Beyond the Procedure: How Structured Reflection Fosters Ethical Awakening and Justice-Oriented Practice in Special Education Assessment
Keywords:
reflective practice, transformative education, social imagination, educational diagnosticiansAbstract
This qualitative study investigates how structured practicum reflections transform aspiring Texas educational diagnosticians. Thematic analysis of weekly journal entries revealed concurrent growth in specialized expertise and ethical identity, which in turn advanced collaborative communication and the adoption of culturally responsive practice. Critically, participants moved from procedural compliance toward an ethical awakening, a shift triggered by “disorienting dilemmas” such as high‑stakes Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings. This awakening fostered advocacy that extends beyond technical assessment, positioning diagnosticians as equity‑oriented agents. The transition aligns with Maxine Greene’s (1995) concept of social imagination—the capacity to envision the world “as if it could be otherwise”. Structured reflective journaling provided the scaffold for this development, guiding candidates from descriptive narration to critical self‑assessment and imaginative problem‑solving. Journal excerpts illustrate the cultivation of social imagination: candidates imagine strengths‑based evaluations and student‑centered ARD processes, thereby challenging entrenched inequities and opening possibilities for more just practice. By embedding structured reflection in the practicum, the study demonstrates a concrete pathway for
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