Valli’s Typology Of Reflection And The Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflective Journals

Participants were teachers in a new postgraduate diploma in education programme in the Cayman Islands. The aim of the study was two-fold. Firstly, to determine (through an analysis of the participants’ reflective journals) the types of reflection in which they engaged and secondly, to evaluate Valli’s (1997) typology of reflection as a tool for analyzing reflective journals. The results of the study showed that a modified version of Valli’s typology aided in determining (from reflective journals) the types of reflection in which the participants engaged as well as actions to be taken. For example, while participants did engage in reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action and personalistic reflection, efforts should be made to encourage this occurrence. There was also the need to improve their skills in reflecting deliberatively, critically, and technically. Implications of the results of the study for journaling in teacher education were also highlighted.