Listening to teachers: Teachers' perceptions of reflective practices in a metropolitan school district

Effective professional development is a key component in improving teachers' practices in the educational setting. Although there is current literature related to professional development, there is limited information on teachers' perceptions of reflective practices as forms of professional development. The purposes of the study were to identify and to explore teachers' perceptions of reflective practices as forms of professional development in a metropolitan public school district in a southern United States state and to develop theoretical propositions that may explain teachers' perceptions of reflective practices. The conceptual framework of the study was anchored in the works of Dewey, Brookfield, Mezirow, and Schon who explained how reflection was critical to improving teacher quality which can improve student achievement. Research questions focused on how professional development was designed, which reflective practices were included in professional development, and teachers' perceptions of reflective practices within professional development. Data were collected via interviews with 11 teachers and the director of professional development. Open, axial, and selective coding were used to analyze interviews and document data to generate theoretical propositions related to teachers' perceptions of reflective practices. A major finding was that the teachers interviewed had negative and positive perceptions of the types of reflective practices offered by the district. The teachers' negative perceptions were based on the limited involvement of teachers in deciding which reflective practices should be offered by the district. By implementing a full range of reflective practices as recommended by participants of the study, teachers will be able to identify additional areas of improvement which may lead to more effective teaching and ultimately greater student success.