TY - JOUR
T1 - The contribution of reflective learning to experiential learning in business education
AU - Perusso, André
AU - Blankesteijn, Marlous
AU - Leal, Rafael
PY - 2020/10/2
Y1 - 2020/10/2
N2 - Experiential learning theory states that reflection is just as important to learning as action. However, business educators often overlook reflection in their experiential learning activities, especially when it’s understood as a dialogue process. Drawing on reflective learning theory, we explored the case of an undergraduate business programme that has been combining experiential learning with three different reflective learning mechanisms for the past ten years. Results show that: (1) reflective dialogue is central for ensuring that impressions from experience translate into better-defined learning outcomes, (2) this dialogue process greatly benefits from a closely guided process, and (3) different reflection mechanisms contribute differently to the learning process. Considering how fast experiential learning has popularised in business schools, this study alerts educators to the importance of combining their experiential learning activities with a guided process of reflection. Otherwise, educators risk students extracting meagre, wrong or misleading impressions from their experience.
AB - Experiential learning theory states that reflection is just as important to learning as action. However, business educators often overlook reflection in their experiential learning activities, especially when it’s understood as a dialogue process. Drawing on reflective learning theory, we explored the case of an undergraduate business programme that has been combining experiential learning with three different reflective learning mechanisms for the past ten years. Results show that: (1) reflective dialogue is central for ensuring that impressions from experience translate into better-defined learning outcomes, (2) this dialogue process greatly benefits from a closely guided process, and (3) different reflection mechanisms contribute differently to the learning process. Considering how fast experiential learning has popularised in business schools, this study alerts educators to the importance of combining their experiential learning activities with a guided process of reflection. Otherwise, educators risk students extracting meagre, wrong or misleading impressions from their experience.
KW - dialogue
KW - experiential learning
KW - management education
KW - Reflection
KW - reflective learning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077391707&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85077391707&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02602938.2019.1705963
DO - 10.1080/02602938.2019.1705963
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85077391707
SN - 0260-2938
VL - 45
SP - 1001
EP - 1015
JO - Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
JF - Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
IS - 7
ER -