Learning through Self-reflection: Critical Approach to Self-efficacy and Teacher Identities Development

Abstract

Currently, demand of being as reflective teacher is increasing gradually and continuous with the passage of every single day, reason behind is reflection in teaching has long lasting effect on performance of teacher as well as help them to show active participation, respect individual differences, critically investigate issues/ problems to come up with solutions. Plenty of researches done in past proved that concepts such as self-reflection, identities, and self-efficacy of teacher are interconnected concepts and it was also proved, from time to time, these concepts put enormous influence on each other once these concepts start interacting together. Therefore, it was considered need of the day to conduct research on development process of self-efficacy and teacher identities by using self-reflective techniques as medium to influence these variables. Main objective of study was to find effect of self-reflective techniques usage during teaching practice on the development level of teacher self-efficacy, personal and professional identities. In this study, QUAN-qual research design was used, quantitative part was based on pretest-treatment-posttest design, on contrary, qualitative part was based on semi-structured interviews conducted with participants of treatment group as well as head of schools. Sample was extracted from population with the help of Simple random sampling technique, students were randomized and distributed into two groups separately: control group and experimental group. Data was collected from students of both control and experimental groups as pretest data then experimental group was given treatment based self-reflection. Finally prospective teachers went for teaching practice, after completion of teaching practice, posttest data was collection from both groups. In addition to this, interviews were conducted with experimental group participants and with head of schools to get feedback about prospective teachers' performance as well as to know more about self-reflective techniques usage by in-service teachers. Data was analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics, Independent Sample t-test and Paired Sample t-test. It was observed significant development in favor of professional identity and self-efficacy level of teachers but not for personal identity, in the short run, based on usage of self-reflective techniques or being as reflective practitioner during teaching practice. Self-reflective techniques were found quite helpful for prospective teachers during teaching practice and most the self-reflective techniques were found applicable and outcomes oriented to help teachers to think over and over on their actions to make it more efficient and outcome friendly. These techniques were considered main source of professional identity and self-efficacy development of prospective teachers. Self-efficacy and teacher identities are part of professionalism which can help teachers to become effective practitioner and goal oriented.

Keywords: Self-efficacy development, professional identity development, personal identity development, self-reflection, reflective teaching