Reflective thinking in pre-service Teacher Education: an approach from learning activities

Abstract

This article presents the learning activities that teachers use and the perception of usefulness for learning that preservice teachers have. A quantitative study with ex post facto, descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional and field design was carried out in four institutions of Higher Education in the Dominican Republic, based on a non-probability sample of 80 teachers and 864 students of different degrees. An inventory was applied’’ ad hoc’’ of 40 Learning Activities (IAF) that promote reflective thinking. Results show that teachers use various types of training activities, but transmission-focused (assimilative) ones prevail. The students consider more useful those activities that require less effort. Finally, from previous studies, the level of reflective thinking that promotes each type of training activity is inferred. The findings suggest the need to delve into the design of learning activities; explore teaching practice in the classroom and the measurement of reflective thinking by students.