How Do I Teach? Exploring Knowledge of Reflective Practice among In-Service EFL Teachers in Ukraine

This study seeks to investigate the scope and quality of reflective practice in ELT in contemporary Ukraine. 56 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers were surveyed to gain a better understanding of reflective practice in the country. Data were collected using both a quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview) method. The results suggest that Ukrainian EFL teachers apply reflective practice consistently but not systematically in their teaching. However, the study also reveals a significant gap in the understanding of the concept of reflective practice between experienced and novice teachers. Teaching experience appears to be a key differentiating factor in using reflection as a critical lens for improving their professionalism. Generally, teachers prefer peer sharing and observations against journaling or even organised notes, which are viewed as time-consuming and eating into a busy schedule. Easier access to modern recording media would facilitate development of reflective teaching pr

Keywords: Reflective practice; reflective practice strategies; inhibitors; teacher development; teacher beliefs; Ukrainian EFL teachers

Today's broad interpretation among educators of reflective practice as a teacher's ability to reflect on their own action has not strayed far from Dewey's description of reflective practice as 'an active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of grounds that support it and the future conclusions to which it tends' (Dewey, [14], p. 9).

There is a wide range of understandings of 'reflective practice'. For Boud et al. ([5]) reflection works in symbiosis with experience. Richards ([37]) proposes that reflection combined with critical thinking can assist those who base their teaching strategies mostly on routine modulated by instinct. Richards and Lockhart ([39]) describe reflection as a form of data collection about teaching. Self-examination and teaching practice form the foundation for critical reflection about teaching according to several studies (e.g., Campbell-Jones & Campbell-Jones, [7]). Brookfield ([6]) believes that reflection should encompass self-experiences both as learners and teachers, students' perspectives, colleagues' feedback, and literature. For some, reflection requires high levels of conscious behaviour to restructure existing knowledge and insights (Korthagen, [29]).

In the past thirty years, there has seen a marked increase in the exploration of the reflective practice concept among scholars. The foci of these studies are varied: some have investigated educators' overall knowledge of reflective teaching (Farrell, [17]; Richards & Lockhart, [39]). Others have explored the use of reflection in professional development (Impedovo, [25]). Some have focused on the use of reflective strategies within certain countries, such as Iran (Khoshsima et al., [27]), Turkey (Kömür & Gün, [28]), Saudi Arabia (Sibahi, [41]), and the USA (Vaughn et al., [48]). Yet, Farrell ([18]) noted that half of all studies come from Asian countries, compared to a small number originating from Europe and North America (p. 240). The absence of research on the use of reflective practice strategies in teaching in Ukraine is consistent with Farrell's findings, and, when one considers that English Language Teaching (ELT hereafter) is the one area where interest worldwide in reflective practice strategies has grown, it is particularly alarming with respect to ELT in Ukraine. As the country seeks closer integration with the West, fulfiling its ambition of becoming a full member of the European Union, more information should be gathered on the status of and approaches to education, including ELT, in order to minimise differences and to promote best practices.

This study aims to lessen the geographical imbalance in reflective practice research and to reveal how familiar English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Ukraine are with reflective teaching and its methodological applications.

This work represents the first study designed to investigate perceptions and uses of reflective practice among in-service EFL teachers in Ukraine. The key research question that this paper will aim to address is:

What are in-service EFL teachers' views on reflective practice?

And in particular it investigates:

RQ1. What are teacher's perceptions and knowledge of reflective practice across different experience levels?

RQ2. What reflective strategies do teachers apply in their teaching?

RQ3. What obstacles do teachers confront in their reflective teaching?

Both quantitative and qualitative studies on reflection have identified several approaches to ascertain the degree of awareness, knowledge, and application within the teaching profession.

Among the many techniques available, (e-)journaling has been advocated as a reflective strategy that bridges theory and practice (Stevens & Cooper, [43]; Threlfall, [45]). A teaching journal can boost teachers' critical self-analysis and raises awareness of professional strengths and weaknesses (Cirocki & Farrell, [8]).

Peer observation followed by discussion has been found to add value through reflective dialogue. Teachers can critically analyse their professional practice in a confidential and non-threatening setting (Ibidem.). However, the use of peer observation and post-observation discussions as reflective tools should not exist in a cultural vacuum but reflect local customs and social environments.

Peer sharing has been shown to be a strategy that fosters a deeper approach to learning through critical reflection on practice in a facilitated group (Gottesman, [19]). This strategy can be time-consuming and requires a trusting relationship between team members. However, the practical benefits of a colleagues' feedback received through reflective forums generally outweigh the costs.

Action research, a multistage classroom-based reflective tool, enables teachers to resolve problems not solely through intuition but by following formal steps (planning, action, observation and reflection; Kemmis & McTaggart, [26]). Once shared with colleagues, the results of the action research can be widely beneficial, making teachers producers, rather than passive consumers of data-based classroom practices. Some researchers (Dana & Yendal-Hoppey, [13]) see action research as an essential step for both personal professional development and towards broader, teacher-led, progressive educational reforms.

Technology has contributed new reflective tools such as electronic teaching portfolios (Levin & Camp, [34]), collaborative blogging (Cirocki & Farrell, [8]), and video recording of lessons (Cunningham & Benedetto, [12]) making the normally internal process of teaching reflection a more interactive, public process.

In this study, we are interested in determining which of these reflective strategies Ukrainian EFL teachers commonly use.

Since the Declaration of Independence in 1991, the field of education has languished in a transitional state. Its development can be divided into three main time frames and each presents unique challenges for conducting reflective practice. In the first decade (1991—early 2000s) the key educational aim was not 'to develop a system—but to destroy the old Soviet heritage' (Kvit, [31]) with little effort towards building a cohesive replacement framework. It saw a drift away from uniformity, top-down administration, and one-person management—the Soviet education legacy (Kuraev, [30]). As the objective was focused on the demographic share of people in education rather than the quality of teaching, inevitably, the activities of this decade produced a drop in educational standards (Shandruk & Shatrova, [40], p. 136). The second decade of reform (2003–2013) was marked by the effort to bring the national education system in line with European and international standards (Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, [35]), requiring changes at both the national and teacher levels. During this period, educators were found unprepared to join the European Higher Education Area with its strict requirements, so the implementation of its main instruments (e.g., the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) suffered from considerable delays.

The political upheaval that had started in 2013 led to the Revolution of Dignity the following year and activated ground-breaking changes in the education system. The government established The National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in 2015 and The State Inspection for Educational Institutions in 2017 and passed a strategic regulatory document 'The Law On Education ([33]). The former was amended in 2017 (Ukraine. The Law On Education, [47]) and it has been fiercely criticised both domestically and internationally (Ukraine. Opinion on the Provisions of the Law On Education of 5 September [46]). Clearly, the country's educational system rationalisation is still a work in progress.

Despite extensive efforts, overall English language proficiency in Ukraine is rated low (EF English Proficiency Index, [16]). In 2015 the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU) increased the minimum instructional hours for English (grades 5-8–3 hours per week; grade 9–2 hours; grades 10–11–3.5 hours). So far little progress has been achieved. The only requirements to become an English language teacher in Ukraine are completing a four-year bachelor's programme and obtaining a Specialist or Master's degree in Linguistics or Pedagogy (Bolitho & West, [3]). All the universities follow the curricula set by the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education but in light of recently granted autonomy, they have now more freedom to modify and amend their teaching processes. Throughout their teacher-education, students take courses on pedagogy, child psychology, teaching methods and methodology alongside a teaching practicum strategically scheduled starting from year two. Regarding teacher English proficiency, the Council of Europe's Common Framework for Reference (CEFR) represents the most widely used benchmarking system in Ukraine. The CEFR categorises language users into six hierarchical ability levels ranked in order of ascendency A, B and C for the main levels (Basic User, Independent User and Proficient User). These are subdivided into two ratings with 1 indicating lower proficiency. Using 'can do' statements organised by skills and tasks as descriptors of language ability, the CEFR ranks all language users from A1 (Breakthrough Basic User) to C2 (Fully Proficient User; Council of Europe, [10]).

MESU has benchmarked CEFR level C1 (Proficient User) as the expected English proficiency level of secondary teachers of English in Ukraine, yet this criterion is rarely met. The typical university English instructor's level ranges from B2 (Independent User) to C1 whilst school teachers average B2 (Bolitho & West, [3], p. 82).

This study implements a concurrent explanatory Mixed Methods Research approach (Teddlie & Tashakkori, [44]). In this approach, quantitative and qualitative data results were corroborated at the inferential stage to enhance the credibility of the reported findings, thus, to reach a comprehensive understanding of the in-service Ukrainian EFL teachers' views on the reflective practice (Riazi, [36]) and to derive a three-dimensional perspective of the issues (Creswell, [11]).

The participants in the survey included 56 in-service EFL teachers (3 males, 53 females) from 11 schools in Ukraine, ranging in age from 23 to 56. All volunteered to participate in the survey. Non-probability (purposive) sampling was used because it focuses on teachers who have in-depth knowledge of the area of the RQs and could make a substantial contribution grounded in their considerable experience and knowledge (Cohen et al., [9]; Creswell, [11]).

The participants (n = 56) were divided into three groups based on the reported years of teaching experience. In this sample, the teaching career lengths span from 1 to 34 years (median = 15; SD = 9.4). 11 and 23 years were determined as the arbitrary cut-off lines to categorise the sample into three groups: novices (1–5 years of teaching experience [TE hereafter]; n = 18), middle-career teachers (6–15 years of TE; n = 23) and experienced teachers (16–34 years of TE; n = 15).

Thirty-seven interviewees have a master's degree in English, eighteen teachers a bachelor's degree in English, and one respondent a Doctoral degree in Historical and Comparative Linguistics. Participant information can be found in Table 1.

Table 1. Participant information (n = 56)

All 56 respondents were informed of the purpose of the survey, agreed to take part in both the quantitative and qualitative sections, and were instructed on how to contribute.

Questionnaires were used because they are relatively easy to organise, fast to administer and comparatively straightforward to analyse (Cohen et al., [9]; Dörnyei, [15]). Hence, in order to answer RQ1, a questionnaire adapted from Akbari et al. ([2]) was employed to quantify teachers' attitudes and experiences (see Appendix 1). The questionnaire this research used represents a tested and validated, theoretically informed comprehensive instrument that synthesises both constructs and behaviours perceived as relevant for efficiently measuring teacher reflection (Akbari et al., [2], p. 213). The questionnaire integrates and systemises elements that had been previously analysed by researchers (Akbari et al., [2]; Hansen, [20]; Richards & Farrell, [38]; Richards & Lockhart, [39]; Zeichner & Liston, [49]). This work represents the first comprehensive analysis of Ukrainian EFL teachers' opinions, knowledge, and uses of reflective practice with an emphasis on teachers' beliefs, perceptions, aspirations, goals, and priorities in language teaching.

Teachers were questioned on six dimensions of reflective practice with items grouped according to related parameters and their investigative aims (Akbari et al., [2], p. 214). The questionnaire comprises of close-ended statements based on a five-point nominal Likert scale ranging from 1 ('never') to 5 ('always'). Cronbach's alpha index (α) was calculated to obtain the reliability estimates: (A) practical dimension items (e.g., 'I write about my teaching experiences in a diary or a notebook'; 7 items; α = 0.69) relate to the tools and practice of reflection; (B) the cognitive dimension (e.g., 'I think of using/introducing new teaching techniques in my class'; 7 items; α = 0.69) focuses on the teachers' educational endeavours towards developing their professionalism; (C) the affective dimension (e.g., 'I think about my students' emotional responses to my instructions'; α = 0.71; 7 items) deals with the teachers' reflecting on how their learners respond emotionally in their classes; (D) the meta-cognitive dimension (e.g., 'I think of the meaning or significance of my job as a teacher'; α = 0.75; 7 items) is concerned with questions relating to teachers' knowledge and view of their profession; (E) the critical dimension (e.g., 'I think about instances of social injustice in my own surroundings and try to discuss them in my classes'; α = 0.81; 7 items) discusses questions about socio-political issues of teaching, and (F) the moral dimension (e.g., 'I talk about my moral standards and values to my students'; α = 0.72; 7 items), which relates to teachers' acting as a role model for the moral development of their students. A reliability analysis of the questionnaire items (α) allows identification of questions that lower reliability.

80 questionnaires were sent by email (March-July 2017 and January 2018) and 56 were collected in person at the follow-up interviews; the response rate was 70%. There were no time constraints for questionnaire completion.

The main purpose of the semi-structured interview was to encourage reflection on and critical analysis of teaching experiences, which questionnaires alone could not address successfully. The first author delivered all the 56 interviews (18 novices, 23 middle-career and 15 experienced teachers) in English while in Ukraine (August 2017 and February 2018) every day for 3 to 4 hours with each lasting about 20 minutes. The prompts for the interviews included: 1) how familiar teachers are with reflective practice and how they define it; 2) what language teachers do in their reflections; 3) what are the main reasons behind their choices of reflective strategies; and 4) what obstacles do they believe prevent them from being more reflective.

Interview questions two and three correlate with the questionnaire aiming to add insights into the data, whilst interview questions one and four seek to enable respondents to expand on the assessment of his or her reflective practice and possibly expose problems related to it.

In order to answer the RQs, one-way ANOVA by SPSS 24 tests were carried out to compare the frequency of applying reflective practices among the three groups of participants at various experience levels.

Normality checks and Levene's test were carried out and the assumptions were met (Howitt & Cramer, [23]).

The interview transcripts were prepared by the first author and integrity checked by the interviewees. The first and third authors coded the transcripts independently with all the discrepancy being discussed and settled. The interviewees were approached to clarify some of their words via email. Initial codes for interview transcripts are summarised in Table 2.

Table 2. Initial codes for interview transcripts

We address each Research Question in turn:

RQ1. Regarding teachers' perception and knowledge of reflective practice across the three experience groups, there were significant differences in some items from the four dimensions: practical, cognitive, critical, and moral with most significant variations found within the practical and cognitive dimensions rather than in the critical and moral ones. The results of one-way ANOVA are reported in the table below. [Table 3]

Table 3. Descriptive data for ANOVA test (n = 56)

Specifically, in the practical dimension all the items related to self-reflection practices were reported to have significant changes, particularly item A1 'I write teaching experiences in a diary' [F(2,53) = 6.476, p = 0.003], item A2 ' I keep a file on teaching experience' [F(2,53) = 4.265, p = 0.019], item A4 'I write and talk about accomplishment and failure of the lesson' [F(2,53) = 4.745, p = 0.013] and item A6 'I observe others' classes' [F(2,53) = 8.965, p = 0.000]. Interestingly, the frequency of conducting independent reflection practice, A1 and A2, was reported to have a positive linear relationship with teaching experience, while the other two items, which involve talking to colleagues and observing colleagues' classes, were reported to have a non-linear relationship with the level of teaching experience. The remaining items in the practical dimension, relating to sharing and seeking professional assistance from colleagues, were not reported to have a significant change, such as sharing, discussing with colleagues and asking for peer observations. It suggests that as teachers gain professional experience, they are more likely to reflect on their own teaching through writing, filing, and discussing with other colleagues informally, instead of applying formal feedback and classroom observations.

In the cognitive dimension, three items that do not involve conducting any formal research activities and projects were reported to have significant changes, for instance, item B2 'I read books and journals on effective teaching' [F(2,53) = 5.177, p = 0.009], item B3 'I participate in workshops/conference' [F(2,53) = 5.936, p = 0.005], and B5 'I look at recent professional development in journal articles' [F(2,53) = 4.164, p = 0.021]. Other items related to carrying out formal research investigations or writing and publishing research results were not reported to have significant changes. It suggests that experienced participants are more willing to read, study and follow suggestions from formal research publications and conferences, than propose, conduct and publish research by themselves. Instead, experienced EFL teachers appear to be more willing to reflect on their teaching practice, especially teaching materials, from a social and political perspective, although these reflection practices do not look comprehensive. For example, the more experienced teachers reported significantly higher rates in two items: E3 'I include less-discussed topics in classes' [F(2,53) = 6.807, p = 0.002] and E4 'I think about teaching may affect students' political views' [F(2,53) = 5.580, p = 0.006].

In addition, interview data offered more insights on teachers' self-reported knowledge and understanding of the reflective practice across three experience groups. The results show that 84% of teachers (47 interviewees) answered in an assertive form about the usage of reflective practice in their teaching and acknowledged their ability to reflect as a 'strength'. Teachers' responses are summarised in Table 4. Fifty percent of novice teachers (9 interviewees) do not have a clear understanding of the concept of reflective practice compared to middle career (65%) and experienced teachers (73%). For example, one teacher seems to have no knowledge of the concept of reflective teaching although she wishes to improve her knowledge: 'I do not have comprehensive knowledge on the reflective practice to be honest. Being I am a new teacher (it is my third semester), I am struggling with bridging the gap between theory and practice. Obviously, I have many knowledge gaps, but I am working hard on becoming a better teacher.' (Anna, 1,5 years of TE)

Table 4. Summary of participant responses about their knowledge of reflective practice (n = 56)

This form of response differs sensibly to the typical middle career and experienced teachers' reply, which instead describes reflective practice as a 'systematic reflection on teachers' practices within the classroom' (Greg, 33 years of TE) and stresses its usefulness at both personal and professional levels.

Mature teachers thus recognise that the in-class discussion of sensitive political and social topics might influence the students' view even if the topic is only approached as an initiator of foreign language practice. For example, a teacher commented: 'Contemporary Ukraine is a country in the state of transition. As a patriot, I would like to see our next generations live in their motherland and develop it. I gladly talk to my students about political and economic reforms in my lessons to make them more aware of the country's status quo.' (Halyna, 33 years of TE).

RQ2. On a practical level, both survey and interview data reveal that experienced, middle career and novice teachers all use reflection as a critical lens for improving their teaching with some differences in terms of their choice of specific strategies. Table 5 lists the mean of participants' responses to the seven items in relation to their practical dimension of reflective practice in a descending order. It shows that those reflective practices involving oral communications with peers are more popular than practices which ask for filling or drafting formal written reports.

Table 5. Practical dimension of reflective practice (n = 56)

The same pattern can be observed from the interview data, where the participants seem to be more willing to use informal reflection strategies with their students and on their own. Those reflection strategies involved with formal investigation, research reports or external evaluations do not receive the same level of acceptance. The response below was typical:

"To my mind, reflective teaching means looking at what you do in the classroom, thinking about why you do it, and thinking about if it works – a process of self-observation and self-evaluation. At the end of the lesson, I try to observe my lesson myself. I try to find out which aspects of my teaching help me in my job and help my students to learn my subject" (Vira R., 6 years of TE)

Table 6 presents a summary of interview data. Student feedback, technological reflective tools and peer sharing were reported as the most frequently used reflective strategies, while writing teaching portfolios, conducting action research and participating in reflective dialogues are the least mentioned strategies.

Table 6. Summary of interview data (n = 56)

To elaborate the interview data, most teachers without much teaching experience mentioned learner feedback on lesson effectiveness as an indicator of their lesson success. The feedback is typically obtained orally, immediately after the lesson and less commonly in a written form. However, some teachers run small-scale surveys once a month to collect their students' feedback to be considered in future lesson planning. One typical quote is reported below

"What I practice every lesson is getting my students' feedback. It may come in different ways: they reflect orally or fill in some questionnaires that I read and analyse. I often discuss the issues with my colleagues. We share our experience; I may learn some useful things to make my teaching more efficient." (Zhanna, 19 years of TE)

Secondly, English teachers see the need to have modern technical support in order to facilitate and improve their reflective practice. The most frequently stated method is to either video record their own lessons for self-evaluation and reflection or review senior teachers' lessons. Two typical quotations are reported below.

"To improve my personal reflective practice, I should think about using new teaching techniques, read books, articles, surf the internet. I enjoy participation in workshops, conferences, seminars which are related to teaching issues. However, I have no interest in any kind of research because it's of no practical use for me in my job." (Svitlana L., 13 years of TE)

"Besides, teachers do not have a technical capacity to record the lessons. Seeing a lesson as a viewer would definitely help teachers get a new perspective of the process of a lesson and new approaches." (Dmytro A., 24 years of TE)

Interestingly, watching and recording English classes is thought mainly a tool for self-reflection, while sharing recordings with colleagues or discussing them were not mentioned or considered by the interviewees.

Thirdly, although reflection involves openly sharing personal strengths and weaknesses in teaching and could represent an unsettling experience for some people, 63% of all the interviewees reported that discussions with colleagues is one of the preferred and effective reflective tools for reflection. Again, discussions are taking place in an informal way, not linked to observations.

"I discuss a lot of issues with my colleagues teaching them something and learning something from them." (Tamara H., 18 years of TE)

RQ3. In relation to the third research question, professional development and context factors were reported as the main obstacles which prevent teachers from conducting reflection practices. Bearing in mind the most frequently mentioned reflective strategies, the two obstacles reported which prevent the participants from conducting informal reflections on their own are a lack of professional development experience and heavy workloads. Table 7 summarises participants' response data.

Table 7. Participant responses (n = 56)

Replies suggest there is a lack of rigorous professional training and development of reflective practice within teacher-training for ELT. To be more specific, English teachers seemed to require more professional development activities on reflective practice organised and promoted by schools. They stated that more workshops, webinars and conferences should be organised by their educational institutions, a strong sign for localising externally promoted new teaching pedagogies and educational technology. They expressed keen interest in new and modern trends and tendencies in teaching languages on both the national and international levels. For example, one novice teacher commented:

"There is a need of more conferences and even webinars to spread the word about such thing as reflective practice, because our country doesn't care enough about its citizens' future." (Valentyna A., 2 years of TE)

These findings are in line with literature from other contexts. Among the inhibitors to efficient reflection, teachers indicate foremost a lack of adequate professional training, as found in a targeted study by Afshar and Farahani ([1]). Despite the wide choice of teaching resources available on the internet, teachers stress the benefit of having organised colloquia with colleagues. Doubtless, they would gain greatly from knowledge sharing and, as a result, their reflective practice would improve significantly. Clearly, more training should be given to the teachers to encourage more formal recordings of reflective practice. To succeed, the academic institutions should also offer practical support by allocating time and resources. According to The Law 'On Education' overview by the current Ukrainian Minister of Science and Education, teachers should 'expend more energy, prepare for lessons, and be able to manage the class at a high level' (Hrynevych, [24], para 14). Although these 'noble and ambitious' sentiments are clearly easy to subscribe to, they should be matched by action, which in practical terms means a substantial boost in investment in both resources and people. This support should also be fairly distributed between urban and rural settings, with the latter often at the fringe and last to benefit from national initiatives.

In addition, teachers, in particular young teachers, indicated time constraints and workload as the two major hindrances preventing them from carrying out regular reflection on their teaching. As a result, some teachers asked for incentives to participate in the organised professional development events. Two participants commented:

"Having fewer classroom hours a week would help me to improve my personal reflective practice. I would have more time to analyse the lesson." (Svitlana M., 13 years of TE)

"It would also be good to have some paid time for observing the colleagues' lessons with further discussion" (Zoya I., 4 years of TE)

This study found significant differences in the responses for the four dimensions (practical, cognitive, critical, and moral) across the three experience sample groups.

There is also evidence suggesting that EFL teachers apply reflective practice more to the affective and meta-cognitive dimensions. Most significant variations are found within the practical and cognitive dimensions rather than in the critical and moral ones. Further, they also employ feedback from their students and post-observation discussions with their colleagues as the main strategies to gain a perspective on their practices. Through comparison and peer observations they reflect on their approach in the classroom and lesson planning, learning from theirs and others' mistakes. However, these practices are mostly oral and often unrecorded. This inclination to reflection appears to develop with years of experience, although while remaining within informal, unofficial, and unstructured settings.

The more experienced participants in the survey dedicate more time to keeping up with developments in the field through publications and conferences but are much less likely to assume a pro-active role, either because of personal disposition and/or time constraints.

Finally, in relation to the third research question, professional development and context factors were reported as the main obstacles preventing teachers from conducting reflection practices.

In summary, this study confirms that experienced teachers may conduct more reflective practice than their novice counterparts, but they do not develop their reflective capacity in a comprehensive, systematic way. In other words, they reflect on certain areas more often than some others. For example, in this study, experienced teachers are more likely to reflect on two areas that Akbari et al. ([2]) calls the 'practical and cognitive dimensions'. Although the more mature participants reported a higher frequency of reflecting social and political dimensions of their language teaching practice, the limited areas indicate a lack of confidence or understanding of reflective practice.

Further, some reflective strategies appear to be more popular than others. Informal and oral communications with peers and colleagues without formal investigation and evaluation from external members are more commonly preferred by teachers in Ukraine. For instance, although reflection involving openly sharing personal strengths and weaknesses in teaching can be perceived as 'face-threatening' to many, the majority of interviewees indicated that peer-sharing may represent a more suitable strategy for reflection (similar to Cirocki & Farrell, [8]). Indeed, for peer-sharing to become an effective tool for reflection, it must be based on trust, active listening, cooperation, and communication, which together help to reduce anxiety and the fear of being negatively evaluated during the reflective process (Ladyshewsky, [32]). Similarly, colleagues' feedback from post-observation discussions of practical and theoretical issues is mostly carried out in informal settings based on the mutual interchange of information. The feedback is typically obtained orally immediately following the lesson and less commonly in a written form. However, even though positive outcomes for journal writing as a reflective tool have been confirmed in recent studies (Farrell, [18]; Zulfikar & Mujiburrahman, [50]), far fewer interviewees reported this strategy.

Apart from the formal and evaluative reflective practices, teachers also express a keen interest in systematic professional training; they also feel they would benefit from updated recording techniques including video to analyse and reflect on their work (as illustrated by Cunningham & Benedetto, [12]).

Last, none of the teachers mentions action research as a reflective strategy. This could be due to either a lack of awareness or reluctance in applying this strategy, since it is a multi-staged reflective tool that requires time and effort. However, Sowa ([42]) documented growth in developing reflective skills and a raised level of confidence among teachers after being involved with action research. Again, teachers would benefit from further training and guidance.

In relation to the main obstacles in promoting better reflective practice, the main reason is given as not having enough technical resources available onsite to help them develop reflective skills, which is in consistent with the findings from other studies (similar to Harford & MacRuairc, [21]). Unfortunately, most schools in Ukraine do not provide teachers with video recording equipment that would allow staff to film their lessons for further analyses. Undoubtedly, in this digital era, integrating modern technology would greatly benefit English teachers in general and reflective practice specifically. Obviously, this is not an issue to be solved at classroom level but as a priority for school improvement. The lack of equipment could be addressed both at the institutional (local) and national levels.

The application of reflective practices among EFL teachers in Ukraine based on this study of 56 English professionals shows high variability and inconsistent methodologies. However, it emerges that most teachers are willing to embrace new strategies and implement them in their teaching. This is in contrast with the view of the Minister of Education of Science (Hrynevych, [24], para. 15) who sees teachers' refractory instincts towards change as the 'potential roadblock' against 'changing the Ukrainian school into a school for contemporary life'. These study findings show the opposite: not resistance from the teaching body but a willingness to develop professionally. Better, more consistent, and supported reflective practice could play a significant role in the development of the Ukrainian educational system.

The development of a systematic approach in reflections by English teachers should be considered a high priority in the framework of educational reforms in Ukraine. Starting at the university level, pre-service teachers would be introduced to training courses aimed at developing their knowledge and understanding of the reflective practice. Regular application of reflective strategies during their teaching practicum would lay the foundations of a fruitful teaching career.

In terms of current in-service teachers, they should be introduced and receive regular training on the reflective strategies according to their confidence on the method (i.e. action research) and allowed to participate in professional development activities both on a school and national level. Online platforms could allow teachers to share their best practices and find solutions to existing problems.

In terms of engagement in adopting the technique from the more refractory elements in the in-service professionals, this should be part of a broader approach where the moral dimension of the teaching profession rekindles the 'vocational' aspect of the job. A more emphatic approach to the needs and welfare of the learners could feedback into the personal development of the teaching professional: the reflective practice would be the catalyst of this project.

These strategies if run concurrently would be instrumental in the journey towards a better-educated nation.

This study represents the first step in a series of large-scale surveys of teachers' attitudes, and it will form the bases of further comparisons within Ukraine and against other national educational systems.

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).