Connecting the dots

Teachers’ reflective practices for developing self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/dyp4kv17

Keywords:

reflective practice, lived experiences, self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment, narrative inquiry, professional development

Abstract

Reflective practice enables teachers to examine their personal and professional actions and learn from their lived experiences. The study explores teachers’ conceptualizations of reflective practice, its applications, challenges, and opportunities for being and becoming professionals. The overarching research question guides this article—how do teachers’ reflective practices contribute to their development of self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment? Grounded on the lenses of transformative learning theory, this study narrates the experiences of three teachers (two females and one male) from different schools and colleges in Kathmandu, Nepal. We have subscribed to the narrative inquiry as a research method to explore and understand teachers’ reflective practices that contribute to their self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment development. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using themes aligned to self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment. The findings reflect that reflective practice fosters professional development by helping teachers find and address their weaknesses, thereby improving their professional practices. For boosting teachers' self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment, the study concluded that reflective practice significantly enhances teachers’ professional development by enabling them to analyze and address their weaknesses.

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Author Biographies

  • Babita Maharjan, Kathmandu University School of Education, Lalitpur, Nepal
    • BABITA MAHARJAN is a Research Fellow and Visiting Faculty at Kathmandu University School of Education. She has contributed significantly to Nepal's education field, focusing on participatory learning and place-based pedagogy. Her research explores integrating indigenous knowledge into modern pedagogical practices to promote sustainable living and contextual learning. Ms. Babita has co-authored several research articles and book chapters and actively participates in national and international conferences. Email: babita_mpsteam22@kusoed.edu.np

  • Pushpa Kumari Sunar, Kathmandu University School of Education, Lalitpur, Nepal
    • PUSHPA KUMARI SUNAR is a Research Fellow and Visiting Faculty at the Kathmandu University School of Education. With 17 years of experience in the education sector of Nepal, she has been a leader and teacher educator, focusing on transformative education and art-based pedagogy. Coming from a marginalized community, Pushpa is deeply committed to using education to combat injustices. Her work includes research on innovative pedagogical approaches and participatory action research. She has co-authored several research articles and book chapters, contributing significantly to Nepal's education field. Email: pushpa_mpsteam22@kusoed.edu.np

  • Niroj Dahal, Kathmandu University School of Eduction, Lalitpur, Nepal
    • NIROJ DAHAL, PhD, is a lecturer in the Department of STEAM Education at Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal. Dr. Dahal has been teaching both graduate and undergraduate students for over a decade. His research interests include ICT in education, qualitative research, transformative research, mathematics education, open, distance & e-learning, and STEAM education. Dr. Dahal has actively participated in and presented his research at over three dozen national and international conferences, workshops, and seminars. He has published editorials, articles, commentaries, book reviews, book chapters, and books in various national and international journals and publication presses. Dr. Dahal also serves as a managing editor for the Journal of Transformative Praxis. Email: niroj@kusoed.edu.np

  • Binod Prasad Pant, Kathmandu University School of Education, Lalitpur, Nepal

    Binod Prasad Pant is an Assistant Professor at the Department of STEAM Education, Kathmandu University, School of Education, Nepal. He earned M Ed and M Phil in Mathematics Education from Kathmandu University. He served as a visiting fellow at the University of Technology (UTS) Sydney after he received the Australian Award in 2017/18. He is a Ph.D. scholar in STEAM Education. Binod has been working with several Nepali teachers and teacher educators who examine their lived experiences as students, teachers, and teacher educators. He speaks and writes about pedagogical innovations, uses of technology in education, child-friendly classrooms, authentic assessment, etc. His research interests are transformative educational research, participatory action research, mathematics education, STEAM Education, and research studies on reflective practices. He may be connected by e-mail binod@kusoed.edu.np.

  • Netra Kumar Manandhar, Kathmandu University School of Eduction, Lalitpur, Nepal

    Netra Kumar Manandhar is lecturer at the Department of STEAM Education, Kathmandu University School of Education (KUSOED), Nepal. He has been teaching various courses of Master/MPhil levels and has been supervising the dissertations and research projects at KUSOED. He has presented some papers at national and international conferences and also published articles. His research interest is on STEAM education, science and technology in education, mathematics, and science education, transformative educational research, and research studies on reflective practices. He may be connected by e-mail netra@kusoed.edu.np.

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Published

2024-12-30

How to Cite

Connecting the dots: Teachers’ reflective practices for developing self-efficacy, emancipation, and empowerment. (2024). Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 14(2), 66-89. https://doi.org/10.32674/dyp4kv17