**1. Introduction**

The goal of education for sustainable development is to develop competencies relevant for professional and social activities and a person's self-expression in the rapidly changing world, distinguishing itself by manifold relationships [1,2]. Sustainable development in education is related to the development of transformational competencies [3,4]. In this respect, a special role falls on higher education institutions educating teachers. One of the essential goals is to ensure that educating teachers, the principles of education for sustainable development, are actually implemented and that future educators acquire such competence that would enable to implement education for sustainable development in the teaching/learning process. Among other aims, higher education institutions seek to educate independent students and professionals in their study areas. Successful implementation of this aim requires acknowledgment of the fact that becoming independent primarily relates to development of self-assessment abilities in order to know and reflect on future professional activities [5–10]. The development of latter abilities is possible through continuous communication and cooperation with all participants of the (self)educational process, who take part directly and indirectly in the process of becoming professionals in their study area [11–13]. It is important to help students recognize what they have to know and why. The next step is for them to know how to apply their knowledge in various problem situations in order to broaden their understanding.

In order to ensure high quality (self)education for all members of the society, recognizing and respecting diversity, taking into account every person's individual abilities and their needs, it becomes important to ensure availability and assistance to the persons who are more vulnerable and discriminated due to their particularities and specific needs. In this case, much attention must be paid to persons with special educational needs. Big responsibility in this case falls on the educational assistance specialists—special educators and higher education institutions preparing them. The special educator is a provider of direct assistance to the child who has special educational needs in the general education school and/or specialized special education centres [14].

In Lithuania, special educators are educated at one of the 14 universities, in which the study was conducted, the results of which are presented here [15]. The latter university has implemented the study program Special Education (later, Special Education and Speech Therapy), attributed to education sciences) for more than fifty years. The content of the program is modelled so that it ensures the provision of qualified assistance to pupils of all age groups while solving emerging learning problems: Identifying the principles of curriculum individualization choosing, adapting and implementing appropriate learning strategies, teaching aids and compensatory equipment and providing other learning-related services. The special educator is a teacher of children with special educational needs and a teamwork representative, who is able to communicate and collaborate with teachers, children with special educational needs, their families, and professionals. During studies, implementing the special education and speech therapy study program, new knowledge, learning experiences, and each student's unique path of learning are developed through teacher-student collaboration, involving social partners from educational institutions, and using international experience. Therefore, it is obvious that the efficacy of special pedagogical assistance is determined by the interaction between special educators and other teachers while performing the main function, i.e., implementing key ideas of inclusion and empowerment.

Reflection during studies is especially important in education of future special educators for their inclusive type of work [16–20], when the activities are based on relations between the educational process participants, encountering personal objections, contradictory feelings and emotions, and the like. Special educators who seek humane and stimulating inclusive education will be able to integrate their own experience and theoretical knowledge when they adequately reflect during their study, which is one of the aims required to foster students' ability to reflect on their own experiences [21–23].

Reflective analysis of one's actions with regard to interactions and cooperation between the participants of the education process, taking place at the higher education institution, is a complex teaching/learning process that can be developed both formally and non-formally. While the reflection competency can also be developed in an isolated environment in which students analyze their actions themselves, having dissociated from others, this does not enhance their learning abilities. Communication, cooperation, and feedback from teachers, practice supervisors (mentors), student colleagues, and other stakeholders are all relevant and significant in this process [24–27]. In the presence of cooperation environment, reflection enables the student's professional development at the higher education institution [28–30]. The reflection process is basically a "conversation with oneself": You give questions to yourself, consider solutions, evaluate results and make changes; but in most cases, individual reflection begins as cooperation between family members, teachers and students, and practitioners, i.e., as a part of the group work process.

By interacting with others, students are able to understand themselves better as prospective special educators, their needs and problems, personal strengths and competence limitations, and they are also able to identify sources and means for addressing current and future problems of professional activities. This is also grounded by Hilden and Tikkamäki [31] (p. 83) who stated that "When promoting reflection through external dialogue, individuals together try to find something new and surprising—to be touched upon—in open interaction".

Relating with other individuals during the period of reflection enables students to ge<sup>t</sup> used to coping with the complexities, challenges and uncertainties which are inherent in personal and professional development, by explicitly or implicitly intervening and using the students' knowledge to facilitate reflection. In addition to relating with the teacher or professional, relating to other students and personal interests are also relevant as they promote reflection processes. Individual analysis of thoughts and feelings, sharing life experiences with other students, as pointed out by Peltier et al. [32], are considered to be the basis for reflection and change. Dialogue between students helps the learner to discover individual meaning of learning.

The objective of this research is a journey of self-reflection in students' perception of practice and roles in the profession by interacting with participants of the (self)educational process.

The research aim is to disclose the experiences and effects of self-reflection on students of special education by interacting with participants of the educational process in order to establish their views and roles in the profession.
