Definitions of reflection

Reflection has been defined as:

“ The higher order intellectual and affective activities in which physiotherapists engage to critically analyse and evaluate their experiences in order to lead to new understandings and appreciation of the way they think and operate in the clinical setting”. (Donaghy and Morss 2000).

“Reflective learning is the process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self, and which results in a changed conceptual perspective” ( Boyd and Fales 1983, p 100).

“ a window through which the practitioner can view and focus self within the context of his/her own lived experience in ways that enable him/her to confront, understand and work towards resolving the contradictions within his/her practice between what is desirable and actual practice” (Johns 2000 p.34).

“Reflection – in- action which he states as critical practice on the spot thinking serves to reshape what we are doing while we are doing it” (Schon 1987).

And reflection – on – action ‘post hoc’ “ making sense of the action after the event “.

“Reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice” (Reid, 1993 p.305).

“Reflective practice is something more than thoughtful practice. It is that form of practice that seeks to problematise many situations of professional performance so that they can become potential learning situations and so the practitioners can continue to learn, grow and develop in and through practice” (Jarvis, 1992 p.180).