The Relationship between Instructional Domain and the Content of Reflection among Preservice Teachers

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between the nature of the structured reflective experience provided in preservice teacher education and the content of preservice teachers' reflection. The study investigated whether the amount of reflection varied based on the instructional domain of a reflective teaching lesson (RTL) or whether the content of reflection varied based on the instructional domain of the RTL. Seventy-five preservice education teachers participated in the study. Each was presented with a reflective essay, written by preservice teachers after presenting a RTL to a group of four to six peers in an introductory pedagogy course, and previously analyzed for the content of reflection. Results suggest the following considerations for teacher educators: (1) RTLs are equally effective in stimulating reflective thought despite content differences; (2) reflective thinking will probably focus on implementation, planning, self, and the reflective experience; (3) the content or topics of reflection within those broad categories will vary based on the instructional domain and learning tasks of the RTL. (LL)