Investigating reflection in written assignments on a pre-service English language teaching course

What is it about?

Reflection is an important component of teacher education and forms part of the assessment of candidates on Cambridge English Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) courses. However, questions remain regarding the level of reflection candidates can demonstrate on the CELTA and how best to assess such reflection. The current study analyses reflective assignments from full-time CELTA candidates in order to investigate the level of reflection they demonstrate. The study revealed varying degrees of reflectivity, which contradicts some of the existing research into reflection on pre-service teacher training courses. The study also developed a reflective framework that can be used to inform the assessment of reflection on such courses.

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Why is it important?

This study shows that CELTA candidates are capable of sophisticated levels of reflection. The reflective framework in this study can be of use for assessing English language teachers' levels of reflection