Reflection is often described as a habit of thought that helps individuals engage with uncertainty, revise their understanding, and make sense of their experience. This body of research explores reflection as an adaptive, socially embedded process that evolves across different learning environments, cultural contexts, and technological landscapes. It examines how reflection is cultivated, sustained, and documented, considering the external conditions that shape reflective engagement.
Three key strands structure this research. The first investigates how cultural and social contexts shape reflective habits, examining how different educational settings encourage, challenge, or limit reflective engagement. The second explores the uncertain side of reflection, questioning when reflection becomes destabilizing rather than clarifying—leading to rumination, self-doubt, or cognitive overload instead of insight. The third examines the role of technology in shaping reflective habits, particularly as AI and digital tools increasingly mediate thinking, inquiry, and learning.
By integrating philosophy, cognitive science, and educational research, this work aims to develop a broader understanding of reflection as a dynamic and context-dependent process. It considers how reflection can be meaningfully cultivated while accounting for the influence of cultural background, cognitive demands, and technological mediation in contemporary higher education.
The methodological approach for this research is under development, drawing on a variety of methods that reflect its interdisciplinary nature. It combines theoretical analysis, empirical investigation, and design-thinking approaches, including participatory methods where applicable.
This body of research seeks to:
