Abstract
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 75-89 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Studies in Higher Education |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2004 |
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Keywords
- higher education
- essay writing
- essays
- reflection
- learning
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How reflective is the academic essay? / Maclellan, Effie.
In: Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 29, No. 1, 01.02.2004, p. 75-89.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - How reflective is the academic essay?
AU - Maclellan, Effie
PY - 2004/2/1
Y1 - 2004/2/1
N2 - The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of reflection in academic essays. Forty essays, all previously deemed to be of merit quality, were analysed in terms of three elements of reflection - how the educational issue is conceptualized; what the issue means for practice; how practice might be changed to resolve the problematic. Each element was then assigned one of four levels of reflection - technical, descriptive, dialogical and critical. The main finding was that most of the elements were either at a descriptive level of reflection (which the literature argues is not difficult to achieve) or at a dialogical level (which recognizes that knowledge is not certain but does not tease out the relative merits of differing views). These different levels of reflection are seen as adevelopmental stages (from naïve to sophisticated) in gaining control over the process of co-ordinating extant understanding and new evidence
AB - The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of reflection in academic essays. Forty essays, all previously deemed to be of merit quality, were analysed in terms of three elements of reflection - how the educational issue is conceptualized; what the issue means for practice; how practice might be changed to resolve the problematic. Each element was then assigned one of four levels of reflection - technical, descriptive, dialogical and critical. The main finding was that most of the elements were either at a descriptive level of reflection (which the literature argues is not difficult to achieve) or at a dialogical level (which recognizes that knowledge is not certain but does not tease out the relative merits of differing views). These different levels of reflection are seen as adevelopmental stages (from naïve to sophisticated) in gaining control over the process of co-ordinating extant understanding and new evidence
KW - higher education
KW - essay writing
KW - essays
KW - reflection
KW - learning
U2 - 10.1080/1234567032000164886
DO - 10.1080/1234567032000164886
M3 - Article
VL - 29
SP - 75
EP - 89
JO - Studies in Higher Education
T2 - Studies in Higher Education
JF - Studies in Higher Education
SN - 0307-5079
IS - 1
ER -