A Comparative Analysis of Reflection and Self-Assessment

Melissa Desjarlais1, Peter Smith2

Abstract
Reflection is a personal process that can deepen one’s understanding of self and can lead to significant discoveries or insights, while
self-assessment is a process that involves establishing strengths, improvements, and insights based on predetermined performance
criteria. In this paper we will perform a comparative analysis of reflection and self-assessment, clarifying the differences in definition,
methodologies, and results. We will model a familiar situation using both processes to illustrate the need for doing reflection and
self-assessment and to differentiate their separate purposes. In the process, we will elucidate some tips for engaging in reflection and
self-assessment and for deciding which process best suits a given situation; we will also discuss ways to evaluate their effectiveness.

Introduction why it is important. Raelin describes reflective practice

as “the practice of periodically stepping back to ponder
Reflection and self-assessment are both meaningful
the meaning of what has recently transpired to ourselves
processes that can lead to learning from experience, yet
and to others in our immediate environment.” He presents
they have different purposes and goals. Reflection is a
it as a public and open process by which an individual’s
process that involves playing back a period of time related
interpretations, evaluations, and assumptions are
to previous valued experiences in search of significant
subjected to the review of others in order to avoid bias
discoveries or insights about oneself, one’s behaviors,
and errors in perceptions of reality. Amulya, on the other
one’s values, or knowledge gained. Specific criteria for
hand, focuses more on the process in general and less
performance are usually not involved. An important
on whether it is an individual or collective experience.
goal in reflection is bringing focus to an indeterminate
She states that the purpose of reflection is to learn from
situation (Dewey, 1938) by gaining clarity and by fully experiences. She describes certain experiences that
experiencing what has happened. It is important to gain can provide learning opportunities through reflection:
closure during reflection and not ruminate repeatedly struggles, dilemmas, uncertainties, or breakthroughs.
about the experience. Reflection involves divergent Amulya suggests journaling as a way to think about an
thinking and often includes journaling. In contrast, experience, a process which is advocated in this paper.
self-assessment is a process used for studying one’s
own performance in order to improve it. It is more Stevens and Cooper (2009) describe perspectives on
proactive than reflection in that performance criteria are reflection and learning from experiences based on the
defined before the action in question begins or before it work by John Dewey and D. A. Schon. They focus on
is replayed; and strengths, improvements, and insights how to perform effective reflection, describing it as an
(Wasserman & Beyerlein, 2007) against these criteria active, intentional, and journalistic cycle. For Dewey,
are then recorded during the process. reflection is an active and intentional process that can
begin with some discomfort with an experience and
This paper will perform a comparative analysis of end with learning and deeper insights. According to
reflection and self-assessment. Methodologies for each Dewey, aspects of reflective thought include perplexity,
will be described, and then an example of each will be elaboration, generating hypotheses, comparing
provided. To highlight the steps of each methodology, hypotheses, and taking action. As Stevens and Cooper
the same example will be used of a student who is describe it, the reflective phase involves focusing
procrastinating on an assigned project. The paper will on what an experience means and how it is related to
then identify specific similarities and differences of the past learning. In comparison, Schon (1983) has two
two processes, and list tips both for helping someone processes: reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action,
decide which of these processes to use in a given situation, which he describes as components of the development
and for engaging in them. Finally, ways to evaluate the of expertise. In this paper, the focus is on reflection-on-
two processes will be given. The Appendix contains the action, the easier of the two processes.
products of the reflection and self-assessment example,
These authors have each stressed the importance of
i.e., the reflection log and self-assessment journal.
reflection and have linked reflection to learning, yet
Literature Review self-assessment is a related and similarly important
process. Apple and Utschig (2009) list self-assessment
Joseph A. Raelin (2002) and Joy Amulya (2004) both
to produce self-growth as one of their ten steps for
stress the importance of reflective practice, and discuss
1
Valparaiso University
2
Saint Mary’s College (retired)
3
 improving academic assessment. They advocate taking paper she examines the five developmental pathways em-
time after daily performances to see how to improve bodied in Process Education and shows how central self-
future efforts. Leise (2007, 2007a) identifies the key role assessment is to each of them. Leise (2007c) claims that
of self-assessment in sustaining self-growth through both “novices and experts can increase growth in process
application of a personal development methodology. learning through cycles of assessment and reflection.”
Myrvaagnes (2007) has created a rubric for self-growth He also examines the process of internalizing these and
which identifies the importance of self-assessment to other methodologies so that they become second nature.
move from one level of the rubric to the next. Leise (2010) contrasts the Western and Eastern concepts
Self-assessment is a universal process for improving of reflection and develops a methodology and a rubric
learning skills. Leise (2007b) posits that learning to for reflecting on performance from the point of view of
learn is a metacognitive competency which increases a counseling professional. His reflection methodology is
in proportion to improvements in reflection, self- much closer to our definition of self-assessment in that it
assessment, and mentoring. According to Miller (2007), requires the specification of criteria, a self-assessment of
however, when one is trying to get buy-in from students the performance under reflection, and an identification of
in a course, it is best not to present self-assessment as a one’s position in the rubric. His focus differs from ours in
learning skill but rather as part of the course discipline. that he restricts his study to reflecting on the performance
In his discipline, he tells students that self-assessment of counselor interns, whereas we focus on valued
“is an integral part of real-world project development.” experiences, not on performances. In this paper, we
Anderson (2007) discusses the need for mentors to assess build on Leise’s theoretical work, making the concepts
the self-assessments of beginners in order to raise them accessible to undergraduate students and faculty.
to levels where they become truly valuable. Her paper Even with all of this work done on reflection and self-
includes performance criteria and also a methodology assessment, there can still be confusion regarding the
for assessing assessments. distinctions between these two concepts in terms of their
Students are not the only beneficiaries of self-assessment purposes and outcomes. There are also no widely accepted
practices. Faculty should also strive to become self- methodologies for either process, and information about
growers. Myrvaagnes (2007) emphasizes that “self- them can be found in multiple locations in the Faculty
growers have defining characteristics which include an Guidebook (2007). This paper will synthesize ideas
enduring interest in assessment and self-assessment in from different areas of the Guidebook, provide formal
methodologies, and show that it is important to distinguish
order to maximize performance in every aspect of life.”
between the two related processes. This is primarily a
Hurd (2007) holds that every faculty member should
theoretical look at these two processes, yet there are many
have an annual professional self-growth plan. She
action research possibilities yet to be explored.
highlights the key role of self-assessment in her outline
of the planning methodology. Methodologies
Process Education™ is founded on assessment. Accord- In this section (Table 1), brief descriptions of the steps
ing to Duncan (2007) it is “the continuous quality im- for each methodology are given and a discussion of each
provement (CQI) engine of Process Education.” In her step is provided.

Table 1 Reflection and Self-Assessment Methodologies

Reflection Methodology Self-Assessment Methodology

Recognize a need Step 1 Define the purpose of the performance
Pick a time and place Step 2 Define the purpose of the self-assessment
Play back the experience Step 3 Develop performance criteria
Document all insights Step 4 Determine attributes for each criterion
Play what-if games Step 5 Determine evidence for each criterion
Organize insights into common themes Step 6 Select a scale and range for evidence
Identify key insight(s) Step 7 Collect and measure the evidence
Generalize key insights Step 8 Use evidence to prepare a self-assessment report
Determine the need for other processes Step 9 Determine the need for other processes
Assess the quality of the reflection process Step 10 Assess the quality of the self-assessment process

4
 Reflection Methodology Discussion Self-Assessment Methodology Discussion

Recognize a need to reflect. Define the purpose of the performance.

STEP 1
This step can be initiated due to a hunch or expectation This first step clarifies why the endeavor triggering the
that there is something valuable to be gained by assessment is worth assessing and what the assessment
replaying a past experience. One may need to clarify hopes to accomplish. With this information the self-
some confusion that prevents the full experience from assessor (who is also the assessee) can better determine
falling into focus. what is important to assess (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).

Pick a time and place for reflection. Define the purpose of the self-assessment.
In this step, the reflector identifies a time and place Here, the assessor establishes the outcomes for the self-
that will minimize distractions and lead to a quality assessment and restricts attention to certain aspects of
reflection. It may involve a mindless activity such as the performance being assessed, if appropriate. The
STEP 2

walking, chopping wood, weeding, etc. One needs to be motivation to perform the self-assessment may have
prepared to record insights as they come to light. This come from an earlier reflection, but the goal is always
recording can be in a written, electronic, or verbal format personal development and improved performance.
(such as a digital voice recorder). It may help to pair
up with another person who can listen and record the
components of the experience, and the insights gained.
This is especially important for people who do their best
thinking while speaking.

Play back the experience which triggered the reflection. Develop performance criteria for the self-assessment.
In this step the reflector goes back through the experience Using the outcomes identified in Step 2, the assessor
slowly enough to examine each aspect. This should not identifies the criteria by which to measure the success
STEP 3

be a mere recitation of the sequence of events, but an of the self-assessment. These should be understandable,
examination of components that may be significant. measurable, realistic, and relevant to the outcomes.
The reflector should try to engage all of the senses in These criteria will help keep the assessment process
this process, and pay particular attention to context focused. In most cases, there should be no more than
and behavior, accomplishments, failures, skill level, four criteria.
knowledge level, and personal and fixed factors (Elger,
2007).

Document all insights in a reflection log. Determine attributes that indicate quality for each
As the reflector replays the experience, all insights should criterion.
be listed in a reflection log without any initial judgment In this step, the assessor breaks down each criterion into
STEP 4

on their quality or usefulness. Even if the insights are attributes that can be easily measured. If the assessment
initially recorded orally, they should be transferred to a is narrowly focused, one or more of the criteria may be
visual format, either on paper or a computer. Steps 3 and clear and measurable enough in themselves that it will
4 may be iterated multiple times before moving on to the not be necessary to define their attributes.
next step, because one insight may prompt the reflector
to realize that earlier moments in the play-back need
more careful examination.

Play a lot of “what-if” games. For each attribute or simple criterion, determine the
This step allows the reflector to consider other possible evidence needed to perform the assessment.
STEP 5

outcomes to the experience. These alternate outcomes Evidence is important in order to judge whether the cri-
may come from the reflector’s own past performance teria are achieved successfully. The evidence should be
or something he or she has read or heard. These other readily accessible from the performance being assessed.
possibilities can be used to question the meaning and
significance of the actual sequence of events, thus
deepening and expanding the insights in the log.

5
 Reflection Methodology Discussion Self-Assessment Methodology Discussion
Organize a list of insights into common themes. Select the scale and range to be used in looking at
In this step, the reflector looks back over the list of insights each piece of evidence.
STEP 6

generated and arranges them based on common elements. Measurement requires a scale and a range. If the
It may be useful to write the insights on separate slips of evidence is carefully selected, these should be self-
sticky paper and group them by themes before recording evident. The scale may be numerical or ordinal and
them in the log. This step is a preparation for Step 7 in should be sufficient to explain all gradations within the
which the reflector evaluates the quality of the insights. range. If in doubt, one should make the scale simple.
Identify key insights. Collect and measure the evidence identified in Step 5
Once the insights have been organized by common using the scale from Step 6.
STEP 7

themes, the reflector identifies those which are most For this step it would be helpful to have already engaged
significant and meaningful. This may involve rewriting in a reflection about the performance being assessed. The
them to combine several insights into one, and checking reflection or play-back will highlight evidence needed
that no important insight has been omitted. to conduct the assessment. The collected evidence
should be connected directly to the performance. Each
piece of evidence should be rated according to its scale.
Generalize key insights to a wider set of situations. Use the collected evidence to prepare a self-
The key insights which were identified in Step 7 may assessment report.
be somewhat specific to the past experience which In writing a self-assessment report, one determines
initiated the reflection, or they may apply to a wider set and documents strengths, areas for improvement,
of situations that can allow the reflector to derive greater and insights gained from conducting the assessment
value from the original experience. To raise the level of (Wasserman & Beyerlein, 2007). It is thus referred to as
STEP 8

significance of the insight, it helps to ask the question an SII report, and it is the heart of the assessment. The
“So what?” repeatedly, and then reword the generalized main purpose of self-assessment is to help the assessor/
insight according to the answer. assessee improve his or her performance and move
along the path to becoming a self-grower (Leise, 2007).
For each area for improvement, one should develop a
short-term (what can be done immediately) and a long-
term (what can be done in the future) plan of action. If
previous action plans have been developed, they should
now be assessed.
Determine whether there is a need to for other Determine whether there is a need to engage in other
processes. processes.
If, during the process of reflection, it becomes clear The self-assessment report for Step 8 may identify a
that an improvement in performance is necessary, the need to do further reflection or to engage in learning,
self-assessment process should be initiated to identify research, design, problem solving, or other processes
strengths, areas for improvement, and potential for in order to maximize growth or to fully implement the
STEP 9

an action plan to address some of the identified areas action plans. These processes are described in Beyerlein
for improvement. Reflection can also lead to learning, (2007).
problem-solving, research, design, and other processes.
Since the problem-solving, research, and design
processes are often confused with one another, it is useful
to reflect on past situations in which a particular process
has been identified and then decide which of these past
situations is most similar to the given situation (Cordon
& Williams, 2007).
Assess the quality of the reflection process. Assess the quality of the self-assessment process.
STEP 10

Identify the strengths, areas for improvement, and Identify the strengths, areas for improvement, and in-
insights gained as a result of this process, being careful sights gained as a result of this process, being careful to
to focus both on the process of reflection, and the product focus both on the self-assessment process and the prod-
that was generated (i.e., the reflection log). uct that was generated (i.e., the self-assessment report).

6
 Example of the Methodologies unable to access any online references, nor can he look at
examples of other web pages while he designs his project.
To illustrate a practical application of the methodologies
Fortunately for him, he does have Dreamweaver™ on his
that might be used in a classroom situation, let us use
laptop, so he is able to create the code, but he is unable to
the example of a student procrastinating on a web design
test it in a real browser.
assignment. In our hypothetical situation, a project has
been assigned that is due after Thanksgiving break. It When he gets back to school and is again able to access the
involves the use of Dreamweaver™, which is a commonly- Internet, he discovers a number of errors which he does not
used web page design productivity software product. have time to correct before the paper is due. He explains
Although the project had been assigned several weeks the dilemma to his teacher who agrees to let him turn it in
before Thanksgiving, our student has put off starting it late with no penalty if he completes reflection and self-
until he has gone home for Thanksgiving weekend. He assessment reports in order to learn from his experience.
discovers when he gets home that the Internet will be The following is a description of his experience using the
down at his house for the whole weekend. As a result he is reflection and self-assessment methodologies.

Reflection Methodology Self-Assessment Methodology

Recognize a need to reflect. Define the purpose of the performance.

STEP 2 STEP 1

Our student thinks that this instance of procrastination, when The performance being assessed is the preparation of the
analyzed, might help him produce better work in the future. web design project..

Pick a time and place for reflection. Define the purpose of the self-assessment.
He decides to do the reflection while taking a long walk in The self-assessment outcomes are to minimize future
the afternoon after class. He believes that this setting will be procrastination and to improve the quality of similar
relatively free from distractions. performances in the future.

Play back the experience which triggered the reflection. Develop performance criteria for the self-
He plays back the experience. He recalls how he had assessment.
received the assignment with a month of lead time; he Criteria for self-assessment:
remembers being too busy with other schoolwork and A. understanding the consequences of procrastination
social activities to start it before Thanksgiving vacation; B. trade-off between the quality of the online web
he replays his dismay at discovering that the Internet project vs. time spent in preparation
C. quality of the testing process for the validity of the
was down; he remembers doing his best to design the
STEP 3

web pages and the embedded links

web pages in Dreamweaver™ (8 hours spent doing
this, discovering 4 errors); he recalls how he returned
to school and spent 5 hours discovering and correcting
errors (6) and poor design flaws; he remembers how he
tried to correct the errors (one not corrected) before class;
he replays how he was forced to admit the problems to
the teacher; and finally, he recalls how he was given a
reprieve and was able to complete the project several
days late, and not in a most efficient manner, although
the appearance was acceptable.

7
 Reflection Methodology Self-Assessment Methodology
Document all insights in a reflection log. Determine attributes that indicate quality for each
Since he forgets to bring a notebook on the walk to jot criterion.
down his insights, he lists them when he returns to his Attributes for criteria:
room. This is what he discovers as a result of his reflection: Criterion A: number of consequences identified,
1. He often avoids what he doesn’t want to do and connection of each to successful
replaces those activities with more desirable activities. performance
2. He conveniently forgets to do unpleasant tasks, and Criterion B: amount of time spent preparing,
should therefore write down daily tasks and tick them appearance of the web project, number
off. of errors not spotted
3. He realizes that his project involved sections of code Criterion C: number of errors spotted, amount of
that were repeated several times. He might have saved time spent testing
himself some time had he saved these, as he would
not have had to retype them or look back through the
code to find them.
STEP 4

4. He notes that when coding in HTML, one of the most

common errors is failing to close commands. Using
Dreamweaver™, when the user gives the command
</, the program tries to fill in the last open command;
this helps catch unclosed commands before the user
has gone too far.
5. He concludes that he ought to have tested the web
project in more than one browser.
6. He decides that it would have helped had he accessed
examples of similar web pages online as he designed
his own in order to expand his ideas.
7. He realizes that he is a bad judge of the length of time
required to develop such a project.
8. He notes that he also had a lot of work for other classes
and that these took priority before Thanksgiving,
particularly those involving group work and those
with tests before the break.
Play a lot of “what-if” games. For each attribute or simple criterion, determine
He asks some “what-if” questions to get the insights the evidence needed to perform the assessment.
above: What if he had not put off starting the project? The evidence needed for this assessment is included
What if the Internet had not been down at home? What if in the reflection journal described above.
STEP 5

he had come back early from Thanksgiving break? What

if he had saved key sections of code in a separate file
to make it easier to reuse them? What if he had kept a
to-do list? What if he had tested the project in different
browsers? What if he had studied less for other courses
or spent less time working in groups? What if he had not
gone out with friends one night?
Organize a list of insights into common themes. Select the scale and range to be used in looking at
From these insights he derives some common themes: each piece of evidence.
STEP 6

timeliness, efficiency, web design criteria, project The only attributes whose scales are not numeric are
testing, time management, and setting priorities. “appearance” and “connections.” The scale for appear-
ance might be “sloppy,” “acceptable,” “attractive,”
and “spectacular.” The scale for connection might be
“remote,” “reasonable,” and “close.”

8
 Reflection Methodology Self-Assessment Methodology
Identify key insights. Collect and measure the evidence identified.
He comes up with the following key insights: Listing of the evidence:
1. Keep a journal with daily responsibilities and use it to Consequences: The web project was completed several
set priorities. days past deadline and was not of the highest quality.
STEP 7

2. Test web projects in Firefox™, Internet Explorer™, To get full credit, he had to complete reflection and self-
assessment reports.
and Chrome™.
Time spent in preparation: 8 hours. The web pages
3. Use a sophisticated web page editor and learn how to
appeared acceptable. There was only one error not
use it well.
spotted after testing.
4. Procrastination can sometimes lead to a more efficient
He spotted four errors during preparation and six errors
performance.
while testing. Testing and error correcting time was 5
5. Preparation is the key to well-designed projects. hours.
Generalize key insights to a wider set of situations. Use the collected evidence to prepare a self-assessment
He arrives at these generalized insights: report.
Strengths:
1. Poor ability to judge time required to complete a task
contributes to a hurry-up-and-crash situation, so he • Despite the delay, the web project appearance and
needs to set aside more time to accomplish things or performance were acceptable.
be more efficient with the time he sets aside. • The preparation time was reasonable compared to
other projects.
2. Keeping organized lists either on paper or • Dreamweaver™ made it easier to test the code during
electronically can reduce procrastination. preparation.
3. Good preparation, use of productivity tools, and Areas for Improvement:
efficient testing can all improve the web design
• He needs to get the project finished by the deadline
process.
and improve its appearance to “attractive” or
4. Procrastination can sometimes lead to more efficient “spectacular.”
performance, but often at the expense of quality. • Better planning will help, as will checking to see that
Internet access will be available during preparation.
• He should not schedule so much on the days he will
be preparing the next project.
STEP 8

• He should use a separate file to keep phrases needing

to be repeatedly copied so that he doesn’t waste time
looking for them.
• He ought to test the finished product in several
browsers to make sure that its quality is good in all
of them.
Short-term action plan:
• He will install the identified browsers on his laptop.
• He will clear the schedule for the next project deadline.
• He will practice testing the current project to make the
process more efficient.
Long-term action plan:
• When the next assignment is given, he will get started
with preparation plans right away.
• He will keep a file of frequent code segments and
links to avoid having to search the main text for them.
• He will make a schedule/calendar of intermediate
deadlines.
• He will develop a practice of regular reflection and
self-assessment when needed.
9
 Reflection Methodology Self-Assessment Methodology
Determine whether there is a need to engage in other Determine whether there is a need to engage in
processes. other processes.
STEP 9

He observes that using a self-assessment process There is no need to employ further processes at
including a formal SII and short and long-term action this time. Perhaps there will be a need for problem
plans would be helpful in improving his project solving and design if the current action plans are not
performance in the future. effective.
Assess the quality of the reflection process. Assess the quality of the self-assessment process.
He assesses the reflection process itself. Assessment of the self-assessment process.
Strengths: Strengths:
• He gained insights that have helped him better • He developed workable criteria.
understand procrastination habits and their • He came up with practical action plans.
consequences.
Areas for Improvements:
• Walking helped develop a good flow of ideas.
• He should have identified the evidence specifically
• The rich set of insights will help him improve the for each attribute in Step 5.
project completion process in the future.
• He should have included insights in the self-
Areas for Improvement: assessment report.
• He must find a way to jot down insights while Insights:
walking, perhaps by carrying a notebook or by using
STEP 10

a digital voice recorder. • The key to using self-assessment to improve

performance is careful construction of the action
• It was hard to do the “what-if” analysis as a separate plans.
step, and perhaps he might combine Steps 4 and 5.
• Working through the reflection methodology before
• He did not allocate enough time for the reflection doing the self-assessment methodology results in a
process, so he needs to set aside more time in the much richer analysis.
future so that he does not feel rushed.
Collecting the evidence needed for the assessment in
Insights: the reflection journal has the advantage of engaging
• The reflection seemed to center less on the a person in the process of reflection before starting a
procrastination problem and more on the efficient self-assessment.
production of the web project.
• The reflection process is not really linear, as thinking
about one piece sends one off on a tangent. As a
result, some insights may not be directly connected
to the original triggering event.
• Knowing why one procrastinates can help minimize
this practice in the future.

Comparative Analysis The two processes differ in terms of the initial motiva-
tions, situations which call for each process, how each
From a search of the literature, it has become evident
process should be done, and what their goals are. People
that most authors blur the distinction between reflection
use reflection when there is the expectation or desire to
and self-assessment, with a tendency to emphasize the
gain insights about themselves by reflecting, while they
former. Burke (2009), however, shows that while both
use self-assessment to improve future performance by
reflection and self-assessment can lead to learning from
identifying strengths and areas of improvement. This
an experience, they are distinct processes with different
initial motivation can come from different sources:
motivations or purposes. This paper expands on previous
people are often internally motivated to engage in re-
work by identifying some of the differences between the
flection, since individuals may suspect that insights can
processes, as specified in Table 2:

10
 Table 2 Differences between Reflection and Self-Assessment

Characteristic Reflection Self-Assessment

Outcome Insights Strengths and areas for improvement
Control Internally motivated Could be externally motivated
Timing Do as soon as possible after experience Wait until ramifications of performance are clear
Continuity Important to have an uninterrupted period Less important—could stop and start
Focus Reactive (response to an experience) Proactive (lead to future changes)
Direction Backward looking Forward looking
Criteria No performance criteria Have performance criteria
Thinking Divergent thinking (what if?) Convergent thinking
Audience Private Mentor and others

be gained through that process; and while these insights qualities. Some of the similarities between reflection
may indicate a need for self-assessment, there can and self-assessment include the following. Both are:
also be external motivation for self-assessment from • Structured
supervisors or colleagues.
• Sequential
The time required for doing these processes can differ,
• Targeted
both in terms of the starting time and the block of time
needed. It is important to do the reflection as soon as • Based on an earlier experience or performance
possible after the experience since the play-back of • Improved through analysis
the experience is a crucial step in the process. The
• Internal
experience should be “fresh” so that the reflector is able
to focus on significant components. On the other hand, in • Meaningful
conducting a self-assessment, it may be necessary to wait • Important in improving quality
to determine potential ramifications of the performance.
• Conducive to learning (about self or content)
Knowing these will aid in the self-assessment process.
The block of time available for each process can differ. The two processes are structured, sequential, and
In the process of reflection it is important to have an targeted. There is a methodology for each process that
uninterrupted period of time to allow for the play- describes the steps that should be taken and the order in
back of the experience and identifying insights. In the which they should be done, and these steps are targeted
process of self-assessment it is possible to stop and start; to help the individual achieve the desired outcomes
for example, someone can pause the process between of each process. Each process is based on an earlier
identifying strengths and areas for improvement. experience or performance and requires the analysis
The differences in motivation and goals of the two of the experience or performance, yet both can be very
processes lead to reflection being backward-looking and meaningful processes for improving the quality of life.
reactive, since people reflect on past experience; and Also, any of the possible outcomes of either process can
self-assessment being forward-looking and proactive, lead to learning, either about oneself or content that one
since the strengths and areas for improvement will be is to learn for a course. Thus, these two processes do
used to improve subsequent performances. Also, the have some significant similarities.
reflection process tends to be kept private, while self- It is also instructive to examine the similarities and
assessment is a tool leading to self-growth that should differences between the products of the reflection
be shared with a mentor if one is available. The goal of and self-assessment processes (i.e., the reflection log
reflection is “knowing”; the goal of self-assessment is and the self-assessment report). Table 3 illustrates the
“growing.” differences:
While there are some distinct differences between the Some of the similarities between the two products are
processes of reflection and self-assessment in terms of that both should be assessed and both lead to a better
the reasons or ways of doing them, they also share some understanding of a past experience.

11
Tips purposes, outcomes,  work products, and tips for high
This section will help the reader to decide whether or quality implementation. It suggests many areas for
not to engage in reflection or self-assessment, which future study, including analysis of these methodologies
process to choose, and how to go about each process. in specific classroom settings. The formal methodologies
Once experienced, the value of these processes will be outlined in this paper for reflection and self-assessment,
appreciated, and, after consistent use, they will become along with the synthesis of ideas from different areas of
second nature. the Faculty Guidebook (2007), provide a foundation for
this work. Classroom studies might start by collecting
A key first step in the process is to identify the need to do initial data (both quantitative and qualitative) about the
either of these processes (Table 4). Sometimes there is a frequency and quality of reflection and self-assessment
critical or motivating event that can indicate this need. done by each student and his or her understanding and
Often doing one process can indicate the need for doing perceived importance of the two processes. This could be
the other, which indicates a cyclical component to the followed by providing orientation on two methodologies,
two processes. Even when there is no specific triggering including  critical thinking about examples similar to
event, it can be beneficial to occasionally review these those used in this paper. Throughout an entire term,
tips to determine whether there may be a benefit gained students might then use both methodologies, generating a
from employing these processes.
collection of reflection logs and self-assessment reports.
Once it has been determined that one of the two processes At the end of the study, data could be collected again,
should be done, the implementation phase can be made similar to what had been initially collected. Some goals
much more productive and effective if one follows the of such a study might be to try to measure change in the
tips outlined in Table 5, and may result in success that quality of the reflection and self-assessment done by the
will lead a person to want to continue to employ these students, and how their understanding has changed.
processes in the future.
As a result of writing this paper, the authors came to
These first sets of tips help with either initiating or appreciate the cyclical nature of reflection and self-
performing the processes, while the next set of tips assessment. While discussing the role of reflection
apply after the processes are complete. Evaluating in transforming learning during the last few months,
their effectiveness can lead to the continual use of the it became clear how important this concept was to
processes.
many faculty and administrators dedicated to Process
Evaluation Education. The most helpful reference was the
After doing a reflection or self-assessment, it is theoretical treatise, “Improving Quality of Reflecting
important to evaluate the effectiveness of the process. on Performance” by Cy Leise (2010). Leise looks at
Table 6 provides some questions that can be answered to the history of reflection and develops a methodology
perform this evaluation. oriented toward improving the performance of
counseling professionals. Our reflection and self-
Determining that a process is effective can mean that assessment methodologies are more accessible to
someone will continue to reflect and self-assess to gain undergraduate students and all who are interested in
a better understanding of himself or herself, and to better understanding their experiences or improving
improve future performances. the quality of their performances. It is our thesis that
Conclusion reflection and self-assessment can quickly become
second nature, and are essential practices for anyone
This paper clarifies similarities and differences between who wishes to become a self-grower.
reflection and self-assessment with respect to their

Table 3 Differences between Reflection Log and Self-Assessment Report

Characteristics Reflection Log Self-Assessment Report

Scope Deals only with insights Includes strengths and areas for improvement
Growth Not in a format to promote self-growth Contains short and long-term action plans
Tools Helps focus thinking Performance criteria infuse entire report
Audience Private: unlikely to be shared Should be shared with mentor
Follow-up Not so important Action plans must be monitored

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 Table 4 Tips for Deciding When to do Reflection or Self-Assessment

Tips for deciding when to do a reflection

1. When you have a hunch that there is something to be gained by replaying a past experience
2. When you begin to question yourself
3. When there is a discrepancy between your values and actions
4. When you are searching for discoveries about yourself, your behaviors, your values, and knowledge gained
5. When stress reaches a critical level

Tips for deciding when to do a self-assessment

1. When the value of a self-assessment is indicated during reflection
2. When you want to improve yourself through a well-thought-out action plan
3. When you want to improve a particular performance by identifying strengths and areas for improvement
4. When there is an external requirement, such as completing an annual performance report
5. When suggested by a mentor

Table 5 Tips for Doing Reflection and Self-Assessment

Tips for doing reflection

1. Do it as soon as possible after the performance.
2. Avoid overstructuring the play-back. Let it flow.
3. Find a time and place where the experience can be freely replayed and where insights can be recorded as
they occur.
4. Be attentive to when the play-back situation “talks back” and respond to this backtalk (Schon, 1983).
5. Don’t wait for the “perfect time” to do reflection; set aside a regular time.
6. Listen to feelings: explore their sources.

Tips for doing self-assessment

1. Wait until all ramifications of the performance are clear before assessing.
2. Attempt to isolate one’s feelings when identifying the purpose and criteria for the assessment.
3. It is helpful to perform a reflection before doing a self-assessment.
4. Identify a place free of distractions.
5. Don’t wait for the “perfect time” to do self-assessment; set aside a regular time.
6. Set up the assessment before the performance by identifying the performance criteria.

Table 6 Ways to Evaluate Reflection and Self-Assessment

Ways to evaluate reflection effectiveness

1. Did you derive value from the process?
2. Were the insights gained of high quality?
3. Did the final assessment (Step 10) indicate the need for significant improvement?
4. Was stress minimized?
5. Were the insights generalizable to a larger set of situations?

Ways to evaluate self-assessment effectiveness

1. Did the process result in a clear and doable plan of action?
2. Were you motivated to make the identified improvements?
3. Did you give a “why” for each strength and an action plan for each area for improvement?
4. Did the performance criteria guide the assessment process?
5. Do you see new or continuing opportunities?

13
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Cy Leise, through his doing a sample reflection
and providing feedback, and Steve Beyerlein, through his participation in multiple conversations about the paper and
offering helpful suggestions. Thanks to Dan Apple for being the stimulus for the idea of the paper.

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 Appendix

Reflection Log Self-Assessment Report

1. Components of the Experience 1. Greatest Strengths and Why
• Received the assignment with a month lead time • Despite the delay, the web project appearance and
• Was too busy with other schoolwork and social life performance was acceptable
to start it before Thanksgiving vacation • The preparation time was reasonable compared to
• Discovered that the Internet was down other projects

• Did best to design the web pages in Dreamweaver™

(worked for 8 hours and identified 4 errors)
• Returned to school and discovered and corrected 6
errors and poor design flaws (worked for 5 hours)
• Tried to correct the errors before class (failed to
correct one)
• Was forced to admit the problems to the teacher
• Received a reprieve and completed the project
several days late, and not in a most efficient manner,
but the final appearance was adequate
2. Insights from the Play-Back 2. Areas for Improvement and Action Plans
• He often avoids what he doesn’t want to do and • He needs to get the project finished by the deadline
replaces those activities with more desirable ones. and improve its appearance to attractive or
• He conveniently forgets to do unpleasant tasks: he spectacular.
should write down daily tasks and tick them off. Short-Term plan
• He realizes that there were sections of code that ◦ Clear the schedule for the next project
could have been repeated several times. It would deadline.
have saved time had he saved these so he would not ◦ Practice testing current project to make the
have had to retype them or look back through the process more efficient.
code to find them.
Long-Term Plan
• When coding in HTML, one of the most common
errors is failing to close commands. Using ◦ When the next assignment is given, get started
Dreamweaver™, when the command </ is given, with preparation plans right away.
the program tries to fill in the last open command. • Test the finished product in several browsers to make
This helps catch unclosed commands before going sure its quality is good in all of them.
too far. Short-Term Plan
• He should have tested the web project in more than • Install the identified browsers on his laptop.
one browser.
Long-Term Plan
• It would have helped had he been able to access
examples of similar web pages when designing his • When testing the next assignment use all of
own in order to expand his ideas. the installed browsers.
• He discovered that he is a bad predictor of how long
such a project takes to develop.
• He also has a lot of work for other classes and these
took priority before Thanksgiving, particularly those
with group work and those who gave tests before the
break.

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3. Other Possibilities from What-If Analysis: 3. Assessment of Performance against Previous
What If― Action Plans

• he had not put off starting the project? No previous plans

• the Internet had not been down at home?

• he had come back early from Thanksgiving?
• he had saved key sections of code in a separate file
to make it easier to reuse them?
• he had kept a to-do list?
• he had tested the project in different browsers?
• he had studied less for other courses or spent less
time working in groups?
4. Insights from Other Possibilities: 4. Personal Growth Most Enhanced By:
No new insights Stepping through the self-assessment methodology
5. Common Themes: 5. The Reason Why I Grew Is:
timeliness, efficiency, web design criteria, project I realized I was in control of improving the quality of
testing, time management, setting priorities my projects.
6. Key Insights: 6. My Attitude Toward Learning Was:
• Keep a journal with daily responsibilities and use it Very positive
to set priorities.
• Test web projects in Firefox®, Internet Explorer®,
Chrome®, and Bing™.
• Use a sophisticated web page editor and learn how
to use it well.
• Procrastination can sometimes lead to a more
efficient performance.
• Preparation is the key to well-designed projects
7. Generalized Insights: 7. The Most Valuable Insight I Learned About Myself
• Poor ability to judge time to complete a task Is:
contributes to hurry-up-and-crash situations, so he Knowing why I procrastinate can help minimize this
must set aside more time to accomplish things or be practice in the future.
more efficient with time set aside.
• Keeping organized lists either on paper or electroni-
cally can reduce procrastination.
• Good preparation, use of productivity tools, and
efficient testing can all improve performance.
• Procrastination can sometimes lead to more efficient
performance, but often at the expense of quality.

17
8. Assessment of the Process: 8. Knowing This Will Improve My Performance By:
Strengths: making it more likely I will start the next project in
• He gained insights that have helped him better un- time to complete it with high quality
derstand procrastination habits and its consequences
• Walking helped him develop a good flow of ideas
• The rich set of insights will help him improve the
project completion process in the future
Areas for Improvement:
• Find a way to jot down insights while walking;
perhaps carry a notebook
• It was hard to do the what-if games as a separate
step; perhaps combine Steps 4 & 5
• He did not allocate enough time for the reflection
process. He should set aside more time so that he
does not feel rushed
Insights:
• The reflection seemed to center less on the
procrastination problem and more on the efficient
production of the web project
• The reflection process is not really linear, as thinking
about one piece sends one off on a tangent. As a
result, some insights may not be directly connected
to the original triggering event.

18