Reflecting Journeys: Student Nurses’ Perceptions of Their Reflective Practices

Dayang Zuraina, Abang Haji Kashim (2020) Reflecting Journeys: Student Nurses’ Perceptions of Their Reflective Practices. Journal of Malaysian Nurses Association, 14 (1). pp. 67-74. ISSN 1823-8661

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Abstract

Background: Reflective practice is deemed significant in nursing education, and it is important that nursing students be encouraged to learn how to think critically and be more innovative. Those who acknowledge the importance of promoting reflective practice in nursing education, are starting to use journals practice tools for reflection. However, it is still unclear as to what extent these students comprehend the practice of reflection, how they feel about it, and whether journal writing actually aids in acquiring skills of reflection. Purpose: To understand how much nursing students comprehend reflective practice, along with their views and perceptions of it. To find out the levels of reflection that students go through their training, and whether journal writing aided in enhancing their reflective skills. Methodology: A phenomenological approach was adopted to describe the experiences of study participants. Using purposive sampling, 18 students were recruited to the study from three different cohorts. Oneto-one interviews and focus group interviews were conducted. Data was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis method and coded into themes. Results: The students’ ability to reflect were coded according to Goodman’s (1984) levels of reflection, which shows that there is an evolution of increasing reflection as they ascend their years in training. There were mixed feelings amongst the students regarding the role of journal writing in their learning reflective practice from journals as only a way to monitor their progress to appreciating feedback given. Conclusion: Time, feedback and trust can make or break the active learning process of reflection. More insight needs to be gained in order to understand how to optimally embed reflective practice in the nursing profession here. Keywords: Reflection, reflective practice, nursing, student nurses, perceptions, Malaysia

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