Powerful Reflections Result from Quality Questions: The Influence of Posed Questions on Elementary Preservice Teachers' Field-Based Reflections

Reflection is considered a vital tool in shaping and informing preservice teachers' understanding of teaching and learning, especially in the context of field-based experiences. In this qualitative study, the field experience reflective journals of 2 groups of elementary education preservice teachers provided data to determine the influence of posed questions on reflective responses. Questions posed to 1 group were general in nature, although the questions posed to the second group were specific and included verbiage aimed at promoting reasoning and justification. Findings were that the careful crafting and posing of specific questions improves preservice teachers' abilities to reflect at varying levels with increased depth of reflection and enhanced application of course theory to instructional practice. (Contains 2 tables.)