Beneath the Surface: Developing Video-Based Reflective Practice in the Primary School Teacher Education Programme

The aim of this study was to investigate the ways in which the video application VEO (video enhanced observation) could be used as part of reflective practice in the primary school teacher education programme. The study illustrates a cyclical developmental process whereby the mobile-based video application VEO was adapted to the research context. The study consists of three sub-studies, all of which included separate research questions and employed a qualitative case study approach. Thirty-five student teachers and 14 supervisors participated in the study. The results present the holistic model of learning and guiding reflection, which originated from the three sub-studies and the research process, and informed the organising of video-based reflective practice in the primary school teacher education programme. The study has both practical and theoretical implications. Practically, the study suggests ways in which the video application VEO can be used as a tool for reflective practice, especially in learning reflection skills and guiding that learning. It also shows how video-based reflection should not be applied and what kinds of obstacles it may include and suggests solutions of how to manage them. Theoretically, this study widens the background of teacher education by adding a holistic approach to teacher learning and social cognitive views of learning in research on teacher reflection, especially video-based reflection.