Reflection as a Mirror of Learning

Examining Course and Program Goal Alignment in Interdisciplinary STEM Education

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which the goals of both an individual course and the overall M.Ed. program 'Integrative STEM Education' are achieved, as reflected in students’ reflections. The program aims to deepen understanding of interdisciplinary STEM, develop PCK and TPACK related to integrative pedagogies, and prepare students to lead interdisciplinary STEM education in various frameworks. It is grounded in constructivist and constructionist pedagogy and emphasizes engineering design, sustainability, and ethics in STEM education. Project-Based Learning (PBL) serves as a central methodological pillar, implemented through courses in which students design solutions to real-world, ill-defined problems, fostering innovation, problem-solving, and STEM literacy. Courses are intentionally interconnected and scaffold learning through an interdisciplinary lens. Extensive reflection, in multiple formats, is embedded throughout the program as a formative process supporting both learning and assessment. This aligns with perspectives such as Dewey’s ‘reflection as inquiry', Schön’s 'reflection-in-action/on-action', and Mezirow’s ‘transformative reflection’. Reflection fosters metacognition, conceptual understanding, interdisciplinary integration, professional growth, and evidence of emerging skills—serving not only as a learning mechanism but also as an indicator of achievement. The aim of this study is to analyze how students’ reflections correspond to the intended learning outcomes of several courses and how they reveal alignment with the broader aims of the program. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on students’ reflections to explore: (1) What themes emerge from students’ final reflective tasks? (2) To what extent do these reflections indicate achievement of course-level learning outcomes? (3) How do the reflections demonstrate alignment between individual course goals and the overarching program objectives? The findings reveal strong alignment parallel to exposing authentic challenges, informing the program’s iterative refinement within a design-based research framework. A key methodological contribution of this study lies in using reflective tools to evaluate integrated goals at both the course and program levels.