitive vs. affective) were used as a guide for the inquiry. Using Bandura’s (1986) triadic reciprocal determinism framework, the second research question zooms out to synthesize a more holistic, contextualized understanding of TRP. The dual approach (micro- & macro-view) aims to arrive at a more comprehensive, ecological and realistic conception of reflection that is more relevant to practitioners. The study employs a range of ethnographic methods including semi-structured interviews, non-participant “shadowing” observations, participant observations, a researcher’s diary, as well as document and artifactual data. The study contributes both methodologically and conceptually. The combined use of interviews and shadowing observations proved to be advantageous in yielding alternative perspectives about in-service TRP. The findings revealed that in-service TRP is a situated phenomenon with the interplay of the environment, person and behavior. It necessarily involves teacher cognition, affective capabilities, decision- making and consideration of contextual factors. The environmental factors (i.e. the assessment culture, the expanded teacher role and the “no time” issue) were found dominant in affecting in-service TRP in the form of trade-offs which the teachers made in reconciling the conflicts within the hard realities of their daily work. These empirical findings hope to engender more productive research and constructive dialogues about reflection in ways that enhance its utility to its supposed beneficiaries – the in-service teachers.