The contribution of reflective learning to experiential learning in business education

André Perusso*, Marlous Blankesteijn, Rafael Leal

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1001-1015
Number of pages15
JournalAssessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
Volume45
Issue number7
Early online date27 Dec 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Oct 2020

Keywords

  • dialogue
  • experiential learning
  • management education
  • Reflection
  • reflective learning

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