Teach and/or support learning
How students learn, both generally and within their subject/disciplinary area(s)
Reflective practice is when students pause to think deeply about what they’ve learned and how they’ve learned it. It helps them make sense of their experiences, connect ideas, and get better at problem-solving. In university, reflection can happen through writing, discussion, or digital tools like e-portfolios and video. It's especially useful in hands-on or complex fields like healthcare or teaching. When supported well, reflection helps students learn more and build better learning habits.
Reflective interventions significantly improve academic achievement ➕➕➕➕ (Zhai et al., 2023; Guo, 2022). The effect is larger when the intervention is longer than 10 weeks, done offline, or uses writing as a core activity ➕➕➕. Peer interaction and instructor feedback can help, but didn’t significantly alter the effect size on their own. Reflective strategies that include guided steps, like reflection on diagnostic hypotheses, also improve decision-making accuracy ➕➕➕ (Prakash et al., 2019). Reflection seems most powerful when built into the learning process, rather than being a side activity.
This summary is based on three high-quality meta-analyses. Zhai et al. (2023) synthesised 25 studies and found a large effect (g = 0.79) on academic achievement. Guo (2022) analysed 23 studies in higher education and identified key design features like activity type and duration. Prakash et al. (2019) focused on reflective interventions in medical education, showing improvements in diagnostic decision-making (g = 0.38).
Guo, Y. (2022). How should reflection be supported in higher education? A meta-analysis of reflection interventions. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 74, 101152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2022.101152
Prakash, A., Duse-Anthony, Y., & Mamede, S. (2019). Interventions to improve diagnostic decision-making: A systematic review and meta-analysis on reflective strategies. Perspectives on Medical Education, 8, 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-019-00517-6
Zhai, F., Pan, Z., & Wu, Y. (2023). Reflection interventions in higher education: A meta-analysis of their effects on students’ academic achievement. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 79, 101283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2023.101283
Fragkos, K. C. (2016). Reflective Practice in Healthcare Education: An Umbrella Review. Education Sciences, 6(3), 27. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/6/3/27
