الملخص الإنجليزي
The purpose of this study was to explore and discuss EFL teachers' critical incident
reflections in order to reveal common themes regarding what participating teachers
considered critical in their classrooms, as well as understanding their level of reflective
thinking. The study also aimed to identify any changes in teachers' reflective abilities and in classroom teaching as a result of using the critical incident reflections. Specifically, the study
addressed the following research questions:
1. What topics and themes emerge as EFL teachers implement critical incident
reflections?
2. What level of thinking do EFL teachers use in their critical incident reflections?
3. What changes, if any, do EFL teachers identify in their reflective and classroom
teaching practices as a result of using critical incident reflections?
This study utilised a qualitative research method involving narrative inquiry in order
to explore EFL teachers' classroom critical incident reflections. Data was collected from 15 EFL teachers in two schools (six teachers from a male school and nine from a female school) in Sharqiyah North Governorate, Oman, using their written narratives of critical incidents over a period of two months. The participating teachers were required to write about one critical incident every week, and a total of 120 reflections were collected by the end of the study. These reflections were analysed using a constant comparative method based on grounded theory in order to explore the themes that emerged. Sparks-Langer et al.'s (1991) Framework for Reflective Thinking was also used as the basis for analyzing the levels of reflective thinking documented in the critical incident written reflections. At the end of the two-month period, participants were interviewed through focus groups to gain further insights into their use of critical incident reports as a tool for reflection. The analysis revealed that the problems encountered were typically connected to three issues: classroom behaviour management, students' skills and knowledge, and teachers' proficiency. However, one overriding theory emerged from the data: that teachers' concern about their relationship with students mediated and moderated how they judged and responded to classroom events. Findings also indicated that teachers mostly tended to reflect by supporting their argument with personal preferences, and that, in fewer instances, they incorporated theory by referring to instructional or disciplinary strategies. They used a contextual level of reflection by considering their students' interests and characteristics, the classroom setting and the curriculum. Teachers also identified three changes in their reflective and teaching practices through being involved in this reflective experience: they increased their collaboration, they had greater awareness of their own and others' teaching; and they had made changes in their instructional practice, assessment methods, and disciplinary strategies.
The findings have implications for both professional development practice, and
future research. Specific in-service training workshops for EFL teachers are recommended to address the role of teacher-student relationships in learning and dealing with classroom behaviour management issues. The study also argues for the need to aid teachers to reflect at a more critical level of reflection. In addition, the study recommends more research on the use of critical incident reflections among specific groups of teachers and further studies to be conducted over a longer duration
