critical reflection in action research

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Strengthening quality through critical reflection and action research

Authors:  Linda Newman, Nicole Leggett, Melissa Duffy-Fagan and Kate Higginbottom Published:  2018 Pages: 32 ECA code:  RIP1804

Practitioners are increasingly being expected to engage in their own research and work towards quality improvement. At the same time, professional learning for continuous improvement is expected and sometimes mandated for early childhood educators. This Research in Practice Series title focuses on critical reflection and showcases how educators can think about issues more deeply and in divergent ways to support practitioner research. This is important for early childhood settings and forms a crucial part of educators’ professional learning processes because it provides a scaffold for examining thinking, issues and events, and allows educators to move beyond ‘usual practices’ and unexamined thinking. It provides a platform to begin constructive change.

When critical reflection is used alongside action research, it can be transformative for practice at personal and whole-service levels. A practical explanation of action research is included in the book to support educators in their professional learning journey towards becoming critically reflective practitioner-researchers. Two case studies are included that show action research projects. These will assist educators in imagining and planning their own practitioner action research aimed at improving quality in centres.

To purchase your copy today, please click here . Or to buy a subscription to the series online, please  click here .

Developing Critical Reflection as a Research Method

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• Jan Fook PhD 6  

Part of the book series: Practice, Education, Work and Society ((PEWS,volume 5))

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Critical reflection is normally used in professional learning settings to assist practitioners to improve practice. I have worked for some time using critical reflection in this way with many different types of professionals. Over time, however, I have been impressed by the deeper and more complex understanding of practice experience which the process enables, and which practitioners themselves often cannot initially express. And so I have begun to speculate about the research potential of the critical reflection process, and whether it might be developed as a research method to allow better formulations of practice experience, and therefore, ultimately, better practice.

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Fook, J. (2011). Developing Critical Reflection as a Research Method. In: Higgs, J., Titchen, A., Horsfall, D., Bridges, D. (eds) Creative Spaces for Qualitative Researching. Practice, Education, Work and Society, vol 5. SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-761-5_6

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Designing critical reflection for service-learning

One of the primary components that distinguishes service and volunteerism from service-learning (also known as community-engaged learning) is critical reflection. Intentionally designed reflection that evokes critical thinking about the service (or other applied or engaged experience) can help learners avoid thinking simplistically and reinforcing stereotypes, and can help them learn about course content and how they learn. During a food distribution event I (Lori) participated in, my students noticed a participant selectively choosing items from the line and leaving some behind. Initially, my students assumed that the person didn’t need as much food since they declined certain items. However, through a group critical reflection session after the event, we reflected together. The students explored alternative interpretations; such as the person trying to avoid wasting food or simply having personal food preferences or food allergies. This reflective process fostered empathy and strengthened the connection between my students and the individuals receiving the food assistance.

In this latest entry of the What is Service-Learning? blog series, we discuss the opportunities provided by critical reflection to enhance learning. We describe a popular, research-grounded model of critical reflection that can be applied in any curricular or co-curricular context and across disciplines to guide and structure reflection in service-learning (or any other experiential learning process). Lastly, we share important considerations for designing critical reflection to make visible some of the various approaches to designing reflection. 

What is critical reflection?

One of the founders of experiential learning, John Dewey, emphasized that while experience provides a foundation for learning, it is actually making meaning of (reflecting on) the experience that generates learning, not the experience itself. When we think about integrating service-learning into a course, then, it is not sufficient to simply incorporate service experiences and assume students will learn from them. It is essential to thoughtfully design critical reflection that is woven through these experiences, both so that meaningful learning occurs and so that the full range of relationships and outcomes deepen over time. Specifically, it’s important to use reflection to connect service experiences to the various learning goals. Those goals might include academic learning goals (e.g., course concepts, disciplinary perspectives), civic learning goals (e.g., power, systems), personal growth goals (e.g., communication, values) generally associated with service-learning (See the What is Service-Learning blog in this series).

As you design reflection in your course (or other context), one of the first things to think about is how to surface and push aside the baggage often associated with the term reflection. In our culture and in many disciplines (and in the past experience of many of our students), “reflection” evokes writing in a diary and keeping it hidden, spending time off task on “fluff,” thinking only about yourself and your feelings, summarizing what you are doing (like an activity log), and/or looking backwards. That baggage is not helpful, and can even get in the way, if we are to use the process to generate learning and improve practice. Dewey said that reflection involves thinking about what we know, why it matters, and why we think we know it. Service-learning scholars have defined it as making meaning of experiences in light of learning goals. Framed this way, reflection is about taking multiple perspectives, about looking for evidence and counter-evidence for our knowledge claims, about building our capacities for critical thinking, and about making and deepening connections between our own ideas and experiences and those of others. As I (Patti) explain it: “Critical reflection puts lenses (i.e., prompts) between the learner and the experience so that they see the presence, or sometimes the absence, of the stuff we want to learn about and then push, push, push their thinking about it to a new and actionable level.” Using the adjective “critical” can help everyone involved to think about and use the process not as “touchy feely” or “soft” but rather in terms of its necessary connection to critical thinking and to the fundamental question-posing, power analysis, and systems thinking associated with critical theory.

How can I structure critical reflection?

Once we know what learning we are after – “we” here meaning instructors, of course, but also potentially community members and students, all of whom can work together to determine the learning goals of any particular service-learning activity – we can develop reflection prompts and processes accordingly. It is helpful to have a structure to guide yourself and your learners through the meaning making process. We explain the DEAL Model of Critical Reflection in detail as it is widely used within the field of service-learning and lends itself to making close connections between learning goals and experience. However, there are other reflection models you might want to check out (e.g., What? So What? Now What? ; The ORID Group Reflection Process ; The ABCs of Reflection ).

Ash and Clayton (2009) suggest that critical reflection is a designed process of guiding learners through prompted inquiry that “ generates learning (articulating questions, confronting bias, examining causality, contrasting theory with practice, pointing to systemic issues), deepens learning (challenging simplistic conclusions, inviting alternative perspectives, asking “why” iteratively), and documents learning (producing tangible expressions of new understandings for evaluation)” (p. 27). Their DEAL Model walks learners through three steps: D escribe, E xamine, A rticulate L earning.

• D escribe: Prompts in the describe step solicit objective observations and details – as if the person reflecting were a fly on the wall, noting the “what” / “who” / “when” / “where” / “how” of the experience.
• E xamine: The examine step prompts meaning making specifically in terms of learning goals or objectives such as academic content, civic learning, or personal growth.
•   A rticulate L earning:The final step, articulate learning , supports learners in further (metacognitively) developing their learning (including its sources and significance) and setting goals related to ideas considered in the examine phase, thus generating actionable learning to improve thinking, partnerships, and practice.

(See example DEAL-based and other critical reflection activities on Patti’s website). DEAL has associated feedback tools and rubrics, grounded in Critical Thinking Standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy.

What should I consider when designing critical reflection?

Using DEAL or another model as your guide, critical reflection can be designed in a variety of ways to generate learning in different contexts. Here, we list some considerations or choice points regarding the design of critical reflection. As you develop reflection activities, keep in mind that one of the principles of best practice is to incorporate reflection at multiple points, weaving multiple activities of different types together. An interactive approach that builds upon previous experiences and reflections is a great overall strategy.

• Reflection can take various forms: written (e.g., guided journals, essays), oral (e.g., team discussion), audiovisual (e.g, digital stories), embodied (e.g., movement based), artistic (e.g., drawing), etc. It might be done in person or online. Consider a mixture for different learning styles.
• Reflection can be individual or collaborative; best may be a mix of both. Collaborative reflection might involve other students (peers enrolled in the class; student reflection facilitators), community members, service-learning staff, and, of course, you.
• Reflection should occur before, during/throughout, and after service experiences. Before an experience, students can be asked to think about their assumptions and expectations going into it as well as its purposes; and they can be primed to be on the lookout for academic content as they go through the experience. Reflection during an experience might take the form of pausing a group during an activity to process together; it can serve to call attention to particular dynamics or interactions while there is still time to modify them for greater learning or impact. (See Schön’s (1983) work on reflection-in-action). Reflection after an experience can hark back to ideas explored before and during (e.g., challenges to assumptions, fulfillment of purposes) and can push on similarities and differences between, for example, theory as it emerged in experience and in readings or other content sources.
• Reflection can be short and frequent (e.g., activities in class, weekly journal entries, posting online) and/or in-depth and comprehensive (e.g., written and revised essays that may incorporate research, digital stories that synthesize the thinking and learning across multiple prior reflection activities).
• Reflection can be integrated into the course’s overall assessment process. Just like any other type of learning process, the quality of reflection and its resultant learning and action can be deepened with feedback and opportunities for revision (formative assessment). Feedback might come from peers, community members, and/or instructors; particularly useful is feedback focused on the quality of reasoning that can help build critical thinking and other metacognitive capacities. And just like any other type of student product that is intended to provide evidence of learning, reflection products can be graded (summative assessment). Rubrics exist and can be developed to make evaluative criteria visible and to generate grades. (See a feedback tool and rubric , both focused on critical thinking, on Patti’s website).

The most important takeaway underlying the design of high-quality critical reflection in service-learning is intentional alignment between the learning outcomes we are after, the reflection prompts used to generate that learning, the feedback used to deepen it, and the rubrics used to assess/grade.

Teaching and learning through critical reflection in service-learning is often counter-normative (in other words, unlike the processes we are all more used to). It is crucial that we and our students get on the same page about what it is and isn’t and build our capacities to engage meaningfully with it. I (Patti) will never forget the distressed student in the back of the classroom, imploring “Patti, just give us the answer!” That is how she had been taught that learning happens: people with knowledge give it to those who don’t have it. Teaching and learning through critical reflection in service-learning is most decidedly not that. It is, rather, a process of co-generating knowledge through making one’s own meaning and supporting others in doing the same. While we focus here on student reflection, it’s important to note that everyone who participates in service-learning and civic engagement partnerships can – and, we think, should – critically reflect on and learn through these experiences. We encourage you to reflect critically on your own experiences – in both communities and classrooms, on your own and alongside your students and community partners – so as to enhance your own learning and growth.

Ash, S. L., & Clayton, P. H. (2009). Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection for applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education, 1(1) , 25-48. https://www.missouriwestern.edu/appliedlearning/wp-content/uploads/sites/116/2018/11/JALHE-1.pdf

Kniffin, L. E. (2023, September 6). What is service-learning? [Blog post]. The Loop. Staley School of Leadership Studies, Kansas State University. https://blogs.k-state.edu/leadership/2023/09/06/what-is-service-learning/

Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.

Stokamer, S. T., & Clayton, P. H. (2017, February 22). Civic learning. [Blog Post]. Center for Engaged Learning, Elon University. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/civic-learning/

The ORID Group Reflection Process ( n.d.) The Ohio State University. https://u.osu.edu/reslifedialogue/how-to-dialogue-helpful-readings/the-orid-group-reflection-process/

Use the “What? So What? Now What?” model: A great example of reflective questioning. (n.d.) MTa Learning. https://www.experientiallearning.org/blog/what-so-what-now-what-reflection-model-and-reflection-questions/?v=7516fd43adaa

Welch. M. (1999). The ABCs of Reflection: A template for students and instructors to implement written reflection in service-learning. Evaluation/Reflection , 16. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slceeval/16

About the authors

Patti H. Clayton, Ph.D. is an independent consultant (PHC Ventures, www.curricularengagement.com) with 25 years of experience as a practitioner-scholar and educational developer in community-campus engagement and experiential learning in higher education. She serves as a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Community and Economic Engagement at UNC Greensboro and as Practitioner-Scholar-in-Residence with NC Campus Engagement. Patti has worked with over 150 colleges, universities, and higher education organizations in the US, Canada, Ireland, England, and Singapore. Much of her scholarship through the years has focused on critical reflection and assessment of learning, democratic civic engagement, and transformational partnerships. For her own community engagement, she collaborates with human service and animal service organizations on building partnerships and changing systems to advance the inclusivity of companion animals in justice work related to housing and food security.

Lori E. Kniffin, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of leadership at Fort Hays State University. She teaches a variety of courses including undergraduate and graduate courses through in-person and virtual modalities. Her teaching and research interests include collective leadership development, civic leadership, service-learning and community engagement, and qualitative research methods, and critical leadership studies. Prior to her time at FHSU, Lori served as a community engagement professional at UNC Greensboro and was named the 2019 Civic Engagement Professional of the Year by North Carolina Campus Compact. She was also an administrator and instructor for Kansas State University in the Staley School of Leadership from 2010-2016.

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For immediate release | October 11, 2023

Core Webinar: Integrative Reflection in Action

CHICAGO–Join Core for the webinar “Integrative Reflection in Action” on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 1 p.m. CT. Reflection as an assessment tool has consistently been a topic of trending library research, especially in regard to information literacy instruction and public services. However, the main tenets of reflective practice are more relevant now than ever before for all types of library work since the advent of the pandemic, the popularity of remote and hybrid work arrangements, and the reality that switching jobs is increasingly more common. Library workers may be feeling lost or unsupported, and not as motivated to invest in daily work, let alone the assessment of that work and other projects. After learning about different methods of reflective practice, the presenters, three librarians in different positions and organizations, have continued to successfully implement these practices to improve varying assessment projects. During this presentation, the presenters will show how each method of reflective practice can be integrated into daily work and how it can be used to improve qualitative and quantitative library assessment projects from real examples from management to collections. In addition to sharing the successes of assessment projects the presenters will also share, on a more personal level, how group reflective practices have improved mental health and productivity output in their respective jobs.

Integrative Reflection in Action Live Webinar: Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 1 - 2 p.m. CT

Presenters:

Taylor Ralph, Collection Assessment Librarian, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Claire Dinkelman, Student Success Librarian, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI Porsche Schlapper, Library Branch Director, National Forest Service Library, Madison, WI

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You can register a group by specifying the number of people who will be accessing the webinar during checkout. We offer discounts for webinar based on the number of registrations you specify in checkout. If you are a Core member, you can purchase seats for yourself and your colleagues at the Core discount rate; ALA's new e-Learning store allows you to extend the Core member savings with colleagues at your institution.

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Register online or by phone at 1-800-545-2433 (press 1 to reach our customer service representatives).

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More than 70% of critical minerals key for the net zero energy transition at risk from climate disruption: PwC 2024 Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities Report

30 April, 2024

• More than 70% of the production of copper, cobalt and lithium – minerals crucial for the clean energy transition – could face significant or higher drought risk by 2050 under a high emissions scenario. Up from less than 10% today.
• Food crops also face significant risk: under a high emissions scenario, 90% of the world’s rice production could face significant heat stress by 2050 (up from 75% today), and more than 30% and 50% of maize and wheat, respectively, could face significant drought risk by 2050.
• CEOs are increasingly taking proactive measures, with 47% focused on protecting their workforces and physical assets from climate risk. 

LONDON, 30 April 2024 – CEOs need to accelerate their action plans to safeguard the production of commodities critical to the global population and economy as heat stress and drought risk rise around the world, according to PwC’s report, Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities: Protecting People and Prosperity , published today. 

The report, which analysed nine commodities across critical minerals (copper, cobalt, lithium), key crops (wheat, rice, maize) and vital metals (zinc, iron, aluminium), finds that although reducing emissions will decrease heat and drought risks, key commodities will still face significant stress, even under a low emissions scenario modelled by PwC.

According to the analysis, even if global carbon emissions rapidly decrease (low emissions scenario), 87% of the world’s rice production, more than 70% of cobalt and lithium production, and around 60% of the world’s bauxite and iron production will be at risk by 2050.

Importantly, these risks can be managed - and 47% of CEOs say they are already focused on protecting their workforces and physical assets from climate risk.

Emma Cox, Global Climate Leader, PwC UK, said: 

“Even if global carbon emissions rapidly decrease, climate disruption poses a serious and growing threat to the world’s ability to produce essential commodities - including food as well as materials that are themselves essential to the net zero transition. While CEOs are taking action to both cut emissions and adapt to climate change, more needs to be done. Businesses need to understand their dependencies and impacts, then work with governments and communities to transform their consumption and production patterns. This is crucial not only for the ongoing success of individual businesses, but also for the overall health and prosperity of the global population.” Emma Cox Global Climate Leader, PwC UK

Essential commodities face heightened exposure to drought and heat risk

Critical Minerals

By 2050, even if the world sharply reduces its carbon emissions, over 70% of cobalt and lithium production could face significant, high, or extreme drought risk – up from near zero today. Less than 10% of copper production faces significant or greater drought risk today, rising to over half in a 2050 low emissions scenario and over 70% in a high emissions scenario. Cobalt, copper and lithium are integral to electronics and clean-energy technologies.

All three crops (wheat, rice, maize) face growing risks from both heat stress and drought. Taken together, these three crops account for 42% of the calories people eat. The most widespread and serious risk is to rice, around 90% of which will face significant or greater heat stress risk by 2050 in a high emissions scenario. Currently, over 75% of rice is grown in conditions of significant or greater heat risk, showing that it is not just the level of risk that matters, but also how well producers are prepared to adapt. Drought risk is also increasing sharply for key crops. Currently, around 1% of maize and wheat face significant drought risk, rising to more than 30% and 50% respectively in a 2050 high emissions scenario.

Vital Metals

PwC research finds that vital metals face increasing amounts of risk. In particular, over 60% of the world’s bauxite and iron production may face significant or greater heat stress risk by 2050, even in a low emissions scenario (up from 30-50% currently). In a high emissions scenario in 2050, 40% of the world’s zinc production may face significant or greater drought risk (up from zero significant drought risk currently). Aluminium (from bauxite), iron and zinc are widely used in manufacturing, transport, and infrastructure.

Production of all nine critical commodities is also concentrated in a limited number of countries – many of which face increasing climate risks. For each resource, at least 40% - and as much as 85% - of its global supply is produced from a distinct set of no more than three countries. 

The sustainability imperative

Companies and CEOs are increasingly recognising the impact of climate disruption and taking action. Already, 47% of CEOs have taken proactive measures to safeguard their workforces and physical assets from climate change, according to  PwC’s 2024 Annual Global CEO Survey . However, more needs to be done if the global economy is to adapt to climate risk:

• Enhance resilience by identifying and managing risks throughout the supply chain;
• Capitalise on the opportunities to deliver products, services, or business models that help companies and communities adapt; and
• Join forces with stakeholders from governments to communities to shape collaborative outcomes and enhance adaptation at a policy and systemic level.

Will Jackson-Moore, Global Sustainability Leader, PwC UK, concludes: 

“Many locations that produce essential commodities are likely to experience more frequent spells of intense drought and heat stress by 2050, even in an optimistic low emissions scenario. To avoid economic losses and protect communities and ecosystems, producers, and the broader business community, should understand the impact of climate disruption on production and engage in multi-stakeholder efforts to adapt. This will also strengthen efforts to more rapidly transition to a net zero economy.” Will Jackson-Moore Global Sustainability Leader, PwC UK

See the full findings

Imran Javaid

Global Corporate Affairs and Communications, Senior Manager, PwC United Kingdom

+447483344407

Dan Barabas

Global Corporate Affairs & Communications, Manager, PwC United Kingdom

Notes to Editors:

About the Report

PwC’s report – Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities: Protecting People and Prosperity – analysed nine commodities crucial to the global economy and their risk exposure to drought and heat stress. Risk was categorised as significant, high or extreme. Heat stress risk is categorised based on durations above Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) limits. WBGT reflects the combined impact of temperature and humidity. Drought risk is categorised based on the percentage of time spent in severe drought over a 20-year period. Exposure of key mines and farms critical to the production of the nine commodities was assessed relative to climate-related drought and heat stress at a present-day baseline and in two future years: 2035 and 2050. For 2050, we examined how risk exposures vary depending on how effectively the world reduces its carbon emissions by comparing low vs high emission scenarios. While our approach provides a useful insight into how different commodities may become more exposed to different climate perils in the future, there are a number of limitations. These include that we do not estimate potential changes in production and we cannot predict future actions to adapt. You can read the full report, and learn more about key takeaways for climate risk adaptation on www.pwc.com

© 2024 PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

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The proportion of CEOs who believe global economic growth will improve over the next 12-months has more than doubled year-on-year. At the same time the...

The world needs to cut carbon intensity seven times faster to limit warming to 1.5°C - PwC Net Zero Economy Index 2023

The world is falling dangerously short of the ambition that is needed to secure a safe future climate, according to new analysis by PwC, and as a result we need...

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