Storying 2020-21: Experiences of Reflection in an International School Community

Students in secondary education settings (Middle and High School) which offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years and Diploma Programmes (MYP/DP) are assessed on their reflective thinking to develop critical thinking skills. Whereas GCSE and A Level curricula do not discretely or explicitly assess reflection.

This is an inductive qualitative study of experiences of reflective thinking in a secondary IB education setting at an International School in South London during the Covid-19 pandemic. Research participants were students in Grades 8 to 10 (Years 9 to 11 in the secondary education system in the UK) and academic staff. Data was collected in eleven semi-structured interviews in which nineteen participants were questioned over Microsoft Teams regarding their experiences of reflection. Subsequent analysis identified emerging themes in the data. In parallel to this, the analysis of IB curriculum documents - using a Critical Discourse Analysis approach - provided a comprehensive context for the analysis of the interview data.

Both students and teachers indicated that whilst there was a consistent message in curricula that reflective thinking was important, there were differences in interpretations of policy relating to reflection. Variations in the contexts, strategies and perceived intentions of reflective tasks were found to strongly influence students' and teachers’ experiences of reflection.

The study highlights the value attributed to reflection by students and teachers. The implications for practice are a recommendation that space is made for reflection in secondary curricula as it results in students’ confidence to work independently and in their self-efficacy, accessing and succeeding in higher education contexts.

There is relatively little research into students’ reflective thinking at secondary level. Studies of reflection more frequently focus on teachers’ reflective practice - or that of practitioners in other settings (e.g. medical). This study also extends previous research on experiences of reflective thinking in international schools because of the Covid-19 pandemic context.