Research article    |    Open Access
Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research 2026, Vol. 21(3) 7-25

Examining the Contributions of the Reflective Thinking Skills Support Program (RTSSP) to Teacher Candidates

Gizem Engin, Beril Ceylan Nebioğlu

pp. 7 - 25

Publish Date: September 24, 2026  |   Single/Total View: 0/0   |   Single/Total Download: 0/0


Abstract

This study focused on “reflective thinking” skills, which refer to teacher candidates’ in-depth thinking at a metacognitive level about various actions and situations. By implementing the Reflective Thinking Skills Support Program (RTSSP), it was aimed to determine teacher candidates’ views through monitoring and evaluation studies. A mixed methods case study design was used. Ten primary school teacher candidates participated in the RTSSP, which was delivered over six weeks. At the beginning and end of the program, focus group interviews were conducted with teacher candidates concurrently, and the Reflective Thinking Tendency Scale for Teachers and Teacher Candidates (YANDE) was administered. Throughout the training process, the researchers took notes during the monitoring and evaluation meetings held after each training session. In the analysis of the data, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for quantitative data, while descriptive analysis and content analysis were used for qualitative data. Teacher candidates stated that the program contributed to their reflective thinking processes; the qualitative findings showed changes in terms of making sense of reflective thinking and transferring it to instructional practices. It was observed that, when defining reflective thinking, teacher candidates emphasized self-discovery, questioning, being open to criticism, putting into practice, and the development of awareness. They expressed the importance of collaboration among students when using reflective thinking skills in instructional processes. It is anticipated that these results will serve as a resource for future studies aiming to develop reflective thinking skills.

Keywords: Mixed methods design, reflective thinking, skills training, teacher candidate


How to Cite this Article?

APA 7th edition
Engin, G., & Nebioglu, B.C. (2026). Examining the Contributions of the Reflective Thinking Skills Support Program (RTSSP) to Teacher Candidates. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 21(3), 7-25.

Harvard
Engin, G. and Nebioglu, B. (2026). Examining the Contributions of the Reflective Thinking Skills Support Program (RTSSP) to Teacher Candidates. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 21(3), pp. 7-25.

Chicago 16th edition
Engin, Gizem and Beril Ceylan Nebioglu (2026). "Examining the Contributions of the Reflective Thinking Skills Support Program (RTSSP) to Teacher Candidates". Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research 21 (3):7-25.

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