Enhancing English Teaching: The Power of Reflective Teaching Practices in the Practicum

The impact of reflection in teachers’ professional development has been widely acknowledged. Yet, not much is known about the perception that EFL pre-service teachers have about reflective practice. The present study attempts to address this gap by investigating how EFL pre-service teachers reflect on their performance. Employing a mixed approach, the study involved 43 teacher candidates who were taking the Practicum at a private university in Costa Rica. The findings show that student teachers seem to lack comprehension about what reflective practice is. They demonstrated little engagement on deep and serious reflection and lack of critical analysis of their own performance, even though they seem to acknowledge the importance of reflection. More training on how to reflect appropriately is needed to create a permanent reflective practice among EFL teachers and encourage a life-long commitment to reflective practice as a means for professional development.