Teacher Change Using Reflective Practice When Attempting to Move toward a Reggio Emilia Approach.

This 4-week case study followed a kindergarten teacher (the first author of the report) moving from a conventional teaching approach to one drawing from the philosophies of the preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The teacher kept a journal in order to document her reflective practice, and to describe, reflect, and analyze shifts in her beliefs and practices in working with 5- and 6-year-olds. Three specific areas were addressed: practices toward children, toward parents, and toward her self-development. The teacher then analyzed the journal entries qualitatively by applying scholarly works on teacher change and reflective practice. Content analysis identified "idea units," which were coded. Quantitative analysis was also performed using chi square analysis. Results showed significantly greater shifts in practices regarding teacher role than in practices regarding parental involvement, children's participation, and belief regarding the image of the child. The following recommendations are made for practitioners shifting to a Reggio Emilia-style approach: (1) all teacher change is continuous and ongoing; and (2) the teacher must have a positive attitude and be ready to take risks, make mistakes, and sometimes fail. (Four appendices include the journal and idea units for coding the journal. Contains 49 references.) (TM)