Nursing Philosophy · 2009 · 217 citations · 19 references
NursingEducational PracticeTeacher EducationProfessional RolesPerformance StudiesProfessional PreparationReflective PracticeEducationEpistemologyDonald SchönTerm Reflective PracticeKnowledge ManagementProfessional DevelopmentProfessional KnowledgeHealth Profession TrainingSocial PracticeSocial Work
Reflective practice, coined by Donald Schön, has become a widely adopted theory of professional knowledge across nursing, health, and social care, yet its popularity is undermined by persistent conceptual ambiguity. This paper seeks to clarify that ambiguity by critically examining the philosophical foundations of reflective practice to develop more coherent interpretations and implications for professional knowledge. The authors analyze key philosophical influences—Schön, Dewey, Goodman, Polanyi, and Ryle—to elucidate the epistemological assumptions underlying reflective practice. They identify five core epistemological themes—critique of technical rationality, practice knowledge as artistry, constructivist assumptions, the role of tacit knowledge, and the rejection of mind‑body dualism—that demonstrate the theory’s engagement with fundamental questions of knowledge in health and social care.
Reflective practice is one of the most popular theories of professional knowledge in the last 20 years and has been widely adopted by nursing, health, and social care professions. The term was coined by Donald Schön in his influential books The Reflective Practitioner, and Educating the Reflective Practitioner, and has garnered the unprecedented attention of theorists and practitioners of professional education and practice. Reflective practice has been integrated into professional preparatory programmes, continuing education programmes, and by the regulatory bodies of a wide range of health and social care professions. Yet, despite its popularity and widespread adoption, a problem frequently raised in the literature concerns the lack of conceptual clarity surrounding the term reflective practice. This paper seeks to respond to this problem by offering an analysis of the epistemology of reflective practice as revealed through a critical examination of philosophical influences within the theory. The aim is to discern philosophical underpinnings of reflective practice in order to advance increasingly coherent interpretations, and to consider the implications for conceptions of professional knowledge in professional life. The paper briefly examines major philosophical underpinnings in reflective practice to explicate central themes that inform the epistemological assumptions of the theory. The study draws on the work of Donald Schön, and on texts from four philosophers: John Dewey, Nelson Goodman, Michael Polanyi, and Gilbert Ryle. Five central epistemological themes in reflective practice are illuminated: (1) a broad critique of technical rationality; (2) professional practice knowledge as artistry; (3) constructivist assumptions in the theory; (4) the significance of tacit knowledge for professional practice knowledge; and (5) overcoming mind body dualism to recognize the knowledge revealed in intelligent action. The paper reveals that the theory of reflective practice is concerned with deep epistemological questions of significance to conceptions of knowledge in health and social care professions.
19
Arthur Katuna, John Dewey, Franz Schneider et al. · American Sociological Review · 1938 · 7K citations
Teaching, In-service Professional Development, Curriculum Experience +4
On the Epistemology of Reflective Practice
Max van Manen · Teachers and Teaching · 1995 · 638 citations