Bridging The Reflective Gap: Aligning Academic Expectations With Student Practice

The Reflective Judgment Model (RJM; King & Kitchener, 2004) identifies three developmental stages: pre-reflective, quasi-reflective, and reflective. Many undergraduates start as pre-reflective thinkers, viewing knowledge as certain and relying on personal opinions By graduation, most reach the quasi-reflective stage, recognising knowledge’s uncertainty but struggling to synthesise perspectives. Fully reflective thinkers, usually postgraduates, can evaluate evidence and integrate perspectives. (Baxter Magolda, 2001, 2014). Many graduates are not fully reflective, often seeking direction from others. This can lead to student frustration with reflective practice and unrealistic expectations of their reflective competence. This session explores RJM’s application in management education, featuring a case study and group discussions on facilitating and assessing reflective practice at different developmental stages.