МODERN METHODOLOGY OF EDUCATION SCIENCE: IMPORTANCE, ROLE AND POSITION OF REFLECTION THEORY

Abstract

The article covers the correlation between methodology of education science and theory of reflection. It defines the importance, role and position of reflection in educational research cognition and educational practice. The comprehensive analysis of the idea of reflection in philosophy, psychology, scientology and education science is carried out. It was established that reflection is considered from the perspectives of many aspects in educational research cognition: at the level of cognitive phenomenon, cognitive activity, cognitive process, method of scientific cognition, at the thematic and metatheoretic levels, as the tool and form of cognition. It was shown that in pedagogical cognition reflection plays an important role in methodology of education science. Currently it is an integral part of educational researches and systemic educational practice. The theory of reflection, its methods and reflective activity provide opportunities to show the actual pedagogical reality and pedagogical activity directly and indirectly, to gain and explain new scientific pedagogical knowledge, components and structure of pedagogical theory, to study own scientific nature and status of education science, to apply improvements for the system of training and education and educational process. Moreover, it has a direct relationship to education science methodology and is systemically important for it. The reflective activity and its capacity is a part of the scientific and pedagogical, teaching and cognitive activity of each participant of the educational process. It is also included in the educational objective and planned educational results. It was concluded that the components of the theory of reflection can be found at all four levels of general system of methodological knowledge in education science: philosophical, general scientific, specific scientific and technological. The capacity for organization and arrangement of pedagogical conditions for the reflection of students’ cognitive activity along with the reflection of own pedagogical activity is an essential component of methodological competence and methodological culture of a teacher. The theory of reflection should be presented completely and integrally in the very definition, content and structure of modern methodology of education science.