SHUN MORIMOTO (TAMAGAWA UNIVERSITY)
SAKIKO YONEDA (Tamagawa University)

ENHANCING PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ REFLECTIVE PRACTICES THROUGH COLLABORATIVE REFLECTION ACTIVITIES: FOCUSING ON GRAMMAR TEACHING : TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This study investigated the effectiveness of a collaborative reflection activity in a pre-service English teacher training program in deepening and broadening the reflections of 36 Japanese university students who attended a Seminar for Educational Practice in the fall of 2023. They were asked to reflect on their grammar teaching experience during the practicum through a collaborative reflection activity that involved the use of Self-Assessment Descriptors (SADs) from the Japanese Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (J-POSTL) for Pre-Service English Teacher Education and J-POSTL for Elementary-School Teacher Education (JACET SIG on English Language Education, 2014, 2021) and to write online reflection comments. To evaluate the depth of reflection, each student’s reflection comments were broken down into thematic segments and analyzed using the ALACT Model (Korthagen, 1985), which describes the reflection process as a cyclic restructuring of knowledge and experiences. The segments were categorized into four phases: action (Phase 1), looking back on the action (Phase 2), awareness of essential aspects (Phase 3), and creating alternative methods of action (Phase 4). The results showed that overall, 32 students (88.9%) referred to Phase 1, 33 (91.7%) to Phase 2, 32 (88.9%) to Phase 3, and 27 (75.0%) to Phase 4. In addition, 33 students (91.7%) stated that the collaborative reflection activities helped them gain a broader perspective. This study argues that jointly presenting SADs and having the students engage in a collaborative reflection activity led to an increased awareness of their current competencies and future actions.

Shun Morimoto is an Associate Professor at Tamagawa University, Japan. He holds his M.A. and Ph.D. He has taught from junior high school to graduate school in Japan, and his recent research interests include reflective practices in the pre-service English teacher education, and motivation in second language acquisition.

Sakiko Yoneda is a Professor at Tamagawa University, Japan. She holds her MEd, M.A. and Ph.D. She has taught from kindergarten through graduate school in Japan, and her recent research interests include teaching English in elementary schools, teacher training in the pre-service education, and cultural exchanges such as COIL.