3.3.2. Reflective Thinking

Reflective or critical thinking refers to evaluating one's own thinking patterns whilst trying to solve problems in order to learn how to be able to think better in such situations [35,36]. It is an ability to think critically about practices, opinions, and norms, but also a capacity to reflect on your own values, perceptions, and actions [37] and understand external views. Pragmatist philosopher John Dewey defined reflective thinking:

"Active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it, and the further conclusions to which it tends, constitutes reflective thinking." [38]

Reflective thinking is hard to reduce to the definable learning outcomes traditionally used by HEIs. As Rodgers [39] has pointed out reflective thinking is not end itself, but rather a tool to transform an experience into meaning filled theory that is grounded in practice, informed by existing theory, and serves a bigger purpose of making society better. It is an iterative, progressive process from experience to theory and from theory to experience, with a similar form to scientific inquiry. While reflective thinking is central to HEI education, few educators actively teach students how to think critically.
