Reflective practice: the challenge of journal writing

Reflective practice is one of the concepts that the Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development, Eastern Africa values as essential for teacher learning and development. It is incorporated in the Certificate in Education Programmes that target practising primary teachers. Emphasis is given to journal writing as an approach to reflective practice. However, many teachers seem to find it challenging to sustain this approach. This was a small-scale study which was conducted in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, to investigate why this might be the case. It is a qualitative study of a hermeneutic phenomenological nature. Semi-structured interviews were the sole method of data collection. The Miles and Huberman approach of qualitative data analysis was utilised. Findings indicated that teachers encounter a number of challenges that inhibit them from reflecting through journaling. These range from lack of time, the structure of the programmes and the way reflective practice is introduced to them, to teacher motivation and lack of structures to support the practice.