Reflection research is used in many professional
settings to assist practitioners with self-development by
focusing on the continual processes of learning from the
past (Eraut, 1994; Moon, 2013). Moon (2013) argued that
self-awareness is critical to professional development
and that reflection is a valuable tool for enhancing selfawareness.
Through reflection, researchers examine and
investigate how thinking about past experiences and
actions can inform and often improve future decisions.
Reflective practice was reintroduced by Schon in his
book The Reflective Practitioner (1983). Antecedents
to his work can be traced to Dewey’s 1933 writings, in
which he explored reflection as a way of thinking and
“coming to know,” a way of making meaning for one’s
self. Lewin (1951), Piaget (1995, 2001), and Vygotsky
(1962, 1978) also were early pioneers who used
reflection to enhance human learning and development.
Schoen extended their work through his investigations
of reflection and practice by focusing on experiential
learning and the learner’s thinking about and learning
from that process. While reflective practice has been used
in many disciplines, it has been used more commonly in
the fields of education, health, and leadership.