Reflecting Learning and Teaching through a Systemic Perspective: A Qualitative Study on ReflAct’s Systemic and Constructivist Didactics in Higher Education
2026· International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation· Vol 7, pp. 309-311· 0 citations
Abstract
This paper explores how systemic stance and systemic methods shape learning and teaching processes in higher education. Grounded in constructivist epistemology and systemic theory, the study examines students’ perceptions of learning experiences within a university course designed according to the concept of ReflAct (in german contexts: LeHrnen), a framework that integrates learning and teaching as a reciprocal process. Using a qualitative research design, data were generated through a focus group with students and a reflective learning diary maintained over an entire semester. Findings suggest that systemic stance, characterised by non-knowing, encouragement, trust, and resource orientation, fosters psychological safety, intrinsic motivation, and deeper learning. Systemic methods such as circular questioning, reframing, silence, and ritualised check-ins emerged for reflection and meaning-making. The study highlights the relevance of ReflAct with systemic and constructivist didactics for sustainable learning in higher education contexts.
The purpose of this study is to analyse ways in which reflective practice impacts student learning and determine the challenges students encounter in conducting reflective practice in the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education at the University of Namibia (UNAM). Informed by the interpretivism paradigm, the study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design. The study population included 45 students and 2 course lecturers. A convenience sampling technique was used to select 18 students. Two lecturers were purposively selected. Semi-structured interview schedules were used as the research instruments to collect data from the participants. Lecturers were interviewed one-on-one either face-to-face or using virtual meetings. The research used Zoom virtual focus group discussions for interviews with the students. The study revealed that reflective practice has a greater impact in higher education pedagogy, namely, it transforms passive learning into active, meaningful engagement; it deepens understanding and retention, enhances self-awareness, informs decision-making, encourages life-long learning, resilience, and adaptability, and it also helps students gain real-world experience before graduating. It also provides insight into the impacts of reflective practice, and from the findings, it is evident that reflective practice has positive impacts on higher education, but it does not come without its own challenges. The university should provide training to both students and lecturers on reflective models and frameworks, and reflective learning; integrate reflective practice into workflow and course design, foster mentorship and feedback mechanisms, institutionalise reflective practice as a part of professional development, align reflective practice with the institution's vision, and create research tools for both students and lecturers.
Olga Laudika Kasheendwa, N. Mbukusa, L. Josua· International journal of res...· 0 citations
The development of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) is an important agenda for 21st-century education, but pedagogical mechanisms explaining how HOTS develops in junior high school classroom practices, particularly in mathematics learning, are still limited. This qualitative study explores the role of transformative learning in mediating students' HOTS development through critical reflection, epistemic dialogue in the classroom, and the meaning of learning experiences. The study used an interpretative-constructivist paradigm with an instrumental qualitative case study design. Data were collected through learning observations of 77 students (grades VII = 27; VIII = 25; IX = 25), in-depth interviews with three teachers (G1-G3), semi-structured interviews with 15 students, and analysis of learning documents. Thematic-reflective analysis resulted in four themes: (1) the gradual and contextual development of HOTS across levels, (2) critical reflection as the main trigger for analysis and evaluation, (3) epistemic dialogue as a space for testing and assessing arguments, and (4) the transformation of learning orientation from a focus on answers to the quality of thinking processes and justification. The findings suggest that HOTS develops through a spiral trajectory influenced by the intensity of reflective scaffolding, norms of classroom dialogue, and a classroom culture that is safe for experimenting and revising reasoning. This study contributes by mapping the mechanisms of how and why transformative learning facilitates HOTS in a junior high school context while also offering practical implications for the design of sustainable reflective and dialogic learning.
M. B, Sriyanti Mustafa, Marwati Abd. Malik· Frontiers in Education· 0 citations
Practice-oriented learning is widely promoted in business education as a route to employability; however, much existing research often evaluates such approaches through intended outcomes or broad categories (e.g. “experiential learning”) with less emphasis on examining how students interpret specific features of learning design within programme contexts. This study explores how students in an international MBA programme experience and evaluate practice-oriented learning and how these experiences shape their perceptions of professional capability and confidence.
The study adopts a qualitative, interpretive design. Data were collected through four online focus groups with 28 students enrolled in a UK-based international MBA programme. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to examine students' experiences of pedagogical design, peer interaction and engagement with professional tools, tasks and practices across modules.
Four interrelated learning mechanisms were identified: (1) scaffolding and sequencing that supported understanding, (2) peer learning through negotiation and interaction in culturally and professionally diverse groups, (3) engagement with professional tools, tasks and practices that shaped perceptions of professional relevance and (4) the development of applied understanding and confidence through repeated engagement with practice-oriented activities. Across these themes, students evaluated learning in relation to how effectively design, interaction and application supported their ability to engage with complex material and develop confidence in applying knowledge in practice. Students valued practice-oriented learning when it aligned with contemporary workplace expectations, but also highlighted challenges where curricular practices diverged from current industry practices and employer expectations.
The study addresses a qualitative gap by providing a mechanism-focused, student-centred perspective of how practice-oriented learning is experienced within a postgraduate MBA context. It extends existing research by showing how students actively evaluate learning design in relation to progression, interaction and relevance, and how these processes shape perceived professional capability and confidence. This contributes to experiential learning and employability research by demonstrating how learning is interpreted and assessed by students within specific pedagogical arrangements.
M. Doargajudhur· Higher Education, Skills and...· 0 citations
This study explores how a Learning Study model can support collaboration within a Professional Learning Community and promote the development of history teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge.
The study adopts a qualitative case study design based on interviews with a community of Swedish upper secondary history teachers, focusing on their experiences of the sustained use of a specific Learning Study model, with particular attention to collaborative processes and instructional development over time.
The findings show that the Learning Study model, grounded in variation theory, provided teachers with theoretical tools for the design and analysis of teaching units and supported sustainable collaborative development. Through collaboration, teachers developed a shared understanding of history as a subject, including its aims and teaching strategies. When combined with an enquiry- and source-based framework, the model enabled shifts towards more interpretive, disciplinary and student-centred instructional practices. The study also highlights the importance of structural conditions such as an open and trusting climate, professional guidance and continuity in the application of the model.
The study contributes empirical knowledge on how sustained use of a Learning Study model can facilitate collaboration within a Professional Learning Community. It further shows how the model, when used in conjunction with an enquiry- and source-based framework, can support the development of history teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, an area in which research remains limited.
Anders Nersäter· International Journal for Le...· 0 citations
Research points to the importance of a more practice-oriented approach to pedagogical development courses in higher education. In this article, we ask:
How are examples of quality teaching expressed by participants in a pedagogical development course and how do they perceive them as meaningful?
Employing an ethnographic research design, the study draws on empirical data from seventeen semi-structured interviews, eighteen individual written assignments and fieldnotes from participant observation throughout the course. By using Bildung-centered general didactics and andragogy as a theoretical lens, the results indicate that quality teaching is a matter of (1) selecting the content, (2) exploring the content, and (3) establishing presence and dialogue. These examples are perceived as meaningful because they provide concrete, practice-oriented approaches for restraining and interpreting the content, drawing on prior experiences, and fostering shared and exploratory learning environments. The study argues that Bildung-centered general didactics and andragogy function as a translator between university teachers’ existing understandings of teaching and knowledge, thereby supporting their professional development. Based on the results, the paper outlines recommendations for enhancing professional development courses to better support university teachers’ ongoing professional development.
Bjørn Andreas Johansen, Ilmi Willbergh· Higher Education· 0 citations
This systematic review examines how constructivist and self-directed learning (SDL) theories inform flipped classroom implementation in physical education, using Activity Theory as an analytical framework. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 83 empirical studies published between 2010 and 2024 were identified from four databases and analysed for theoretical grounding, instructional design, learning outcomes, and cultural context. Theory-grounded implementations were associated with larger reported effects on skill acquisition (d = 0.71–1.12) than atheoretical designs (d = 0.35–0.69). Pre-class video instruction and in-class peer practice were common, whereas post-class reflection was less frequently implemented despite stronger reported SDL development. Analysis of 44 East and Southeast Asian studies indicated that collectivist values require collaborative adaptations of SDL. Overall, comprehensive three-phase designs that integrate goal-setting before class, structured scaffolding during class, and post-class reflection appear important for completing SDL cycles. The review identifies practical and culturally responsive design principles, while highlighting the need for clearer theoretical operationalisation in future flipped physical education research. By mapping theoretical commitments to concrete learning activities, the review also clarifies where existing designs omit support for learner regulation. These findings offer a basis for educators and researchers to plan, evaluate, and adapt flipped physical education interventions across diverse institutional settings with transparent reporting standards.
Sujie Fan, Wei Hui-Suan, Muhd Khaizer Omar et al.· INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOC...· 0 citations