Reflective practice among in-service English teachers in a secondary school in Johor

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the aspects of effective reflective practice from the perspectives of the teachers and SISC+ officers, to explore the current reflective practice among English language teachers in a secondary school in Kulai and to investigate the perceptions of the teachers towards the SISC+ officers in supporting reflective practice among the teachers. The respondents of this study consisted of the English language teachers in a secondary school in Kulai and SISC+ Officers in Kulai district. This study was done qualitatively through document analysis of reflections written by the teachers, focus groups conducted among the English language teachers and semi-structured interviews with the SISC+ Officers. The data gathered were analysed qualitatively. The findings of this study show that the teachers and SISC+ Officers believe that having the ability to reflect on the lessons should be continuous, consistent and timely to empower future learning. The findings also show that the teachers display a high level of reflective practice in their daily teaching. In addition, the findings also reveal that the SISC+ Officers play a vital role in supporting reflective practice among teachers. Two-pronged approach should be developed to further strengthen the support system between the SISC+ Officers and teachers. Further longitudinal study should be carried out with the addition of journal writing to gauge if the teachers’ self-belief change over the course of time.