Reflection in the Pre-service Education of Preschool Teachers: A Comparison of the perceptions of Czech and Israeli students
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Multi Colors: An International Journal of Educational Research and Theory |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.gordon.ac.il/sites/gordon/UserContent/files/Reflection%20in%20the%20Pre-service%20Education%20of%20Preschool%20Teachers_cleaned%20(2).pdf |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.33496/multicolors0204 |
| Keywords | pre-service education of preschool teachers; reflection; reflectivity; preschool; student. |
| Description | This study examines the development of preschool student teachers’ reflective skills in two countries representing two different cultures and social-organizational settings. The study sought to compare pedagogical and learning related approaches in the development of reflective skills of third-year students of a teaching College in Northern Israel and second-year students of the Faculty of Education in a large University in the Czech Republic. We examined what students in these respective programs reflect upon and what level of reflection they attained. Both settings, although based in different cultural traditions and methods, consider the development of reflective skills enhancing major component of the students’ professional skills. Respondents were 18 students from the Faculty of Education in the Czech Republic (CR) and 40 students from Israel (IL), who completed courses focused on the development and implementation of preschool education projects. Data consisted of students’ written narratives which were analyzed in terms of the quality and content of their reflection. The results indicate that Czech students focused on aspects of their educational reality/ experience while Israeli students focused on their learning process and the benefits of practice. Moreover, most of the Israeli students reached the critical level of reflection, while only 11% of the Czech students also did so. |