Principles and practice of reflective teaching in the pre-service teacher education programme of Malaysian teacher training colleges.

The aim of this study is to investigate how the pre-service teacher education
programme in Malaysian Teacher Training Colleges inculcates the skills of
reflective teaching in prospective teachers. This aim is pursued by examining the
perceptions of teacher educators, co-operating teachers, student teachers and
newly qualified teachers from three Teacher Training Colleges in Peninsular
Malaysia. A combination ~f qualitative and quantitative research methods was
used. These are questionnaires, interviews and document analysis. Different sets
~f questionnaires and interviews were used with all the four groups of
participants.
The thesis consists of three parts. Part One (Chapters 1 to 5), deals with the
literature on reflective practice and highlights how the notion of reflective
teaching has become popular in pre-service teacher education programmes in
English speaking countries and elsewhere. Part Two (Chapters 6 to 10),
describes the research methodology of the study and examines the research data
in order to answer some specific questions concerning the way in which preservice
teacher education in Malaysia inculcates the skills of reflective teaching
and the way in which Malaysian student teachers develop reflective teaching
skills during their initial training. In Part Three (Chapters 11-12), several
impediments to nurturing reflective teaching skills in student teachers are
identified and some recommendations for improving the pre-service teacher
programme so as to successfully nurture reflective teaching skills in student
teachers are made. Briefly, these are to: (i) develop a programme to stimulate
an attitude of inquiry and reflection in student teachers; (ii) ensure that present
methods (micro teaching, 'Kerja Kursus Secara Projek' (KKSP), journal writing
and clinical supervision) are geared more explicitly to inculcating reflective
teaching skills; (iii) encourage teacher educators as well as co-operating
teachers to be reflective practitioners; (iv) strengthen the triadic relationship
(student teachers - teacher educators - co-operating teachers) in order to
promote reflective teaching effectively; (v) introduce action research as a formal
way of developing reflection, (vi) promote and sustain critical reflection among
teachers and educators.
In general terms, the research indicates that the Malaysian pre-service
teacher education programme would more effectively foster reflective teaching if
various agencies work in a more integrated way. These agencies are: the
Teacher Education Division of the Ministry of Education (which acts as a source
of directives); the school (which provides a place for teaching practice); the
teacher educators and co-operating teachers (who mediate the reflective teaching
processes); the initial training institutions (which provide the source of
inculcating action research, and fostering reflective attitudes amongst student
teachers). It is necessary for all of these agencies to complement and supplement
each other if the aim of nurturing reflective teaching skills in Malaysian student
teachers is to be successfully achieved.