What is reflective learning?
As early as 1933 Dewey defined reflective thought as “active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and further conclusions to which it tends” (Dewey, 1933 in Andrusyszyn & Davie, 1997, p.105). He believed that associating ideas was integral to thinking and that one had to search for deeper meanings through reflective thinking to capture and understand the core essence of something, to transform doubt into understanding and understanding into further action (Andrusyszyn & Davie, 1997). When reviewing the literature to learn more about reflective learning, one is confronted with background theory that is both complex, and wide ranging, with various generic discipline perspectives presenting multiple interpretations of the processes involved. Most of this theory relates to perceiving reflection as part of a cycle of learning (Kolb, 1984). Reflection in terms of learning “is a generic term for those in
