Developing a capacity to engage in critical reflection: Students' 'ways of knowing' within an undergraduate business and accounting programme

Lucas, Ursula; Tan, Phaik Leng

Abstract

The development of a capacity to engage in critical reflection is central to higher education. However, students vary in this capacity and its development requires students to move from an absolute towards a contextual way of knowing. Using 32 semi-structured interviews, this study identifies the ways of knowing of 17 business and accounting students at a large new United Kingdom (UK) university. In this study, absolute and transitional ways of knowing were found to be predominant. This appears to be significantly related to: (1) an extrinsic motivation for studying for a UK business or accounting degree and the desire to obtain a 'good degree'; (2) a strong focus on the organisation of learning, rather than on what is learnt; and (3) a strong focus on, and an unquestioning attitude to, assessment. The implications of these findings for further research and pedagogy within higher education are discussed. © 2013 Copyright Society for Research into Higher Education.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2013
• Journal: Studies in Higher Education
• Print ISSN: 0307-5079
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-174X
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 104-123
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.569706
• Keywords: ways of knowing, epistemological beliefs, critical reflection, business and accounting
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/939241
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.569706