Teaching Critical Reflection or Performing It? Teacher Educators’ Experiences of Reflective Practice in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

The role of teacher educators in Punjab, Pakistan in developing the critical reflection of future teachers is central to professional development programmes, though teacher educators’ own critical reflection has not been examined. This paper explores teacher educators’ understanding, practice, and experience of critical reflection in professional development settings in Punjab. Semi-structured interviews with 20 public-sector teacher educators were conducted and analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. AI-assisted transcription produced initial transcripts, subsequently verified by the researchers and the data organisation was facilitated by NVivo 15 and AI-assisted coding. The analysis produced four themes, through which surface-level reflection as a professional habit, the performative compliance trap, and institutional power and reflective silencing are framed, and emergent instances of genuine critical reflection are documented. Results indicate that critical reflection functions predominantly as a compliance practice, governed by institutional surveillance rather than oriented toward transformative professional growth. The study extends understanding of how systemic and cultural constraints shape the quality and extent of reflective practice within the context of teacher education in Pakistan informing structural redesign of professional development programmes.