9 Those studies show that reflection helps students in their learning
especially in improving students’ self-awareness. Thus, a study on reflection is beneficial to be conducted in order to use it in Indonesia context, more
specifically at ELESP of Sanata Dharma University.
2. Reflection
In this section, the researcher presents the description of reflection. There are two points to be discussed, they are the nature of reflection, and reflection
process.
a. The Nature of Reflection
According to Ghaye 1998, future action is affected by doing reflection continuously through looking back and making sense of learning. Taylor presents
reflection as a stage in the learning process which occurs after an activity has been done towards the latter part of a one-semester course, for instance Taylor, 1981
as cited in Boud et al., 1985.The capacity to reflect is developed to different stages in different people and it may be this ability which characterizes those who
learn effectively from experience. Continuous, connected, challenging, and contextualized are the principles of
good and meaningful reflection practices Eyler, Giles, and Schmiede, 1996.Continuous means reflection must be ongoing. Then connected means
reflection links academic goals and intellectual development. Next, it is challenging because reflection provides an opportunity to explore uncomfortable
and unfamiliar feelings and ideas. Moreover, contextualized means reflection can occur in various forms such a meaningful way.
10 Reflection supports students to recognize their experiences so that they can
integrate their experience and learning process. Gibson 2012 describes that reflection is aimed at helping the students to consider events that have occurred in
the past and then use that evidence to enhance the learning situation in the future. This allows students to respond to experiences using a more critical thinking,
challenge themselves to experience personal growth and development, and share their opinions and feelings with their friends. Watson 1996 describes that
reflection takes students to think and action a step beyond what they usually do. This is important to draw upon learners prior experience and to provide
opportunities for them to be engaged actively in what they are learning.
b. The Process of Reflection
Reflection is a form of response of the learner to their experience Boud et al., 1985. There are two main components: the experience and the reflective
activity based upon the experience. Boud et al. 1985 says that one of the most important ways to enhance learning is to strengthen the link between the learning
experience and the reflective activity which follows the learning. Kolb 1984
describes that it is important to combine action and engagement with reflective thinking to develop greater understanding. The process of reflection has a
reflective, theoretical and practical side; without reflection, it is hollow and without practice it is empty.
11
Figure 2.1 AModel of Reflection in the learning process Boud et al., 1985
Figure 2.1 shows that the process begins with experiencing the experiences in an activity in which they produce some information about their behavior, ideas,
feelings or perhaps their values Boud et al., 1985. The goal in the first stage is to develop participants’ common base of information or experience to use in the
discussion that follows. The next stage is the reflective processes, it consists of three elements
which are important in the reflective process. According to Boud et al. 1985, the first element, returning to experience is the replaying of the past experience in the
mind of the learner. This activity can help students to get better understanding of their past events and help to ensure that our reflection is onthe basis of the actual
events as we experienced them at the time, rather than in terms of what we wished had happened. Each individual may have had a different experience, even though
they participated in the same activity. Boud et al. 1985 also notes that describing
