Constructing a Reflective Portfolio Tool:: an Action Research on the Student Teachers' Perceptions of Their Experiences

Over the past two decades, reflection and reflective practice have been regarded as standards towards which teachers and teacher educators must strive. Portfolios are often promoted as an important means for developing reflective practices of teacher candidates and teachers. This book includes the results of a study which aimed to examine student teachers? perceptions of their experiences of constructing a portfolio in order to develop a more reflective portfolio construction tool. The research was conducted at Eastern Mediterranean University in North Cyprus, focusing on the EDUC 420 Practice Teaching course. Methodologically, the researcher adopted action research since the phases of the study best suits to the nature of action research. The findings of this study and the related literature reviewed in this book offer some useful implications for designing reflective portfolio construction tools within the framework of Practicum courses in teacher education. The importance of peer collaboration, the step-by-step approach, and the guiding questions given in the journals were underlined as important elements in improving student teachers? reflective thinking skills.