Meaning of Reflective Practice for In-Service Teachers: A Lived Experience in the Teacher Narrative Seminar

Reflective practice tends to be understood by teachers as an evaluative process that evidences technical rationality, which limits its connection to the construction of experiential knowledge. The objective was to explore how the meaning of reflective practice for in-service teachers is transformed through the lived experience in the Teacher Narrative Seminar. The research was interpretive, and 12 in-service teachers participated. The interviews conducted were subjected to thematic analysis, which revealed a transformation in the definition, characteristics, and purposes of reflective practice. It is concluded that the transformation of these three thematic elements, which are part of the meaning of reflective practice, is related to a shift in the type of rationality. Moreover, the transformation of these elements enables participants to be impacted by a transformative drive that alters self-perception and self-efficacy, leading to a change in the role of the teacher. This, in turn, could reclaim their professional work by recognizing them as builders of knowledge.