Reflection is a method of learning and teaching professional maturity through the critical analysis of experience. An illuminative research approach was used over a period of five years in collaboration with students on a palliative care course to investigate the effects of learning moral and ethical reasoning by reliving clinical experiences through story telling. This study concludes that: self-concept is enhanced; communication skills are increased; and insight development is part of learning to reason fairly and ethically, and is achieved through (...) a cathartic process, leading to the conceptualization and discovery of theories of nursing through reflective practice. (shrink)

This article analyses reflective practice by exploring ethical knowledge-in-use and the influence of context on professional nursing practice. Is ethical knowledge used in an appropriate context? The author identifies and discusses the theoretical underpinnings of reflective practice and offers an alternative paradigm to the generation and use of ethical knowledge in practice. The message to teachers and practitioners is decoded to facilitate teaching and learning.

This article analyses reflective practice by exploring ethical knowledge-in-use and the influence of context on professional nursing practice. Is ethical knowledge used in an appropriate context? The author identifies and discusses the theoretical underpinnings of reflective practice and offers an alternative paradigm to the generation and use of ethical knowledge in practice. The message to teachers and practitioners is decoded to facilitate teaching and learning.