The Relationship Between Teacher Quality and Reflective Practice

This multiple case study examined the relationships between reflective practice and teacher quality as manifested by six early childhood educators. The researcher adopted the frameworks of the edTPA in considering teacher quality, and The Survey of Reflective Practice in considering reflective practice. A strong relationship was found between levels of reflective practice and teacher quality scores from the edTPA instrument. Teachers who were identified as highly reflective practitioners were found to have a high degree of overall teacher quality. For this group of teachers, teachers with more years of teaching experience and higher levels of education were more likely to be identified in the highest level of reflection and in teacher quality. Use of Spradley's (1979) Universal Semantic Relationships revealed how the typologies of reflective practice and the typologies of teacher quality manifested themselves in the cases of each of the six participants. For all of the participants, that relationship can be described in terms of reflective practice as both a way to practice quality teaching and as an employed activity for doing so. More research is needed given the lack of studies that measure an existing relationship between the constructs. Considering the expanding role that reflective practice is playing in teacher preparation and development, research showing that reflective practice at the highest levels is significantly aligned with the highest levels of teacher quality can confirm this practice. Research into the use of the edTPA in professional development may lead to increases in teacher quality in every classroom.