Reflecting upon the teaching practice

There are different methods that help educators reflect upon their practices and the critical incident technique is one of them. Flanagan (1954) states in his article, “The Critical Incident Technique”, that this technique is composed of “a set of procedures for collecting direct observation of human behavior in such a way as to facilitate their potential usefulness in solving practical problems and developing broad psychological principles”(p.1). The writer defines an incident as any observable human activity that allows inferences and predictions about the person performing the act which, in order to be critical, must take place in a situation where the purpose of the act is clear to the observer and where the consequences are definite.
Flanagan (1954) emphasizes that this critical incident technique should be considered as a “flexible set of principles which must be modified and adapted to meet the specific situation at hand”, not as single rigid set of rules (p.9). Objectivity plays an important role in this technique since the extent to which the report of an observation can be considered as a fact depends on the objectivity of the observation.
Moreover, he distinguishes five steps in the procedure of this technique. The first step is the formulation of general aims, since no planning or evaluation of specific behavior is possible without a general statement of objectives. Flanagan argues that “the general aim of an activity should be a brief statement obtained from the authorities in the field which expresses in simple terms those objectives to which most people would agree” (p.11). The second step is to give observers precise instructions, which must be as specific as possible. In most situations certain specifications will need to be established as regards the situation observed, the relevance of the general aim, the extent of effect on the general aim, and the persons to make the observations.
Next is the data collection phase; a necessary condition in this step is that the fact the behavior or result observed be evaluated while the facts are still fresh in the mind of the observer. According to Flanagan (1954), there are four procedures used for collecting the data: a) interviews, using trained personnel to explain the observer what data are desired and to record the incidents; b) group interviews, developed due to the cost in time and personnel of the individual interview. It provides a check on the data supplied by the interviewees and the time for editing the interviews is eliminated; c) questionnaires are used when the group becomes large. Except for the addition of personal remarks, their forms are very similar to those used in group interviews. This procedure is the most appropriate for the educational field due to the quantity of personnel within schools; and d) record forms, the collection of data by means of written works. The fourth step is analyzing the data; the purpose of this stage is to summarize and describe the collected data efficiently so that it can be used for practical purposes. The last step is the interpretation and reporting of the data.
Flanagan (1954) also distinguishes different areas in which the “critical incident technique” can be applied: a) measures of typical performance (criteria), for evaluating the typical of persons involved in the activity; b)measures of proficiency (standard samples), for evaluating the performance of persons using test situations rather than real ones; c) training, making incidents an ideal basis for developing training programs and training materials; d) selection and classification, supporting the study of the job prior to initiating testing procedures; e) job design and purification, selecting and training members for only two or three of the critical job elements; f) operating procedures, analyzing detailed factual data on successes and failures improve the effectiveness and efficiency on operations; g) equipment design, the collection of critical incidents representative of operating experience can lead to the modification of existing equipment and the design of new models; h) motivation and leadership, critical incidents may be a very valuable supplementary tool for the study of attitudes; and i) counseling and psychotherapy, emphasizing the collection of factual incidents rather than impressions or opinions.
To conclude, the critical incident technique can be of great importance in the education field. It can help us redesign the material used, when the results are not the expected ones. It can also help us recognize the lack of motivation of educators and many other aspects as well; and, it is a great tool to reflect upon our performance as educators.


Reference

Flanagan, J. C. (1954). The Critical Incident Technique. Psychological Bulletin, 51, 4. Retrieved October 2009, from http://www.apa.org/psycinfo/special/cit-article.pdf