A Correlational Study on Reflective Capacity and Ethical Engagement in Adult Learners of Health Professions

Because professional ethical engagement is essential to the delivery of high-quality healthcare services, health professions education programs must have effective instructional practices to train future healthcare providers of various disciplines to practice ethically. As research has found reflection to be an effective instructional practice for educating adult learners and teaching professional ethics, promoting health professions students’ tendency to reflect by boosting their reflective capacity may be helpful. Therefore, the study sought to examine the relationships between reflective capacity and professional ethical engagement to offer quantitative evidence for the significance of reflection in professional ethical engagement among health professions students. Correlational analyses revealed a strong, positive relationship between reflective capacity and professional ethical engagement in health professions students. Reflective capacity, specifically reflection-on-action and self-appraisal, could predict professional ethical engagement in health professions students. These findings provided insights into the reflective capacity and professional ethical engagement in health professions students. However, further research on the relationship between reflective capacity and professional ethical engagement in adult learners of health professions is needed.