Evaluating the reflective levels and barriers to reflection of teachers in a high school in the Maldives / Basma Abdul Muhsin

Abstract:

This study evaluated the levels of reflection attained by three high school teachers in the Maldives and analysed the barriers to reflection that they faced at different level of reflection. This is a qualitative research that use a case study approach and a narrative analysis. Participants were selected using purposive sampling to select teachers who are aware of reflection. Data was collected through native interviews with three experienced teachers. Interviews were analysed using framework analysis and narrative analysis. Farrell's (2016) level of reflection and dewey (1910) stages of reflective process were used to evaluate the level of the reflection attained by the participants. The research findings show that all the teachers have reflected at almost level of reflection identified by Farrell (2016). However, not a single teacher reported further investigation through research in their reflective process. As a result, the reflection carried out by all the teachers were minimum reflection by Dewey's (1910) standards. Several barriers to reflection were also reported by participants at different level of reflection. At the level of visible reflection, barriers from within teachers include poor understanding of reflection and its significance, confidence and experience in teaching personality and ways of thinking staticity and desensitisation in teacher and lack of priority. Barriers to visible reflection from the environment includes lack of infrastructure and resource to support reflection, stressful, busy schedule, heavy workload and multiple roles at work, lack of appreciation, lack of regular, formal and collaborative reflection in departments and exam oriented culture. Barriers to invisible level of reflection, from within teacher, is getting use to reflecting at surface level. To the same level, barriers from the environment includes, lack of time to reflect deeply and lack of a conducive for reflection.