Development and validation of reflective inventories: assisting radiation therapists with reflective practice

Objective: Freeform reflective writing is one way that radiation therapists can document their development. Barriers to this form of writing include the fact that some radiation therapists do not know what to write or how to begin this writing process. This paper outlines the development and validation of guided inventories called the Newcastle Reflective Inventories and the validation of the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool as an effective tool for assessing short-form guided reflective writing. Method: The Newcastle Reflective Inventories consist of a series of questions that guides the user through the reflective writing process. Validation of the Newcastle Reflective Inventories involved comparing the evidence of reflection in 14 freeform journals to that of 14 inventories completed on the same topic. Validation of the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool included the assessment of 30 Newcastle Reflective Inventories. Results: There was a highly statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) in the high levels of reflection evident in the inventories when compared to the lower levels of reflection in the freeform journals. Good levels of agreement were achieved between the coders. Discussion: These results show that the Newcastle Reflective Inventories are effective tools in promoting reflective writing when compared with freeform journaling.