Abstract
The success of many community-based social programmes often depends upon the willingness of volunteers. This thesis documents the development of reflective practice amongst a group of Christian volunteers undertaking an internship in a faith-based organisation. As the director of the programme, this provided me with the opportunity to examine my own effectiveness in promoting critical reflection and assess my own success in promoting transformative pedagogy using hermeneutic phenomenology. The analysis of the intern volunteers’ reflections was modelled on the research of Kember (1999) which distinguishes between content, process, and premise reflections. Research conducted by Kember is underpinned by the theory of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1998).Running parallel to the reflective journeys of the volunteers is an account of my own journey from a non reflective to a reflective educator validated by audits conducted by two academic colleagues and two intern graduates. In the process I was forced to address a crisis of faith and confront aspects of my own changing identity as the personal and the private intruded upon and affected the public and the professional.
| Date of Award | Apr 2008 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Grenfell Mike (Supervisor) |