Promoting Reflective Practice via the Use of 5-Step CoPORA Reflective Model: A Case Study of East Malaysian ESL Pre-Service Teachers

Introduction

Reflective thinking is one of the competencies that a pre-service teacher (PST) should demonstrate as underlined in the Malaysian Teacher Standard.

Reflective practice is a component in the Malaysian teacher education programme.

Mainly incorporated in the teaching practice (practicum)

Assist pre-service teachers to justify their selection of teaching methodology and pedagogical approach and to determine how they can improve themselves.

This case study attempted to promote a higher level of reflective practice among ESL PSTs via a reflective model named CoPORA.

Findings

2: Improvement in reflective practice only reached pedagogical reflection

The percentage of columns for Unfilled, Pre, and Surface reflection have decreased while the percentage of columns for Pedagogical reflection has increased

Focus Group Interview (FGI) praised the usefulness of the CoPORA reflective model in helping them to structure their thinking

CoPORA helped the respondents to reflect deeper and further than simply thinking about their strengths and weaknesses

The respondents were not able to reflect at the level of Critical reflection due to CoPORA model inability to push them to reflect at Larrivee’s Critical reflection and the Practical Reflection (PR) forms that they used were unable to prompt Critical reflection

3: CoPORA Model is perceived to be structured and helpful

CoPORA Model helps respondents to make improvements in their reflective practice, particularly in their post lesson reflection.

It is a very structured and organised approach in engaging reflection.

It is explained in stage

Cognition

Practice

Observation

Rationalization

Action

It focuses on the issues, the reasons behind the issues and ways to remedy it.

Methods

To capture the respondents’ actions, thoughts, opinions, and behaviour as a result of the use of CoPORA reflective model in their reflective practice.

Case study approach was used as it allows researchers to understand the respondents’ experiences, lived realities, to analyse and interpret a studied phenomenon which was pre-service ESL teachers engaging in reflective practice.

The unit of analysis referred to the respondents, comprising a class of 14 pre-service ESL teachers who had completed two phases of their practicum in urban and sub-urban primary schools of a city in East Malaysia.

The respondents were trained to use CoPORA and were encouraged to adopt the reflective model in their reflective practice throughout their teaching practice.

Three instruments were used to gather the necessary data needed for the study, namely the vlogs, the Practicum Reflection (PR) forms used by the respondents in their practicum and the focus group interview.

A vlog was chosen to be the medium to present the respondents’ reflection using the CoPORA reflective model. The researcher would transcribe and subsequently analyse the vlog content using the steps in the CoPORA reflective model.

A content analysis of the PR forms was carried out to ascertain whether there is a change in the level of the reflective practice of the PSTs as a result of the use of CoPORA.

Consent was given by 9 respondents and they will remain anonymous. Each respondent will have their PR form randomly chosen.

The rubric has 4 levels. Pre-reflection, surface reflection, pedagogical reflection and critical reflection.

Respondents were interviewed in four sessions of Focus Group Interview. the interviews will be categorised and grouped.

Consistency was ensured in the findings. The method follows a trustworthy process in the qualitative data gathered.

Conclusion

The study was conducted to investigate the use of a structured reflective model in CoPORA model could promote higher level of reflective practice among pre-service ESL teachers.

The study reported positive outcomes

  • The respondents demonstrated the ability to use the model using vlogs
  • A higher number of reflective entries achieving the pedagogical reflection level and above was recorded
  • Good reviews were made by the respondents related to the use of the CoPORA reflective model.

Teacher educators can play a more significant role in coaching and scaffolding reflective practice among PSTs

The study also urges for future studies to explore reflective practice in a community or collaborative setting

  1. Two stages in CoPORA model were difficult to execute
  1. Respondents demonstrated ability to use CoPORA in vlogs

Reflective practice of pre service

The 5-Step CoPORA reflective model

Farrell (2016) posits that engaging in reflective practice helps PSTs to articulate and reflect on their beliefs, with the hope that a new level of awareness could invite a potential reevaluation of their practices. - a means for them to develop themselves
professionally as competent teachers.

While PSTs are able to recall and critically discuss instances in their lessons, they may not necessarily reflect deeply enough to reach the level where problem-solving and examination of one’s own practice occurs. ((Ciampa & Gallagher, 2015; Goldman & Grimbeek, 2015) - shaped by the concrete experience that they have encountered - limited knowledge and exposure to teaching methodology - teacher education programmes in creating conducive learning environment

Malaysia- weak at reflective practice - surface level - in both public Universities and IPGs

A structured reflective practice is essential in developing teacher professionalism
and discouraging them from seeking quick solutions to problems in the classroom (Korthagen & Vasalos, 2005).

Afshar and Farahani (2015) also urge teacher educators to take a primary role in providing training for PSTs on the matter of reflective thinking and development of teaching skills. - It is based on these arguments and gaps that the CoPORA reflective model was developed and studied in this research.

COGNITION : Teachers elucidate their rationales for their lesson planning and selection of activities and resources

PRACTICE: teachers describe the practice and the events that have taken place in the classroom

OBSERVATION: The pre-service teachersmentally recalled what has transpired in the lesson that they have taught.

RATIONALISATION: Teachers are to provide reasons for the challenges that they have encountered in their classroom and provide possible explanations for them.

ACTION: Teachers begin formulating possible solutions to their problems. Expert teachers are able to filter problems in the classroom and subsequently brainstorm possible pedagogical solutions to overcome the issues that they faced in their lessons

Respondents' excerpts which showcased each of the 5 stages of CoPORA reflective model revealed that the respondents generally did not face difficulty in using the model.

Cognition: The respondents did that by first sharing the activity that they conducted in class and then proceed to provide rationale for their decisions.

Practice: -Respondents shared what they have enacted in their classroom.


-Respondents took great effort in describing what they did in their lesson.

Observation: The respondents reported their pupils' reaction, performance and their written outcome in observation.

Rationalisation: The reflection of most of the respondents were mostly instrospective, where they examined their own shortcomings in causing the learners not to achieve the lesson objectives.

Action: The respondents not only proposed the suggestions for their issue, but also offered the possible justification and the impact that their decision would have on the issue that they faced.

Arguments: -Teachers need to learn the sub-skills of reflection. (how to articulate their beliefs, gather evidence of their teaching, understand the evidence and propose solutions.) (Farrell, 2019).


-Teachers to be trained in both observing and reasoning ability so that they are better equipped to bring about changes in the classroom. (Sherin & Russ,2014)

Action stage: Not able to suggest effective measures to tackle the issues due to lack of creativity.

Rationalisation stage: -Teachers experience difficulty in assessing their own practice and observing learners' performances.


-Lack of sufficient input/lack of relevant skills on how to engage in reflective practice.