Self-perceptions and working with supervisor feedback 90 

This window pane allows a glimpse into student self-perception, a personal property of the concept of reflection as a window with interpersonal implications. Tied to self-perception is students’ management of feedback from supervisors. In this pane of the window provided by reflection, self-perceptions, receptiveness to and reliance on feedback are illuminated.

Through reflection, many students conduct self-assessments (this concept is problematised in Section 5.3.6) of their readiness for independent practice, and their competence with particular tasks. For example:

My confidence in my test results and in my knowledge base also needs to be increased before working in an IHP [Infant Hearing Program] position (1005-2).

Self-assessment can be inaccurate in and of itself (Eva & Regehr, 2005; Eva & Regehr, 2008), but combining self-assessments with dialogue with a supervisor

or mentor may help improve the accuracy and depth of self-assessment, as suggested by the data. For example:

I think that identifying the problem areas and coming up with a plan to address them really helped me out and I’m glad that I did it early on. As it turns out my supervisor had said that he was a bit worried at first but that after addressing the problems I made great improvements and he was actually impressed with my abilities (1012-2).

Self-assessment and reflection upon competence, with input from another can assist in setting goals (Section 4.4.6). Through a window opened up by reflection, supervisors may be able to evaluate a student’s self awareness and self-

assessment, in order to help calibrate students’ judgment of performance to be more in line with professional expectations of competence.

Student receptiveness to feedback may be an important aspect of supervisor relations, too. This trait varies across students and stages. In the following example, supervisors reflect on some students who prefer not to receive feedback:

2003: I think that mostly just small things we've noticed from students of this generation - things like wanting to schedule an interview and go through how they managed and they're saying well they really don't want to do that just send me the mark so you know what I mean? That seems to us like a fairly big thing because we maybe want to discuss what they did, what they've done, what they should work on, give them a little bit of help along the way and then it's just oh I pretty much know how I did and I'm not really interested and that kind of thing …

[Researcher: really, that's basically turning down feedback]

2004: Yeah, they don't need the feedback because they already know their strengths and weaknesses [...] if you already know all that then maybe you should just get a job and forget about the rest of your schooling (2003 and 2004 - 3- interview).

Conversely, in the example below, a supervisor discusses students’ desire for feedback.

…you know I find that really most of our students are very receptive to feedback. I mean basically they want feedback and I think they often comment that

sometimes they don’t feel they get enough some of them want too much

feedback they just want every little thing they do recognized in some way where my feeling is if you’re doing things and they’re going well I don’t need to interfere and sometimes by interfering I break the flow of what you’re doing and so um the fact that it’s going and you’re continuing should be part of what is feedback for you and I don’t have to say […] if there’s any risk of harm or danger but sometimes we have to be allowed to go there right and to to do it and then realize and it’s in the realization that we learn far more quickly than if I keep telling you no you have to do this and you have to do that (2002-2-interview).

At times, students can appear to supervisors as overly dependent upon feedback (as expressed in the supervisor’s reflections above. Balancing the need for

feedback with the need to develop independent clinical reasoning is described as challenging by some students and supervisors. Receiving critical feedback can be difficult. However, when students are receptive to feedback, reflection upon the feedback and related actions can help inform their self-perception and promote growth. For example:

While hearing this feedback was difficult, because I thought I had been putting forth a sincere effort, I did not let it get to me and I really tried to think about whether I was engaged in an active thought process while in the clinic. I knew that I needed to be accountable for what had happened. If this had occurred at my place of employment I would need to be able to thoughtfully explain the situation and continue to work with the client. I have always taken pride in my ability to be an understanding and caring individual who sees the individual first and not necessarily the task in a clinical situation. However, on this particular day I realize that I was very self-centered in my approach and not thinking enough

about the client. When I was not able to obtain results, instead of being in sync with the client’s situation and communicating with the client further in order to ascertain the problem, I remember being nervous about the fact that I was not performing well. It is difficult for me to admit this, but it is the truth (1008-2).

As in the example above, student perceptions of self versus the feedback they receive can serve as a tension, a source of discomfort, a place for reflection upon the differences between espoused theories and theories-in-use (Kinsella, 2001). Theories-in-use may be difficult to identify for students, unless illuminated by supervisors. In these tensions, reflection can be especially useful in comparing one’s own perception with the perception of another, whether a supervisor,

mentor, client, or peer. Through the other’s lens, students may be able to re-align their perspectives.

I posit that this window into student self-perception and dealings with feedback may allow for a student-centered model of supervision and mentorship. If students’ guides can better understand student intention and perception as a source of reference or comparison to their observed performance and if these guides can also understand a student’s personal style for receiving and making meaning of feedback, the supervision/mentorship style can possibly be improved. Compromise, by both partners, may be necessary to master this student-

supervisor dance for optimal learning and growth. The window to this property of self-perception and feedback reception may thus be helpful in improving the dance.

4.3.4

Unique trajectories of growth, readiness, and capacity for