The present education system demands reforms and constructive planning to meet the changing needs resulting from the changing global scenario and technological evolution. National Education Policy (NEP-2020) is a commendable effort to address this need. It places the teacher at the center of the fundamental reforms of the entire system. According to NEP-2020, teacher education programs are expected to adapt to the evolving demands of school education and the global landscape. The teacher education system should engage in providing a facilitator who contributes to the overall development of students for the student community. Therefore, increasing the efficiency of the teacher is the key to meeting the challenges of the 21st century teaching and learning process in the digital scenario. Reflection is an essential aspect of the learning process. Deep reflection prompts deeper learning. Deep reflection is anticipated for pre-service teachers to become professional teachers and for lifelong learning. Reviewing existing practices in teacher education for reflective practices is significant. The use of reflective journals has been identified as an effective tool to promote reflection in pre-service teachers. Studies have been conducted to explore the benefits of the use of reflective journals and the various ways in which journals can be used and assessed in teacher education programs. The studies have identified ways and strategies for promoting reflective thinking among pre-service teachers. However, the focus of this literature review is on the issue of writing reflective journals in pre-service teacher education programs.
Reflective practice has become increasingly important for pre-service teachers to enhance their skills and competencies. Reflective journals are recognized as an effective tool to facilitate reflection among pre-service teachers. NEP-2020 attempts to address the education system in the context of changing global scenarios and technological evolution. Accordingly, it places the teacher at the center of the fundamental reforms of the entire system. NEP-2020 predicts that teacher education programs will change as per global developments and. emerging demands in school education (Dixit, 2020). The teacher education system is expected to train future teachers as encouraging, supportive, and humane facilitators in flexible and dynamic teaching-learning situations where the teacher has to perform the role of facilitator to encourage learners to discover their talents and physical and academic potential and to function as responsible citizens actively contributing to society. Therefore, increasing the efficiency of the teacher is the key to meeting the challenges of 21st-century teaching and learning in a technology-supported environment (Bhattacharya et al., 2021)
In pre-service teacher education, reflection plays an essential role as it prompts deeper learning. Through experiential activities, reflection produces knowledge that compels prospective teachers to change their practice (Sempowicz, & Hudson, 2012). Deep reflection enables individuals to explore the emotions associated with challenging learning experiences, empowering them to reinterpret these experiences and remove barriers to further learning. Although not new to teacher education programs, reflective practices have been incorporated in these programs since 2005 (Gürol, 2011; Podder & Mizan, 2022).
Additionally, NCFTE 2009 recommended that pre-service teachers be trained as reflective practitioners by utilizing available time during their teacher education programs and including practicum for many strategies during training. Reflection is a crucial requirement throughout pre-service teacher education. Reflective journal writing is a common practice to promote reflective thinking among pre-service teachers, with numerous benefits. However, it is not without issues, and this article explores the barriers and benefits of reflective journals in teacher education programs (Bhogayata, 2000; Shavit & Moshe, 2019). With this focus, the literature review has summarized the objective of presenting the prominent theoretical views on 'reflection' and 'reflective practice' in the context of teacher education and emphasizing the need to make 'reflection' a significant guiding factor in teacher education through illustrations and findings from various research studies.
This is a systematic review of the literature, for which different databases were searched, including Google Scholar, Scopus, SAGE, Web of Science, ERIC, ProQuest, Academia, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, and ResearchGate. The initial search was based on the keywords 'reflective thinking,' 'reflection,' 'pre-service,' and 'teacher education.' This was expanded to include 'issues in writing reflective journals' and 'pre-service teacher education' to explore more novel literature available in research.
Reflection can be broadly defined as deliberate, purposeful, metacognitive thinking or action that educators engage in to improve their professional practice. According to Dewey (1933), it involves active, persistent, and careful consideration of any supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends. Reflective journal writing is beneficial to both pre-service teachers and teacher education instructors as it creates cognitive awareness about past experiences and encourages an open dialogue between pre-service teacher instructors.
Reflective journals have been utilized to enhance learning theories such as constructivism (Knapp, 2012). Through reflective journal writing, pre-service teachers are trained to examine past experiences for meaning, linking theory to practice (Beeth & Adadan, 2006; Davis, 2003; Moore, 2003; Tarnowski, 1997). Journals can help teachers better understand pre-service teachers' experiences and identities (Bullough, 1991; Bullough & Stokes, 1994; Whipp et al., 1997). However, teacher educators may need to create more reflective experiences for pre-service teachers, guide them to reflect more purposefully, and find ways to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Several studies have explored the implementation of rubrics to assess the written reflections of pre-service teachers, addressing concerns about assessment when using journals.
Sparks-Langer et al. (1990) developed the Framework for Reflective Pedagogical Thinking to evaluate the abilities of students to reflect on their thoughts and actions. The framework aimed to determine students' ability to use educational concepts to explain classroom teaching activities. Based on earlier work by Van Manen (1977), the study created a rubric of seven levels to express the quality of student writing arranged sequentially from lowest to highest, with descriptors.
A pilot study was conducted with pre-service and experienced teachers, revealing a large variance among respondents. Chen and Seng (1992) evaluated the quality of reflective writing in the journals of their undergraduate and graduate students using the rubric developed by Sparks-Langer et al. (1990). Graduate students' journals were assessed to be of better quality, ranging from 3 to 6, while undergraduate scores ranged from 2 to 5. This suggests that the framework is capable of measuring different levels of reflective journal writing, thus providing valid feedback to students.
Other studies have evaluated journal writing using different methods. Lee (2005) assessed the content and depth of the journal writings of three pre-service teachers using qualitative methods. The study evaluated three levels of depth, which included recall, rationalization, and reflection. The depth on all three levels were demonstrated. Results revealed that reflection was influenced by various contexts, including the conditions in which it took place, the teacher's preferred mode of communication, and the characteristics of the supervising teacher.
The practical utilization of journals relies on how teachers implement them. Studies have identified some issues with how university students reflect on their experiences and use reflective journals. Grant (2001) reported that university students reflect differently and vary in their understanding of the relationship between emotion and learning, and their willingness to accept ambiguity. Maloney and Campbell-Evans (2002) found differences in how students described events and analyzed situations and their ability to reframe their beliefs and ideas. Other studies have assessed the use of journals from the preservice teachers' perspective and found that some preservice teachers responded negatively to using journals and provided possible reasons for those negative responses. Barry (1994) found that journal writing ranked last in a survey of six strategies promoting reflective inquiry. Participants cited that daily journal writing was too time consuming, and they became lazy or forgot to complete the assignment each day. Other participants responded negatively, stating that they did not understand why they were required to write reflective journals.
Studies have suggested that participants may not have understood the journal writing assignment or they may not have been motivated to invest time in completing the assignments. This lack of understanding among preservice teachers about the use of journal writing may contribute to negative perceptions of reflective journals. Additionally, pre-service teachers have expressed concern over the lack of time available to complete journal assignments. However, appropriate guidelines and feedback from peers can encourage pre-service teachers to reflect more deeply. Effective evaluation tools with appropriate criteria have been found to develop sustained reflection abilities among pre-service teachers in studies (Black et al., 2000; Kim & Kwak, 2022; Yee et al.,2022).
Research on the use of reflective journals in pre-service teacher education has shown mixed results. While some studies have reported positive outcomes, such as increased self-awareness, critical thinking, and personal growth, others have found that pre-service teachers may struggle to engage in meaningful reflection due to a lack of understanding of the reflective process, limited time, and difficulty in articulating their thoughts and feelings.
Reflective journals have been found to be beneficial in teacher education programs, enabling pre-service teachers to engage in self-dialogue and self-assessment and capture their thoughts and beliefs (Conkling, 2003; Valerio & Freeman, 2009). However, some studies have indicated negative responses to the use of journals, with pre-service teachers expressing concerns over a lack of understanding and time to complete assignments (Barry, 1994;Black et al., 2000; Fredrickson & Pembrook, 1999; Grant, 2001; Maloney & Campbell-Evans, 2002; Rozmajzl, 1992). Thus, university instructors can play a crucial role in supporting pre-service teachers by clearly explaining assignments and providing sufficient time for completion.
Studies suggest that pre-service teachers may not know how to reflect and that they reflect at different levels (Black et al., 2000). Some pre-service teachers may need instruction on the use of reflective writing to improve their ability to analyze situations and reframe beliefs and ideas. Teacher education instructors could help pre-service teachers reflect more purposefully by teaching them how to reflect effectively (Grant, 2001; Maloney & Campbell- Evans, 2002). According to Altalhab et al. (2021), mentoring and modeling approaches to reflective journal writing by teachers and educators can enhance pre-service teachers' professional reflection. Teacher instructors should work to develop and update deep learning and teaching experiences for pre-service teachers to use their reflective skills to acquire awareness and knowledge of course content in action. Teachers and educators may become more effective in bridging the gap between theory and practice by incorporating reflective journals into their curriculum.
Based on the analysis of various studies, the use of reflective journals in pre-service teacher education can have several implications. Firstly, it is important for teacher education instructors to provide clear instructions and adequate time for pre-service teachers to complete their reflective journal assignments. This can help to address concerns about a lack of understanding and time constraints. Secondly, teacher education instructors can play a crucial role in teaching pre-service teachers how to reflect more purposefully and at deeper levels. This can involve providing instruction on how to analyze situations and reframe beliefs and ideas. Thirdly, mentoring and modelling approaches to reflective journal writing by teachers and educators can enhance pre-service teachers' professional reflection. Finally, incorporating reflective journals into the curriculum can help to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This can enable pre-service teachers to use their reflective skills to acquire awareness and knowledge of course content in action. In light of the National Education Policy 2020, incorporating reflective journaling in teacher education can help prepare pre-service teachers for a competency-based education system that emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Reflective journals have been found to be a useful tool in pre-service teacher education programs. They provide opportunities for self-reflection, self-assessment, and capturing the thoughts and beliefs of pre-service teachers. However, studies have also shown that preservice teachers may not know how to reflect and may reflect at different levels. Thus, it is important for teacher education instructors to provide guidance on reflective writing and teach pre-service teachers how to reflect more purposefully. Additionally, mentoring and modeling approaches to reflective journal writing by teachers and educators have been found to enhance pre-service teachers' professional reflection.
The National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes the need for transforming teacher education to develop reflective practitioners who are capable of continually improving their practice. Reflective journaling can help pre-service teachers develop the skills of self-reflection and critical thinking necessary for effective teaching. Therefore, incorporating reflective journals into the teacher education curriculum can be an effective way to bridge the gap between theory and practice and develop reflective practitioners who can contribute to the growth and development of the education system.
Journals serve as a means to record important observations and thoughts while also promoting accountability. Through reflection, teachers can take action and improve their teaching practices, ultimately resulting in more successful outcomes. This knowledge can drive the implementation of effective changes in instructional methods, such as disseminating discipline content with a focus on maximizing accessibility for students. There are different versions of effective teaching strategies, including the social efficacy version, which is based on research findings and emphasizes evidence based practice, the developmental version, which focuses on students' interests and thinking, and the social reconstructionist version, which addresses political and social issues in schooling and aims to promote greater student equity and justice. Critical reflection is essential to maximize learning and supports the examination of personal biases while considering both theory and practice in diverse teaching and learning contexts.