The benefits of obtaining multi-sourced feedback in the reflective process

The benefits of obtaining multi-sourced feedback in the reflective process
Feedback regarding performance can assist the development of reflection skills (Johns, 2002; Duffy,
2009; Ng, 2011). Without a feedback and open-dialogue approach there is a risk that reflection may
be introspective (Osterman & Kottkamp, 1993 ; Cunliffe, 2002; McCabe & Timmins, 2006),
preventing self-assessment and -awareness such as the recognition of weaknesses. Many studies
supporting the use of feedback to enhance reflective skills report on the benefits of acquiring a
mentor, or critical companion (Johns, 2002), who can question the student and assist them in
deconstructing practice related issues (Johns, 2002). As with our programme, this mentorship role is
often adopted by clinical educators (Osterman & Kottkamp, 1993 ; Johns, 2002; Duffy, 2009). The
structured exercises used here comprised a section to record the critical dialogue which occurred
between the student and their clinical educator but, significantly, also promoted reflection at a team
level, as suggested by Ng (2011), encouraging the students to engage in open reflective dialogue
with their peers, which has previously been shown to be beneficial (Garner et al., 2010), colleagues
from other professions and clients (service users).