Engagement Analytics as Indicators of Reflection in Teacher Education: Correlations with Students’ Voice and Theory Perspectives
摘要
In response to the need for teacher education research to enrich its qualitative content-analysis-driven tools to study reflection, engagement analytics emerge as a promising potential. The present study aimed to explore if engagement analytics can serve as a reliable indicator of reflection. To achieve this, we employed a triangulation approach which involved correlating engagement analytics indicators with two independent data sources: a) student teachers’ voices on their reflection experiences and, b) the depth of reflection in their outputs. The study was conducted in the context of a five-week online program that focused on reflective practice. Sixty-eight (68) preschool student teachers participated in the program and reflected on a Moodle-based environment that hosted their personal reflection diaries and group discussions. Engagement analytics indicators were defined as the frequency of diary visits, diary revisions, forum visits, and forum posts. The depth of reflection was defined in three levels: recall, rationalization, and reflectivity. Students’ voice was defined as student teachers perceived predominant reflection space among personal diary, group discussion, mental space and “other” spaces. Results indicated that engagement analytics indicators were statistically correlated with the depth of students’ reflection, confirming the potential to serve as an indicator of the reflection process. However, this correlation was not strong, and in addition, students did not concur with the intensity of their participation as captured by engagement analytics. Implications regarding the use and possible limitations of engagement analytics in teacher reflection are discussed and suggestions are made.