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This two-stage study was conducted to examine the awareness of policy and underlying pedagogy as well as the use of reflective practice by teaching staff (faculty) within a Scottish university. In the first stage, teaching staff completed a questionnaire; of these 14 then took part in stage two, semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were subject to thematic analysis and three main themes emerged: (1) The methods and processes of reflection ('How'); (2) The personal and organisational drivers for employing reflective practices ('Why'); and (3) The barriers to reflection ('Why not'). Significant findings included the dominance of traditional (paper-based as opposed to computer mediated) reflective writing in teaching staff's own reflection, and the importance of both formal and informal group reflection in methods and process. Reasons for reflection focused on the importance of both organisational drivers such as professional standards and awarding bodies, and personal drivers such as personal growth, identity, and psychological wellbeing. Barriers to reflection included both the concrete such as insufficient time and lack of opportunities to share resources, as well as the attitudinal and cultural. Possible ways of tacking these barriers also emerged. Implications for organisational and individual practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that interviewing is a process in which interviewees can reflect on critical decisions about their academic careers. Reflective practice is a course of action where a person ponders significant incidents in her or his life. In so doing, she or he can make critical decisions about her or his own well-being. Drawing on our experiences collecting qualitative data for ADVANCE Purdue, an NSF-funded project to increase the number and success of women faculty in STEM academic disciplines, we illustrate how interviews triggered our interviewees to think differently about accessing or interpreting promotion and tenure policies of the university. Hence, we argue that interviews can be considered as a form of reflective practice where interviewees decide to take alternative actions to enhance their well-being. In this paper, we ask: (a) How do interviews trigger new realizations among interviewees?; and (b) How do interviews act as agents of potential social change? Data are derived from semi-structured interviews with faculty members from science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and agriculture disciplines at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. We interpret the data qualitatively in the context of reflective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Changing the current geographical maldistribution of the medical workforce is important for global health. Research regarding programs that train doctors for work with disadvantaged, rural populations is needed. This paper explores one approach of remote supervision of registrars in isolated rural practice. Researching how learning occurs without on-site supervision may also reveal other key elements of postgraduate education. Methods: Thematic analysis of in-depth interviews exploring 11 respondents’ experiences of learning via remote supervision. Results: Remote supervision created distinctive learning environments. Respondents’ attributes interacted with external supports to influence whether and how their learning was promoted or impeded. Registrars with clinical and/or life experience, who were insightful and motivated to direct their learning, turned the challenges of isolated practice into opportunities that accelerated their professional development. Discussion: Remote supervision was not necessarily problematic but instead provided rich learning for doctors training in and for the context where they were needed. Registrars learnt through clinical responsibility for defined populations and longitudinal, supportive supervisory relationships. Responsibility and continuity may be as important as supervisory proximity for experienced registrars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mentor teachers of student teachers play an important role in novice teacher development, yet rarely receive training or support. This study investigates five mentor teachers during the 2021–2022 school year as they participated in monthly mentor professional development meetings. It asks the question 'How can recordings of mentor/mentee conversations be used within mentor professional development to support the development of educative mentors?' This qualitative analysis used interviews and video recordings of meetings to understand the mentor teacher experiences. It finds that audio clips in mentor meetings worked to support mentor teachers' learning as mentors and teachers and worked to deprivatize the work of mentoring. Findings from this study can help inform mentor professional development facilitation and can help inform decisions regarding how to prepare and support mentor teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study is to describe junior military officers' leadership development experiences and to draw implications for leadership learning in their professional development. The research uses a systematic grounded theory design. Through in-depth interviews of 19 military officers, the data were coded and analyzed with a paradigm model that was developed to describe the development of military officers' experiences as leaders. The findings show that military leadership development is a process that is defined by the experiences of establishing oneself as a vocational leader, developing confidence in leadership skills, and leading with mission clarity and genuine concern for their "subordinates." The results reinforce the notion that leadership development is a continuous learning process beyond formal program and other transient events. Results also imply that fundamental assumptions for formal leadership development programs must be conceptualized and conceived as a process of "being, becoming, and belonging." This non-positivist empirical study answers the call for more qualitative and interpretive approaches in leadership development research and contribute to the body of knowledge of leadership learning in military leadership development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building upon the interrelationship between learning and changing, this study investigates how cyclical engagement in reflexive practice influences the teachers' professional development. We implemented our video-enhanced 'Reflexive Practice Triplication Model' which we developed in our specific context. We conducted the research with 8 secondary school teachers of English at a private K12 school in Ankara, Turkey. Drawing on multiple sources of data, we used a triangulation technique to reveal the qualitative and quantitative impact of reflexive practice. The findings showed that collaborative engagement in reflexive practice contributed substantially to EFL teachers' professional development traceable in the changes in beliefs on reflexivity, attitudes towards collaboration, contextual and pedagogical knowledge. The study provides implications as to how reflexive practice can be used in local contexts where specific needs are to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This thought piece draws the readers' attention to the pervasive nature of reflection, reflective teaching and learning and the use of questions. Specifically discussed; are the theoretical framework that guides the piece, reflective teaching, the reflective approach to teaching practicum debriefing (RATPD) and lesson study. Provided is an example that incorporates the RATPD primarily in the post-lesson discussions/colloquia while being faithful to the collaborative nature of lesson study. Achieving these answers the question: 'To what extent could the reflective approach to teaching practicum debriefing strategy be incorporated in lesson study?' The piece ends with a question that challenges readers to conclude and perhaps engage in further reflection on the discussed topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Despite increasing emphasis on work placements in higher education, there has been limited research into international students' experiences in undertaking work placements, particularly for psychology postgraduate students. Moreover, much research on international students emphasises the difficulties they experience. We argue a shift to acknowledging and building on the strengths of international students may bring benefits to both students and workplaces. Our project examined the strengths international postgraduate psychology students brought to their work placements, and the benefits of those strengths for both the students and the workplaces. Method: Semi‐structured interviews with eleven international students and six supervisors. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, as part of a qualitative research paradigm. Results: We identified four key strengths international students used to enhance their learning and performance on work placements: intercultural competencies, personal attributes, transition skills, and situation awareness. The use of effective reflection and supervisory practices facilitated the use of these skills. Conclusion: We discuss the implications of our findings for higher education providers using a strengths‐based approach to support international psychology students on work placements. We outline suggested changes to student orientation and professional development for supervisors that higher education providers can make to enhance the training and preparation of both students and their supervisors. Further, we suggest that some of these changes would also improve the experience of domestic students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploratory practice (EP), as a framework for teacher development, is a collaborative endeavour of both teachers and learners which engages them in reflection to improve the quality of life in a language classroom. The present case study was carried out at the University of Sindh, Jamshoro (USJP) in Pakistan, where some teachers in the Institute of English Language and Literature volunteered to participate in the project by undertaking the principles of EP in their teaching. In this project, the researcher worked as both an EP practitioner and a teacher-consultant to a group of seven teachers at the USJP for a full academic year consisting of two semesters of four months each. The interviews were conducted twice during the project, first after Phase I from those who left the project halfway and a second time after the completion of Phase II from those who continued until the end to know the views of the participant-teachers about EP as an approach to their professional self-development. The findings show that teacher-participants found EP a practically viable option in their given circumstances and useful for their professional development as well as learning and teaching context in which they work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working with young people in alternative schools poses particular challenges for the professional identity of educators. This research explored educator identity and development in practice in a network of alternative schools re-enfranchising young people. There was a focus on educator induction in the study. Different ways of being an educator were required in order to re-engage young people facing multiple complexities in their lives. A three-stage design experiment methodology was employed to investigate how ways of working, valuing and professional learning influenced educator identity and development. Iterative cycles of reflection embedded in the methodology allowed practitioners’ perspectives to influence the design of enhanced induction processes, leading to the prototyping of reflective practice groups as an induction strategy. Findings provide insights into the influence of reflective practice on educator identity and development in relation to two overarching themes synthesised in thematic analysis of interview data: relationships, and changing perspectives through reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]