Sights and insights: Vocational outdoor students’ learning through and about reflective practice in the workplace

Date

2016-04-01

Advisors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

ISSN

2206-3301

DOI

Volume Title

Publisher

Outdoor Council of Australia/Outdoor Education Australia.

Type

Article

Peer reviewed

Yes

Abstract

Outdoor leader and adventure sport education in the United Kingdom has been characterized by an over-emphasis on technical skills at the expense of equally important, but often marginalized intra- and inter-personal skills necessary for contemporary outdoor employment. This study examined the lived experience of vocational outdoor students in order firstly to identify what was learned about the workplace through using reflective practice, and secondly, what was learned about reflective practice through this experience. The study used a purposive sample of students (n=15) who were invited to maintain reflective journals during summer work experience, and this was followed up with semi-structured interviews. Manual Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed that in the workplace setting, students used reflective practice to understand and develop technical proficiency, support awareness of the value of theory, and acted as a platform to express emergent concepts of ”professionalism.” Lessons about reflective practice emphasized its value in social settings, acknowledging different ways of reflection, and understanding and managing professional life beyond graduation.

Description

research article

Keywords

learning, reflective practice, workplace

Citation

Hickman, M and Stokes, P. (2016) Sights and insights: Vocational outdoor students’ learning through and about reflective practice in the workplace, Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 19 (1), pp. 22-32

Rights

Research Institute