Between Practical and Dialogic Reflection in Social Workers and General Practice Nurses

Zuzana Havrdova, Michal Ruzicka, Walter Lorenz

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To gain a deeper understanding of the differences in how social workers and nurses perceive and use reflection in their professional practice. THEORETICAL BASE: D. Schön’s concept of reflection-in-action (1983); reflection understood as acts of the mind, relating different contents of awareness to each other (Gibbs, 2008) in order to cope with the situation. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted according to purposive sampling with 11 social workers and 6 nurses working in health and social services of more types. Data analysis was inspired by grounded theory. OUTCOMES: To understand how reflection processes are shaped by factors such as “previous formation”, “nature of the work environment” and “nature of care provided”, research data are organized according to the cultivation dimension of practiced reflection at five levels. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: Awareness of different forms of reflection can contribute to the cultivation of reflection, especially in multidisciplinary teams and where supervision is not yet successful.

Keywords
reflection, reflexivity, social work, nursing, organizational culture

p. 92-106