Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Lived Experiences of Learning Critical Thinking and Reflective Practices: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Critical thinking and reflective practice are essential competencies for prospective teachers in contemporary education. This study explores the lived experiences of undergraduate students who took the course Critical Thinking and Reflective Practices in a BS program of a public university at Sialkot. It was a qualitative study with a phenomenological research design. 8 prospective teachers were selected through a purposive sampling technique to get rich and detailed descriptions of their experiences. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted through a self-developed interview guide. All the interviews were audio-recorded with the permission of the participants and lasted for 30-45 minutes. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis generated three major themes: (1) transformative learning through student-centred pedagogy, (2) learning activities for critical thinking, reflective practice, and professional identity development and (3) contextual challenges and pathways for sustaining transformative learning. The results indicated that the students' analytical thinking, self-awareness, problem-solving skills, and reflective learning habits were improved. Some of the difficulties mentioned by participants were unfamiliar learning approaches, not having encountered critical inquiry before, and writing reflections. The study shows that critical thinking and reflective practice courses have a significant effect on students’ intellectual and professional development and suggests that reflection/ interactive learning should be introduced more in the academic curriculum in higher education institutions.