Reflective Thinking Practices among Pre-service Teachers - Comparison between Malaysia and Australia

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

Reflective practices are treated as a key element of pre-service teachers’ professional learning, yet their effectiveness as a tool for teacher professional development has been questioned. This study compares reflective teaching practices across two culturally distinct contexts, Malaysia and Australia, using a framework of five constructs: lifelong learning skills, self-assessment, self-belief, teaching awareness, and reflective thinking. Findings indicate substantial differences in how reflective thinking is conceptualized between the two teacher cohorts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Definition of Reflective Thinking Practice

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 46 Issue 2 | Article 1 | | --- | --- | | 2021
Reflective Thinking Practices among Pre-service Teachers: Comparison between Malaysia and Australia
Siew Chee Choy
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Malaysia
Judith Dinham
Curtin University, Australia
Joanne Sau-Ching Yim
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Malaysia
Paul Williams
mme moe Pty Ltd, Australia
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons | | Recommended Citation Choy, S. C., Dinham, J., Yim, J. S., & Williams, P. (2021) . Reflective Thinking Practices among Pre-service Teachers: Comparison between Malaysia and Australia. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(2) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2021v46n2.1](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2021v46n2.1) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol46/iss2/1](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol46/iss2/1) Reflective Thinking Practices Among Pre-Service Teachers: Comparison Between Malaysia and Australia S. Chee Choy Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Malaysia Judith Dinham Curtin University Joanne Sau-Ching Yim Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Malaysia Paul Williams mme moe Pty Ltd Abstract: Reflective practices are considered an important part ofapre-service teachers’(PSTs) professional learning experiences. However, there has been much criticisms on its efficacy as a learning tool for teacher professional development. This paper will relate a study that was designed to compare reflective teaching practices in two culturally different countries, namely Malaysia and Australia. These two countries were chosen as they offered an opportunity to study differences in reflective thinking practices from an Asian and a Western cultural perspective among PSTs. The study used a framework using five constructs: lifelong learning skills, selfassessment, self-belief, teaching awareness, and reflective thinking. The sample consisted of 387 Malaysian PSTs and 378 Australian PSTs who are enrolled in Bachelor level programmes. The results clearly indicate that while reflective thinking is emphasised in the teacher education programmes, the conceptualisation of the process of reflective thinking between the two cohorts of PSTs are very different. Limitations and implications for practice are discussed. Introduction Reflective practice is considered a desirable activity of teaching and has become part of professional teacher development (Zembylas, 2014). However, it has been criticised by researchers as being sterile and unemotional (Fook, 2010) and a mechanism for professional confession (Fendler, 2003) which reinforces current beliefs rather than questions assumptions. Further to this Myers, Smith and Tesar (2017) argue that requiring reflective practices within sanctioned frameworks is inherently problematic as it may lead to standardisation rather than critical and innovative teaching practices. Fendler (2003) further states that reflective practices intended to provide relevant, effective and responsive insights for improving the quality of teaching can have complex consequences. Although much has been written about reflective practices, these studies have not addressed the influence of cultural backgrounds on such practices. It is important to note that the prior experiences of teachers and their interpretation of those experiences, and the activities they engage in, are most important (Turner 2013) to explaining why teachers do what they do. Undoing existing beliefs of pre-service teachers (PSTs) in formal training courses has been relatively unsuccessful (Bigelow & Ranney, 2005) as there is no correlation between the teacher ed

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To compare reflective teaching practices and differences in reflective thinking among pre-service teachers in Malaysia and Australia.

What framework and constructs does the paper use?

It uses five constructs: lifelong learning skills, self-assessment, self-belief, teaching awareness, and reflective thinking.

How do the results differ between Malaysian and Australian pre-service teachers?

Reflective thinking is emphasized in both teacher education contexts, but the conceptualization of the reflective thinking process differs markedly between the two cohorts.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy