Reflective practice engagement and associated challenges among higher education teachers in Ethiopia

Despite the widely acknowledged importance of reflective practice in enhancing educational quality, there’s a notable gap in research on its real-world application and the specific challenges teachers face in Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This study addresses a significant gap in research regarding the practical application of reflective practice among teachers in Ethiopian HEIs and the challenges they encounter. The study utilized a concurrent mixed-methods approach, collecting data from 280 randomly selected HEI teachers (249 male, 31 female) across four public universities in Ethiopia through questionnaires, and 16 participants were engaged in in-depth interviews. The study investigated teacher engagement in four key components of reflective practice: reflection-in-action, reflection-on-action, reflection-with-others, and self-appraisal. It also aimed to identify common instructional problems and their severity. Statistical analyses, including descriptive and inferential statistics, were used to interpret the findings. The results indicate that teachers positively engage across all components of reflective practice. However, they also face various challenges in their daily teaching routines, with differing views among respondents on the nature and prevalence of these obstacles. Concluding this, while HEI teachers generally have a positive view of and embrace reflective practice, they consistently face difficulties applying it in their day-to-day teaching. This highlights the urgent need for further research into reflective practice and its challenges within the specific context of Ethiopian higher education.