VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary findings from a doctoral research project investigating how STEM academics in UK higher education engage in critical reflection on their teaching practice. The study is motivated by a growing recognition that while reflection is widely promoted as a cornerstone of academic professional development, the ways in which experienced academics understand and enact reflective processes remain underexplored, particularly with varying disciplinary cultures and institutional pressures. The project adopts a qualitative bricolage methodology, drawing on focus groups conducted with mid- and late-career academics from a range of UK universities. Participants were invited to discuss their experiences of reflection in relation to pedagogy and professional development. Early analysis, conducted from a critical theoretical perspective, highlights disparate interpretations of critical reflection, particularly with regards to what academics deem appropriate and relevant to various STEM contexts. Participants varied in how they described reflection’s value for navigating complex teaching contexts alongside challenges such as time limitations, lack of institutional support, and tensions between individual reflection and the expectations of learners and other stakeholders. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how reflection operates within STEM higher education, complicating assumptions made how reflection is introduced in education-focused professional development activities for academics. The paper concludes by considering implications for professional development schemes and the possible need for more discipline-sensitive forms of reflective engagement. This research seeks to inform institutional strategies that more effectively foster critical reflection as a driver of pedagogical innovation.