“What’s the difference between analytic review and reflection?”

A participant posed this question during a conference call in a postgraduate course on higher education. It was apparently prompted by the demand for participants to provide an analytic review of their learning from the course, and to be reflective in so doing. Assembling an adequate answer to her question has troubled me for more than a year. My thinking has centred on two examples from my own subsequent experience which sum up for me the distinction between the two processes. 

I felt I was being analytic when I undertook a literature survey on a topic which concerned me at that time, seeking to identify outstanding issues in this field.  I thought I was being reflective when as a reviewer of drafts submitted to an educational journal, I chanced on an interesting innovation and thought: “Could we do that, to advantage, in our course?” 

I made a succinct comparison of the features of each process: 

In analytic review, we:

• First set out to identify all available data (in this case, in publications);
• Follow a familiar and well established approach to summarising, identifying patterns and noting mismatches and disagreements;
• Try to be objective in all our decisions;
• Seek and identify sound and well-evidenced outcomes of general significance.

When reflecting, we:

• Focus on something which seems likely to be of use to us (and our students);
• Oscillate between questioning of potential, and speculating about implications and possible outcomes;
• Often make choices of our priorities and options subjectively;
• Seek a worthwhile plan for innovative action and enhancement on our part.

That makes them very different, although perhaps on a PGCert, analytic review precedes reflection.

Questions for those on the list:

1. Do you have puzzled students who raise the analyse/reflect quesiton with you, especially in establishing a border line?
2. If so, what do you add to this simple comparison........
3. .......and what would you advise me to amend/change?

John Cowan