Impact of online course discussion on education leadership students’ reflections

Abstract

Educators learn through reflection on how power shapes their own practices, expressing their concerns about the constraints they face, and brainstorming solutions to address them. Educators create and adjust their philosophies and practices by reflecting on how abstract theories manifest themselves in life. The online discussion format affords students the opportunity to improve their reflective practices through the use of structured questions, supervised scaffolding, shared experience, and opportunities to connect theory to practice. In essence, online discussions offer educators a dynamic and energetic atmosphere in which they can interact with each other. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of  online discussions on students’ critical skills as they reflect on issues dealing with students’ diversity. The results demonstrated that the use of structured online discussions contributed to the elevation of graduate students’ reflective practices as they contemplated the social and cultural issues that impact students’ learning and their educational practices.