BPS-DSEP Annual Conference 2013
Emerging from the swampy
lowlands:
Critical issues in the theory and
practice of reflection
Brendan Cropley, Gareth Picknell, & John Peel
[email protected]
@BrendanCropley
Setting the Scene
• Importance of different forms of knowing and
learning
Theoretical / positivistic knowledge
• Value of reflective practice within experiential
learning has
reported Theory
Knowledge
ofbeen
self –frequently
Living Educational
• Yet issues still exist (and have emerged)
Craft the
/ Decision
knowledge
regarding
theory making
and practice
of reflection
Presentation Aims
• Raise awareness of the issues concerning
reflective practice within sport (psychology)
– The evidence
– Using RP as assessment
– The practice
• Consider a ‘way forward’ for the field
– Can we emerge from the ‘swampy lowlands’?
Issue 1: The Evidence
• The evidence base for reflection has recently
been questioned (e.g., Picknell et al., in press)
– Does RP actually do what it says it does?
• Impact of the ‘traditional epistemology’
– Are these traditions hampering uptake?
• Evidence, understanding and practice borrowed
– Why don’t we do it more or better?
Issue 2: RP as Assessment
• RP is a highly personalised process
• Using RP as a form of assessment impacts on the
process and engagement
• The process becomes sanitised
– ‘Getting it’ versus learning ‘how to do it’
• Likely that RP is becoming a technical rational
activity (Trelfa & Telfer, in press)
Issue 3: The Practice
• Seen in academic terms
• Trainees and students not prepared to succeed
• Should be considered as “RPs” and the spectrum
of approaches embraced
• Models and question structures should guide the
process and not debilitate it
Implications: Individual
Develop the skills and attributes for reflective
practice
Develop an ‘ecology of practice’ and ‘living
educational theory’
Effective RP through action planning
Implications: Field
Educate, facilitate, practice
Understand the value of different reflective levels
(Accepting) The emerging evidence base
From the Swampy Lowlands
Questions for You
• Are your RPs a ‘sometime’ thing, or an ‘all the time’
thing?
• How has the role and/or depth of reflection evolved
as you have progressed through your careers?
• How might you better encourage reflective practice in
yourself and in others?
Developing Applied Sport and
Exercise Psychology through
Reflective Practice:
Explorations of Professional
Practice, Issues with Reflection and
Modern Research Trends
QUESTIONS?