Examining Critical Reflection Skills in an Undergraduate Gerontology Course

Autor/inn/en	Sheppard, Christine L.; Gilani, Jia; Neiterman, Elena
Titel	Examining Critical Reflection Skills in an Undergraduate Gerontology Course
Quelle	In: Educational Gerontology, 48 (2022) 11, S.536-548 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Sheppard, Christine L.) ORCID (Neiterman, Elena)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0360-1277
DOI	10.1080/03601277.2022.2047505
Schlagwörter	Reflection; Experiential Learning; Student Attitudes; Aging (Individuals); Gerontology; Undergraduate Students; Critical Thinking; Interviews; Age Differences; Discussion; Generational Differences + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Experiental learning; Erfahrungsorientiertes Lernen; Schülerverhalten; Aging; Altern; Gerontologie; Kritisches Denken; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Diskussion
Abstract	Experiential learning and reflection activities are often used to enhance students' understanding of and attitudes toward aging; however, deep reflection is difficult to achieve, and research shows students demonstrate varying abilities to reflect. This study examined the extent to which students in a third-year gerontology course were able to engage in reflection after completing an assignment that included an interview with an older adult. Data included 72 student-written reflections that were classified as descriptive, analytical, or critical based on their depth. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to understand what students reflected on within their experience and how this varied across levels of reflection. Overall, the assignment fostered a greater understanding of aging and prompted students to think more about what they wanted for their own aging process. Most students, however, reflected at the descriptive (32%) or analytical (50%) level; only 18% engaged in a critical reflection, indicating that critical reflection was not a skill demonstrated by all students. We make recommendations on how to enhance experiential learning activities to encourage critical reflection among students, including more structured and frequent reflection activities, more interactions with an older adult to build a deeper relationship and learn more about their life experiences, and more opportunities to develop qualitative interviewing skills. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01