Does reflective practice work?: Developing an empirical evidence base of the efficacy of reflective practice for improving applied service delivery across contexts
posted on 2022-10-28, 13:16authored byGareth Picknell
Within the sport,
exercise and health science domains researchers and practitioners interested in
understanding factors and processes associated with competent and effective
practice have steadfastly advocated the value and contribution of reflective
practice. In spite of this, there remains a lack of empirical evidence to
support these contentions, which has potentially stifled the acceptance of
reflective practice throughout the applied practice community. To address this
limitation, this thesis provided an in-depth examination of reflective practice for
enhancing the effectiveness of allied health practitioners’ service delivery
and development of a therapeutic alliance with support seeking clients. Utilising a mixed methods approach that incorporated
both qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry, the thesis comprised
three separate studies that collectively aimed to: (a) examine the journey of
allied health practitioners towards aligning their theoretical orientations and
applied practice; (b) develop an empirical evidence base to support the
purported benefits of reflective practice noted within the wider literature; (c)
examine the developmental nature of reflective skills as an outcome of
reflective practice; (d) determine the relationship between reflective skills
and practitioner effectiveness measures; and (e) investigate whether engaging
clients receiving support-services with reflective practice has a positive
impact on their health endeavours. To gain a greater depth of knowledge and
understanding of reflective practice and its associated skills, the author’s
personal journey as an applied practitioner was explored during Study 1.
Specifically, the contribution of reflective practice for facilitating his
professional philosophy and aligning techniques and interventions with personal
values and beliefs were illuminated. The insight gained from this formative
study provided the foundation for the construction of subsequent reflective
practice interventions in Study 2 and Study 3. Study 2 utilised a crossover
design to support the effectiveness of a reflective practice intervention for
developing reflective skills (i.e., processes) that facilitated positive
changes (i.e., outcomes) to the service delivery characteristics of applied
allied health practitioners working with Emirati National Service recruits.
Follow-up social validation interviews indicated that reflective practice led
to improved self-awareness and an enhanced ability to consider alternative
approaches to service delivery that were cognisant to clients’ needs. An
emerging theme from Study 1 and Study 2 was the potential for reflective
practice principles to be incorporated into service delivery programmes that
engaged clients in the process. As a result, in Study 3, a reflective practice
intervention was developed and delivered by participants from Study 2 to health
support seeking clients (e.g., National Service recruits). Findings indicated
that developing reflective skills (i.e., processes) of clients has the
potential to improve the ability to self-regulate health related behaviours
leading to a positive impact on overall health status (i.e., outcomes).
Further, the empirical evidence generated and the adoption of reflective
practice into existing health-support programmes should enhance professionals
within the allied health community’s confidence regarding the value of
reflective practice for bringing about meaningful changes to both their own
applied practice endeavours and their clients’ circumstances. Therefore, the
findings of this thesis have the potential to direct future developments to
training and education programmes aimed at applied health practitioners, with
the intention of supporting pathways towards being competent and effective
service providers.