Examining pre-service teachers’ journal reflection experiences during Supported Teaching in Schools (STS) in Ghana: Benefits and challenges

Emmanuel Adjei-Boateng

doi:10.51867/ajernet.6.3.57

Authors

Emmanuel Adjei-Boateng
eadjei-boateng@ug.edu.gh
University of Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1786-8116

Keywords:

Benefits and Challenges, Journal Reflection Experience, Pre-service Teachers, Supported Teaching in Schools

Abstract

This study investigated the experiences of pre-service teachers with reflective journaling while they were part of a Ghanaian university's Supported Teaching in Schools (STS) program. The objective was to evaluate the perceived advantages and challenges of reflective journaling and its impact on the professional development of pre-service teachers. The theories that guided this research are Schön's (1983) theory of reflective practice and Kolb's (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle. Using cross-sectional descriptive survey design and multi-stage sampling, the researcher utilized self-administered questionnaires to gather quantitative data from 180 pre-service teachers out of a population of 312 pre-service teachers. Data was analysed using the Mean, Standard Deviation, Regression Analysis and Correlation Coefficients. The results show that reflective journaling enhances critical thinking abilities among pre-service teachers, promotes their capacity for self-reflection, and improves their overall professional development. The study highlights the value of reflective journaling for the professional development of pre-service teachers in Ghana. However, it also identified obstacles such as a lack of direction and time constraint, which can diminish its effectiveness. It is crucial to offer structured guidance, time for reflective activity, regular mentor feedback, and the efficient use of digital tools to support meaningful engagement in reflection, addressing these issues and optimizing the benefits of reflective practice in pre-service teacher education.

Dimensions

REFERENCES

Abedi, E. A., Prestridge, S., Geelan, D., & Hodge, S. (2024). Preparing pre-service teachers to teach with information technology: Mapping knowledge patterns in what is included and omitted in Ghana. Cambridge Journal of Education, 54(3), 337-356. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2024.2355215 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2024.2355215

Almutawa, H., & Alfahid, M. (2024). Reflective journal writing: EFL pre-service teachers' perceptions during practicum. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 45, 140-156. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2024.45.08 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2024.45.08

Ashun, E. A., Nsiah, R. K., Donkoh, I. A., Bordoh, A., & Eshun, I. (2025). Assessing the impacts of students' reflective journals on the professional development of student-teachers in Enchi College of Education. African Social Science and Humanities Journal, 6(2), 102-115.

Barham, K. A. (2023). The use of reflective journals in the development of teaching skills and teacher education in the occupied West Bank. Journal of Education in Muslim Societies, 5(1), 26-46. https://doi.org/10.2979/jems.5.1.03 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2979/jems.5.1.03

Bashan, B., & Holsblat, R. (2017). Reflective journals as a research tool: The case of student teachers' development of teamwork. Cogent Education, 4(1), 1374234. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1374234 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1374234

Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (2018). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. Kogan Page.

Branch, W. T., Jr., & Paranjape, A. (2002). Feedback and reflection: Teaching methods for clinical settings. Academic Medicine, 77(12 Pt 1), 1185-1188. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200212000-00005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200212000-00005

Burton, T., Buron, M., & Carroll, S. (2025). Reflective practice in teacher education: Challenges and opportunities. Future Press.

Cadiz, A. P. (2021). Pre-service teachers' reflective practice and their teaching practicum beliefs. Jurnal Inovatif Ilmu Pendidikan, 3(2), 105-119. http://jurnal.fkip.unila.ac.id/index.php/JIIP/index DOI: https://doi.org/10.23960/jiip.v3i2.22854

https://doi.org/10.23960/jiip.v3i2.22854

Chan, C. K. Y., & Lee, K. K. W. (2021). Reflection literacy: A multilevel perspective on the challenges of using reflections in higher education through a comprehensive literature review. Educational Research Review, 32, 100376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100376 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100376

Çimer, A., Çimer, S. O., & Vekli, G. S. (2013). How does reflection help teachers to become effective teachers. International Journal of Educational Research, 1(4), 133-149.

Coleman, H., Boit, R., Butterworth, L., La Paro, K., Ricks, T., Hestenes, L., Ozdemir, M., & Aal-Anubia, A. J. (2023). Effective teaching strategies: Pre-service teachers' experiences in team-taught courses in an interdisciplinary early childhood teacher education program. Teaching and Teacher Education, 121, 103937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103937 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103937

Danday, B. A. (2023). Fostering critical thinking among pre-service teachers through a multiple representation-based collaborative pedagogical approach. In N. Rezaei (Ed.), Brain, decision making and mental health (Vol. 12). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15959-6_11 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15959-6_11

Darling-Hammond, L. (2021). Preparing teachers for deeper learning. Harvard Education Press.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Dorsah, P., Abukari, M. A., Tindan, T. N., & A-ingkonge, B. (2022). Beginning teaching: Pre-service teachers' experiences with supported teaching in schools. Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, 7(4), 140-149. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.tecs.20220704.15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11648/j.tecs.20220704.15

EEF blog. (2022). The significance of challenges in reflective practices. EEF blog.

Faculty Focus. (n.d.). Teaching excellence through mindful reflection. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/teaching-excellence-through-mindful-reflection/

Fook, J. (2007). Practising critical reflection: A resource handbook. Open University Press.

Ghaye, T., & Ghaye, K. (2010). Reflection: Principles and practice for beginners. Routledge.

Harrison, J., & Lee, K. (2020). The role of reflective practice in teacher education: Implications for the classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 88, 102975.

Hojeij, Z., Chehab, H., & Hoyer, R. (2021). The hall of mirrors: Reflecting on pre-service teachers' reflections. Taylor & Francis.

Kılıç, A. (2022). The impact of reflective practices on pre-service science teachers' classroom teaching practices. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6(1), 152-170. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2022175781 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2022175781

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall. http://academic.regis.edu/ed205/Kolb.pdf

Korthagen, F., & Nuijten, E. (2022). The power of reflection in teacher education and professional development: Strategies for in-depth teacher learning. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003221470 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003221470

Kreber, C. (2019). Reflection and reflective practice in higher education: A framework for understanding. Reflective Practice, 20(1), 1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2018.1539657

https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2018.1539657

Kuhn, C., Hagenauer, G., Gröschner, A., & Bach, A. (2024). Mentor teachers' motivations and implications for mentoring style and enthusiasm. Teaching and Teacher Education, 139, 104441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104441 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104441

Lama, A. (2023). Reflective teaching journals as an effective embedded formative assessment process of teaching skill development confidence in a longitudinal medical student-as-teacher elective. Medical Science Educator, 33(6), 1493-1503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-023-01938-1

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-023-01938-1

Larrivee, B. (2008). Transforming teaching practice: Becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective Practice, 9(3), 341-358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14623940802207451

https://doi.org/10.1080/14623940802207451

Mbage, B. (2025). Assessing the impact of reflective practice on teachers' professional practices: A case study in selected Ghanaian schools. EDUCATIO: Journal of Education, 9(1), 164-178. https://doi.org/10.29138/educatio.v9i3.1657 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29138/educatio.v9i3.1657

McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2010). Education research: Evidence-based inquiry. Pearson.

Ministry of Education. (2021). Education sector performance report. Government of Ghana.

Moon, J. A. (2013). Reflection and learning in professional development. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203822296

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203822296

NEP. (2020). National Education Policy 2020. Ministry of Human Resource Development. https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf

Nduagbo, K., & Casale, C. (2023). Pre-service teachers' reflective practices, self-efficacy, and professional growth. Experiential Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 6(1), 56-66. https://doi.org/10.46787/elthe.v6i1.3555 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46787/elthe.v6i1.3555

Ocansey, R. T., Chepyator-Thomson, J. R., & Kutame, M. A. (1992). Promoting critical thinking in student teaching practice. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 63(6), 66-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.1992.10606622 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.1992.10606622

Orland-Barak, L., & Wang, J. (2020). Teacher mentoring in service of pre-service teachers' learning to teach: Conceptual bases, characteristics, and challenges for teacher education reform. Journal of Teacher Education, 72(1), 86-99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487119894230

https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487119894230

O'Sullivan, M. (2021). The role of guidance in reflective journaling. Studies in English Language and Education, 8(3), 1061-1079. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.19105

https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.19105

Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS survival manual (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Ragawanti, D. T. (2014). Cultivating pre-service teachers' classroom management skills through teaching practicum: A reflective practice. TEFLIN Journal, 25(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v26i1/117-128 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v26i1/117-128

Schendel, R., McCowan, T., Rolleston, C., Adu-Yeboah, C., Omingo, M., & Tabulawa, R. (2020). Pedagogies for critical thinking at universities in Kenya, Ghana and Botswana: The importance of a collective 'teaching culture'. Teaching in Higher Education, 28(4), 717-738. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1852204 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1852204

Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Temple Smith.

Spalding, J., & Wilson, A. (2002). The importance of reflective journals in teacher education. Journal of Education for Teaching, 28(2), 113-127.

Spiker, A. (2014). Don't waste my time; exploring the reflective journaling requirement in the student teaching experience. Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research, 16(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1050 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1050

Spiteri, D. (2024). The hall of mirrors: Reflecting on pre-service teachers' reflections. Teachers and Teaching, 31(1), 52-69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2024.2320147

https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2024.2320147

Vosniadou, S., Lawson, M. J., Wyra, M., Van Deur, P., Jeffries, D., & I Gusti Ngurah, D. (2020). Pre-service teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching and about the self-regulation of learning: A conceptual change perspective. International Journal of Educational Research, 99, 101495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101495 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101495

World Bank. (2020). Ghana: Education sector review. World Bank Publications.

Yacek, D., Rödel, S. S., & Karcher, M. (2020). Transformative education: Philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical dimensions. Educational Theory, 70, 529-537. https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.12442 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.12442