Reflective thinking and teaching practices: A study on pre-service teachers’ perceptions and improvement of reflection in the curriculum development course: Reflective thinking and teaching practices

The current study aimed to investigate the Curriculum Development Course knowledge levels of pre-service teachers and the depth of their reflections. In this explanatory mixed-method research study, pre-service teachers who enrolled in the Elementary Education-Classroom Teaching Department in two state universities of Turkey were included. The data collected through an achievement test, a reflective thinking scale, and a reflective writing form were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis techniques. Also, the writings of pre-service teachers were analyzed according to Hatton and Smith’s (1995) framework. The results showed that taking Curriculum Development Course enriched with reflective writing activities increased pre-service teacher’s course knowledge and resulted in significantly higher reflection levels in some dimensions of reflective thinking. However, there was scarcity in the number of dialogical and critical reflections. The findings were discussed and some implications for researchers were proposed. Keywords: Curriculum development course, journal writing, pre-service teachers, reflective thinkin