Critical Reflection as a Pedagogical Process for Teacher Professional Development through Participatory Action Research

Abstract

Reflective practice is widely promoted in teacher professional development and theorized as an individual and technical activity with limited pedagogical process and consequences. This study conceptualizes critical reflection as a pedagogical process rooted within collaborative and participatory professional learning. Drawing on a qualitative participatory action research, this study was conducted with basic and secondary level school teachers in the institutional school located in Koshi Province, Nepal. It examines how critical reflection considers teachers’ curriculum engagement, pedagogical improvement, and professional agency through collaborative engagement. Data were collected through focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and reflective notes and analyzed through narrative analysis. The findings show that critical reflection fosters reflective engagement for curriculum understanding, collaborative commitment to exploring innovative pedagogical practices, shifts from traditional to student-centered teaching-learning, and robust connections between students’ learning and teachers’’ professional growth. The study extends transformative learning theory by demonstrating critical reflection as a dialogic and socially mediated process for teachers’ professional development. The findings suggest that teachers’ professional learning can be strengthened when critical reflection is positioned as a pedagogical process rather than technical instrument.