How can I develop a theory of critical self‐reflection?

Although much of the literature on educational action research is rich in recommendations to self‐reflect, it is impoverished in examples of self‐reflective practice. This constitutes a theory‐practice gap; for how is it possible to recommend a particular form of practicewithout living up to that recommendation, and still claim that the practice has integrity? Such a contradiction is particularly serious when the issue is self‐reflection, since self‐reflection is put forward as the main constituent of moral practice, and its denial has deep implications for the practitioner's own moral standing.

In this paper I ask why there is such slippage between the theory and practice of self‐reflection? Iassume that many people either do not perceive such slippage,or choose to ignore it. Either way, this is a serious matter, and involves issues of legitimation—for by what right do we consider ourselves to be exempt from engaging in those self‐same practices that we require of others?

I challenge the separatist view that it is acceptable for some to say what others must do, without first doing it themselves. I apply the same critique to myself, and I aim to show the process of my own self‐reflection by critically analysing what I am doing as I do it. This, I hope, sets the scene for an emergent theory of critical self‐reflection.     

“A moving target”: a critical race analysis of Latina/o faculty experiences,perspectives, and reflections on the tenure and promotion process

This article examines how Latina/o professors perceive, experience, and reflect on the tenure and promotion process. Findings for this longitudinal study are drawn from a purposive sample of nine female and seven male, Latina/o tenure-track faculty participants. Using a Critical Race Theory, Latino Critical (LatCrit) Race Theory, and Chicana Feminist framework, this article documents fundamental inequities in the tenure and promotion policies and practices that affected the Latina/o faculty in this study. Using narrative data, educational biographies, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and unstructured ethnographic interviews, this study found four common themes: (1) tenure and promotion processes functioned as a “tool of fear,” (2) the tenure and promotion process was like a “moving target,” (3) tenure provided limited forms of respect but not full membership, and (4) Latina/o supervivencia enabled the professors to thrive despite unsupportive and sometimes hostile campus and departmental climates.     

A study of self‐concept and social support in advantaged and disadvantaged seventh and eighth grade gifted students

Understanding differences in perceptions of self‐concept and social support among special populations of gifted learners is critical to planning appropriate services for them. The present study investigated these differences among intellectually gifted students of junior high age who were participating in full time intensive programs for the gifted. Specifically, differences as a function of gender, ethnicity, and socio‐economic class were examined. Findings indicated some differences based on ethnicity and gender, but most differences were observed between lower and higher socio‐economic groups, particularly in the areas of social support and social and behavioral self‐concept. Implications from the study would suggest attention to these dimensions in program planning.     

Convenience or credibility? A study of college student online research behaviors

The purpose of this study was to investigate where students turn for course-related assignments, whether an ordered pattern could be described in terms of which sources students turn to and how students evaluated the information they chose to use. Data were drawn from open-ended questionnaires (n = 282). Semantic network analysis was conducted using CATPAC, artificial neural network software. Results verify previous findings that students turn to the Internet before the library, but a deeper investigation revealed different preferences for study versus project-related research. Specifically, using search engines or Wikipedia was a pre-stage, rather than a final destination, for project work. Interestingly, students were relatively confident in their abilities to discern courses using the Internet. Recommendations for promoting information literacy, as well as recommendations for improving library resource use, are included.     

Will that be one mentor or two? A cross‐sectional study of women's mentoring during college

Three teacher educators formed a new teacher support group for three novices whom we had prepared, in order to help them deal with challenges and uncertainties of the first year of teaching. Using narrative inquiry, we collected the novice teachers' stories by composing field texts, using audiotaped interview data, classroom observations, bi-monthly journal entries, and participant personal narratives as data sources. Common patterns across the data stories included induction into the isolation of teaching, interest in NOT abandoning university teacher preparation, and the need to learn from mentoring. The implications provide discussion of the educative role of teacher support groups in learning to teach, and university involvement in learning to teach during the induction years.     

A Study in Self‐assessment: tutor and students’ perceptions of performance criteria

This paper reports a study which implemented and evaluated a method of student self‐assessment. The theme of the importance of marking criteria (Orsmond et al., 1996) is developed. Pairs of first‐year undergraduate biology students were asked to complete a poster assignment on a specific aspect of nerve physiology. The study was designed to allow the evaluation of (1) student self and tutor marking for individual marking criteria; and (2) student vs student marking of their poster work for individual marking criteria. A comparison between the tutor and the student self‐assessed mark reveals how important it is to consider the individual marking criteria rather than the overall mark. These results support our findings on peer assessment reported earlier (Orsmond et al., 1996). The results also illustrate the potential pitfalls that exist when making assumptions about the degree of student/student interaction and students’ marking ability. This study supports previous work which showed that self‐assessment is extremely useful in helping students reach their learning goals, i.e. it is a strong formative educational tool and can be used in order to bring about behavioural changes in students with regard to their own learning processes.     

Reading and Comprehension: a longitudinal study of ex‐Reading Recovery students

The paper reports the results of a longitudinal case study conducted in Australia and New Zealand. The study compares the reading and comprehension age of children in their fifth and sixth years in school. Reading and comprehension ages of 121 children who had Reading Recovery intervention at age 6 were compared with those of a Comparison group of 121 children, drawn from the same classes who, at age 6 years, had been better performers in literacy. Reading and comprehension assessment was conducted with the use of the Neale Analysis of Reading and analysed by means of a t‐test. Results show that the mean reading age of ex‐Reading Recovery children was nearly 12 months superior to that of the Comparison group and that the mean comprehension age was nearly 13 months superior at very highly significant levels. The results strongly suggest that Reading Recovery tuition at age 6 years enabled the 121 ex‐Reading Recovery children to make greater progress in literacy than children in the Comparison group.     

Mathematics: a female,male or gender‐neutral domain? A study of attitudes among students at secondary level

The aim of the current study is to investigate whether Swedish secondary school students perceive mathematics as a female, male or gender‐neutral domain. A sample of 1300 students in two age groups, 15‐ and 17‐ years, answered a questionnaire and about 50 students participated in interviews. The main part of the inquiry form consists of Who and mathematics, an attitude scale recently developed by other researchers. The results are analysed with respect to gender, school year and study programme. Gendered attitudes were found among considerable minorities. There is a marked tendency to view mathematics as a symbolically male domain: positive aspects are associated with boys and negative aspects perceived as more female. Older students hold more strongly gendered views than younger. Boys in the science programme have the strongest beliefs of mathematics as a male domain.     

Relations between goals,self‐efficacy,critical thinking and deep processing strategies: a path analysis

Research exploring students’ academic learning has recently amalgamated different motivational theories within one conceptual framework. The inclusion of achievement goals, self‐efficacy, deep processing and critical thinking has been cited in a number of studies. This article discusses two empirical studies that examined these four theoretical orientations from both cross‐sectional (N = 279 participants) and longitudinal (N = 264 participants) perspectives. In particular, achievement goals are hypothesised to exert direct and indirect effects on academic performance via self‐efficacy, study processing strategies and critical thinking. Path analysis was used to test and analyse the hypothesised conceptual models. Results from SPSS 16 and LISREL 8.72 provided good support for the hypothesised structural relationships. Students’ academic performance outcomes, for example, are determined directly by deep processing and work‐avoidance goals. Results from Study 2 indicate mastery goals and self‐efficacy, mastery goals and critical thinking and deep processing and critical thinking operate in a reciprocal manner. In general, the evidence established from both studies contributes theoretically and methodologically.     

Diversity as an opportunity or a challenge? A cross-national study of ethnic diversity and students’ generalized trust

In this study, we explore how ethnic diversity at the macro-level relates to students’ generalized trust by using cross-national data. Our analysis shows a positive relationship between ethnic diversity and generalized trust. This relationship is, however, inverted U-shaped curvilinear rather than linear, indicating that the positive relationship levels off and turns negative. While we also find that students’ educational experiences such as social relations at school are positively associated with generalized trust, ethnic diversity at the macro-level is still the most powerful factor in our analysis predicting students’ generalized trust. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Integrated,marginal, and resilient: race,class, and the diverse experiences of white first‐generation college students

While first‐generation college students are ‘at risk’, the majority do persist. Using in‐depth interviews with 28 white college students I ask: How do white, first‐generation, working‐class students understand their college experiences, especially in terms of their academic, social, and cultural adjustment? Moreover, what kinds of factors seem to help or hinder their adjustment to college life? I discovered three patterns of adjustment among these students: (1) about half expressed few feelings of marginality and appeared well integrated into campus life; (2) one quarter experienced persistent and debilitating marginality; and (3) another quarter overcame their feelings of marginality en route to becoming socially and academically engaged on campus, with some transforming their feelings of marginality into motivation for social change. I argue that these variations can be understood by looking at how working‐class students’ economic resources may function as an asset, while their whiteness may function alternately as an asset and a liability.     

Self‐concepts of students with learning disabilities and their normally achieving peers: a review

In an attempt to test the assumption that children with learning disabilities (LD) have deficient self‐concepts, a number of studies have compared the self‐concepts of students with learning disabilities and their normally achieving (NA) peers. The purpose of this paper is to review recent studies that investigated the academic, social and general self‐concepts of students with LD and their NA peers and compare the results with those of a previous meta‐analysis of relatively older studies, by ­Chapman. Consistent with earlier findings, results of the present review indicated that the academic self‐concept of LD students is more negative than that of their NA peers. Unlike Chapman’s conclusion, however, the evidence is less clear for general self‐concept. This is also true for social self‐concept. Because the evidence that shows no group differences outweighs that indicating better ­social and general self‐concept scores for NA children, the conclusion that children with LD hold more negative social and general self‐concepts than do NA children is not warranted.     

Variation in the conduct and the quality of self‐evaluations: a multi‐level path analysis

While self‐evaluation leads to valuable results in some schools, it appears that in other schools this is true only to a lesser extent or not at all. This raises the question of how differences in the results of self‐evaluations can be explained. This study looks at to what extent the results of self‐evaluation are determined by the way in which self‐evaluation is conducted, by characteristics relating to the general functioning of the school and by the support which schools enjoy. One thousand seven hundred and eighty‐six school principals and team members from 96 schools (primary and secondary) were surveyed by means of a written questionnaire. The data collected were then analysed using multi‐level structural equation modelling. The results provide strong empirical evidence that “attitude with regard to self‐evaluation”, “self‐evaluation as a policy action” and “self‐evaluation as an act of research” are powerful predictors of the quality of self‐evaluations.     

Self‐directed learning and prostate cancer: a thematic analysis of the experiences of twelve patients

Although self‐directed learning is a common response for many of the 232,090 US men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, very little is known about the nature of the experience for them. Four themes emerged from interviews with 12 prostate cancer patients describing their self‐education efforts in regard to their disease. A qualitative paradigm was used for this study with data collected using a semi‐structured interview protocol. Purposeful sampling technique was employed to identify information‐rich subjects who were within five years of diagnosis and who had used self‐directed learning extensively in coping with their prostate cancer. Using the constant comparative method, four common themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews:

• Men don’t talk. The participants indicated that men are reluctant to talk about health problems, including prostate cancer.

• Living with the reality of my situation and my choices. These prostate cancer patients found that they had difficult choices to make in regard to their treatment and that learning about the side effects of their cancer treatments did not prepare them for the reality of actually experiencing them.

• The struggle with emotions. The men in this study appeared to be very strong in regard to the cognitive aspects of their self‐directed learning in regard to their cancer but to struggle with their emotional responses.

• Watchful waiting. The men in this study indicated that once having been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the process of dealing with it is never over. Their learning involved coming to terms with this uncertainty.

Conclusions included that, for the men in this study, gender appeared to be an important influence on their experiences with self‐directed learning and prostate cancer.     

Self‐perception of gifts and talents among adults in a longitudinal study of academically talented high‐school graduates

Definitions of giftedness and self‐perceptions of abilities were examined among adults who have been participating in a longitudinal study of academically talented students since their high‐school graduation in 1988. For the present study, participants answered open‐ended questions and completed scales measuring adult giftedness and adult self‐perceptions of abilities in 12 different domains. Gender differences in perceptions were examined. When participants were asked if they believed they were gifted in high school and now, more men than women responded affirmatively to both questions. Further, significant gender differences were identified for perceived competencies in four areas: job competence, nurturance, athletic competence, and morality. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Is the expansion of higher education in Japan for young students only or for all? A critical analysis from a lifelong learning perspective

The recent restructuring of higher education in Japan has been carried out in the context of neo‐liberalism with an emphasis on the unbridled workings of market forces. However, civic discourse on issues such as active citizenship and social inclusion/exclusion, which is significant to higher education as a democratic public sphere, has been left behind. Focusing on this omission, this article aims at a critical analysis of the government expansion policy initiative in Japan. It includes discussion of a wide‐ranging group of participants, in particular adults who are disadvantaged with regard to access to higher education in a knowledge‐based society, from the point of view of lifelong learning. It is a very important subject in Japan to encourage the active participation of adults in higher education. Regarding this aspect, the article discusses significant points for building new concepts and systems in higher education, instead of the established traditional concepts and systems, which have contributed to the exclusion of adults from higher education.     

An evaluative case study of the dilemmas experienced in designing a self‐assessment strategy for Community Nursing students

The Dearing Report’s (1997 Dearing, R. 1997. Higher education in the learning society: report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. (Chair) [Google Scholar]) radical proposals challenged lecturers in higher education to develop innovative assessment strategies. This paper explores the dilemmas experienced by one teaching team in designing and implementing a student self‐assessment strategy within a community nursing degree programme. The paper reviews the impact on students’ sense of autonomy and critical thinking skills. In addition, it considers, in depth, the risks associated with developing and implementing a strategy involving self‐assessment. Drawing on a range of sources it examines the drivers for the initiative, the response from the range of stakeholders involved and the impact on the student experience. The academic team found that developing such a creative initiative is time consuming, provokes anxiety and requires extensive negotiation and collaboration between academic and practice colleagues. However, the adoption of a self‐assessment initiative has a significant effect on students’ critical thinking skills and warrants the effort.     

The actual use of embedded support devices in self‐study materials by students in a distance education setting

At the Dutch Open university much time is invested in the didactical elaboration of written study materials by the embedding of a large set of ‘embedded support devices’ (objectives, advance organisers, questions, tests, etc.). Is this high investment in the design of written study materials for use in the distance education setting worth the effort? To answer this question, we focused in this research on the actual use of these embedded support devices (ESD) by Open university students. After elaborating a theoretical model that was helpful to derive hypothetical functions and effects of a large set of ESD, quantitative and qualitative hypotheses were put forward in relation to the actual use of a subset of ESD that was implemented in a law course. The research set‐up was based on an in‐depth analysis of responses to structured interviews. Analysis of the results indicate that students make large use of ESD; nearly all ESD are used by more than 60% of the students. Furthermore, students make deep level use of the ESD. Moreover, interrelations could be detected between general student characteristics and deep level use of ESD. Women seem to be more likely to use planning ESD, orientating ESD and processing ESD at a deep level. Students with higher prior education levels seem to use ESD at deep level to a greater extent. Students with less prior knowledge of governmental law and students using study guidance use testing ESD more at a deep level.

No interrelations were detected between cognitive student characteristics and the use of ESD.

To get a better view of the ‘type’ of students using ESD, the interrelations between general student characteristics have been analysed. Especially higher educated (and intrinsic motivated) female students with a lot of study experience and less prior knowledge make deep level use of ESD. When linking the use of ESD to study success, it could be stated that students using ESD at a deep level are not only more likely to have a higher score on the examination, they also need fewer examination attempts. Comparing theoretical and spontaneously mentioned functions and effects of ESD revealed that students indicate functions that are not theoretically expected. Students seem to ascribe their own functions and effects to ESD.

The main conclusion of this research is that the high investment in the design of written study materials is worth the effort; but that it is important to take account of student characteristics when implementing ESD in course materials. It can, for instance, be argued it is desirable to incorporate into the materials ‘training’ about the use of the ESD. Moreover, these results link up with the growing tendency to develop more flexible Ou‐courses that are adaptable to individual student needs. The latter implies that the production of written versions of the study materials is to be redirected towards the development of automated interactive learning environments.     

The continuity of college students’ autonomous learning motivation and its predictors: A three-year longitudinal study

This study examined change in Chinese students’ autonomous learning motivation in the first three years of college and how this change is accounted for by intra- and inter-individual variables. The sample included 633 (328 female) college freshmen. Results showed that students’ autonomous learning motivation decreased over years in college. Students’ perceived parental autonomy support and peer relatedness demonstrated different change patterns over time, but each variable positively predicted students’ autonomous learning motivation. Students majoring in science showed a more rapid decline in motivation than liberal arts students. Students studying a major of their own choice showed a higher initial level of motivation than students who were studying a major not of their own choice, but no group difference in the declining trend of motivation was observed. The positive effects of students' perceived institutional support on motivation were limited to the freshmen year.