Reflective Thinking: An Analysis of Students’ Reflections in Their Learning about Computers in Education

Fariza Khalid^1*, Mazalah Ahmad¹, Aidah Abdul Karim¹, Md. Yusoff Daud¹, Rosseni Din²

¹Department of Teaching & Learning Innovations, Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia.
²Personalized Learning Research Group, Department of Community Education and Wellness, Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2015.620220                

Abstract

This study aims to examine reflective capacity among students when learning about computers in education. The study involved 35 e-portfolios written by first-year students who enrolled on the Computers in Education course in the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All the students taking this course were required to publish “reflections” based on their weekly learning activities via individual e-portfolios. Thematic analysis was done using Nvivo 10 software to categorize the content of the students’ reflections. The analysis reveals that a large percentage of the “reflections” were non-reflective rather than reflective actions. This finding has implications for the way the course is designed, requiring a supportive environment, mentoring and group discussions, as reflective thinking is not spontaneous, but should be deliberately stimulated by the educational context.

Keywords

Reflective Thinking, Learning, Computer Education, Analysis, University, E-Portfolio, Journal

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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