Author(s):
Reflective practice stands as a pivotal strategy among the four primary approaches to instructional change in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) higher education literature. Despite a growing interest and advocacy for this practice, a limited knowledge base exists regarding STEM instructors’ reflective processes about teaching. Characterizing the nature of instructors’ reflections on teaching is pivotal to developing effective professional development programs that aim to train instructors on reflective practices that lead to instructional growth. To address this gap, 98 physics and astronomy instructors were recruited from the Physics and Astronomy Faculty Teaching Institute (FTI), tasking them with writing reflections on challenging teaching experiences they identified. Findings revealed that most instructors produced low-level reflections lacking in connections between instructors’ actions and the observed outcomes, or the described experience is not centered on students’ outcomes or the educational literature. Approximately half delved into their relationships with students or their own personal growth, but only a minority considered broader societal, cultural, or ethical dimensions. Moreover, a notable absence of plans to seek external resources was observed in instructors’ strategies to handle future, similar situations. Given that grappling with societal and cultural influences and seeking external knowledge correlate with pedagogical growth, this study suggests a deficiency among STEM instructors in producing the types of reflection that would be conducive to substantive instructional change. It also underscores the need for ongoing support to foster effective reflection and practitioner development.
