Developing reflective practitioners : Exploring the perceptions of professional reflective processes among undergraduate nursing students

This thesis takes a phenomenographic approach to explore the perceptions of third-year undergraduate nursing students on the use of reflection in their nursing practice. Through ten in-depth interviews, the study explores what undergraduate nursing students perceive reflection to be, whether they find it valuable for their current and future nursing practice and which types of activities foster reflection. The purpose of this study is to inform the teaching and learning of reflection in undergraduate nursing programs. Six categories of description were developed following the process outlined by Dahlgren and Fallsberg (1991). Each category of description contains a critical variation in the way these students’ experienced reflection. Importantly, the categories show a hierarchy in how the cohort perceived and valued reflection and the outcomes they associated with reflection. Categories varied from a simplistic understanding to a more complex comprehension and application of reflection. A number of reflective activities and experiences that foster and enhance reflective processes were identified including social interactions with other nurses and their peers, real life situations and case studies being incorporated into classroom teaching. This study provides opportunities to influence the teaching and learning in undergraduate nursing curricula through its identification of the nature and value of reflection. Suggestions include the inclusion of reflective activities in classroom teaching early in the curriculum, as well as the introduction of scaffolding across the curriculum to assist with the development of reflection and reflective abilities. These measures, along with learning through professional experience placements, will promote and foster reflection in a way that supports students in becoming reflective and therefore more effective practitioners as they move into the nursing profession. Further research into undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions on reflection is required, particularly focusing on international students or students from non-English speaking backgrounds.

This work © 2024, Lynette Taylor.