CIQ - Pauls Research

Currently I am in the process of conducting research into effective critical reflection within a media environment. This Research is in conjunction with the Centre for Educational Research, University of Derby. 

It is my intention to use Stephen Brookfield's Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ) to gain knowledge of individual student perspectives. Therefore, as Media Moving Image students at BSDC you are requested to partake in this research (an excellent attribute you can put in your personal statement).

So what is reflection/critical reflection?

"When we reflect, we not only challenge our assumptions about why we do what we do, we can also help ourselves identify where we feel lacking and why we may be setting ourselves unnecessarily unachievable standards. How can we reflect on our approaches to our practice? What can we do? What can we uncover in the process?" (Hillier, 2005)

"Reflection is not, by definition, critical. It is quite possible to teach reflectively while focusing solely on the nuts and bolts of classroom process. For example, we can reflect about the timing of coffee breaks, whether to use blackboards or flip charts, the advantages of using a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel over previously prepared overheads, or how rigidly we stick to a deadline for the submission of students' assignments. All these decisions rest on assumptions that can be identified and questioned and all of them can be looked at from different perspectives. But these are not, in and of themselves, examples of critical reflection" (Brookfield, 1995)

"To put it briefly, reflection becomes critical when it has two distinctive purposes. The first is to understand how considerations of power undergird, frame, and distort educational processes and interactions. The second is to question assumptions and practices that seem to make our teaching lives easier but actually work against our own best long-term interests." (Brookfield, 1995)

"critical reflection focuses on the hunting of assumptions of power and hegemony. The best way to unearth these assumptions is to look at what we do from as many unfamiliar angles as possible" (Brookfield, 1995)

Please read the guidance notes and speak to Paul about how to complete the CIQ.

CIQ Guidance Notes for students

CIQ Questionnaire

Using the CIQ

Reflection Guidance - Gibbs Reflective Cycle

What not to do

Dear participant/Student

I would like to ask you to participate in the data collection for a work-based study into the use of an electronic Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ). For the purposes of this work-based study the questionnaire will be used to discover how you are experiencing teaching sessions. Its usefulness is underlined by the experience that student responses often differ markedly from what teachers have expected on the basis of their own feelings in the classroom (Brookfield 1995: 95-96).  

The CIQ requires you to answer five questions that describe aspects of teaching sessions, prompting teachers to think about what is helping or hindering their learning so far. Your responses are anonymous and you are encouraged to keep a copy too for review at the end of the course and for your own records. You will be asked to complete the CIQ at the end of each class and are the same every week. 

Brookfield began giving students a voice, in this particular way, in the era of carbon paper! But nowadays the facilities available to us include electronic mail and virtual learning environments. Therefore, we will be asking you to submit your electronic CIQ to the specific CIQ page on the course blog.

Your participation in this work-based study is entirely voluntary. Filling in the survey will take no more than 5 minutes. The information you provide is confidential. All of your CIQ responses are anonymous and therefore no participant’s names will be used. If you request confidentiality, beyond anonymised quotes, information you provide will be treated only as a source of background information, alongside literature-based research and potential interviews with other participants.

Your name or any other personal identifying information will not appear in any publications resulting from this study. The information gained from this interview will only be used for the above objectives, will not be used for any other purpose and will not be recorded in excess of what is required for the research.

Even though the study findings will be published in a Thesis, international conferences and journals, only relevant researchers will have access to the anonymous CIQ responses. These researchers will be bound by the principles outlined above. There are no known or anticipated risks to you as a participant in this work-based study.

If you have any questions regarding this study or would like additional information please contact the work-based study researcher (p.smith7@unimail.derby.ac.uk).

By filling in the CIQ (every occasion) you indicate that you understand its purpose and consent to the use of the data as indicated above. This is a completely voluntary request and should you decide not to complete the CIQ at any point during the work-based study, the data you have already entered up to that point will be used.
Thank you for your cooperation

Paul Smith, University of Derby Research Student