Using Critical Incident Reporting to Promote Objectivity and Self-Knowledge in Pre-Service School Psychologists

Abstract

This longitudinal project consisted of exploring the usefulness of Critical Incident Reporting (CIR) as an instructional tool (Griffin, 2003) to first increase objectivity and self-knowledge among practicum students and then to guide practices when those students became interns the following academic year. Analysis included 120 CIRs written by 15 practicum students and responses from ten of the same students on a follow-up questionnaire when they were interns. The use of CIR during students’ practicum year illuminated the types and qualities of experiences that affected pre-service school psychologists most and how they processed those experiences within the context of CIR. Benefits of the CIR process included schema internalization that promoted objectivity and self-knowledge among interns, provision of a systematic framework for that process and generation of related data to inform training curricula.

Keywords

critical incident reporting internship practicum reflection supervision

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