Reflecting for Change: How Pedagogical Diploma Assignments Become Reflective Boundary Objects for Change of Practice

This study explores how pedagogical diploma assignments act as re-flective boundary objects that support teachers in transforming their practice. Drawing on 212 assignments written by in-service teachers participating in a workplace-embedded diploma program in a Danish municipality, the study investigates how teachers reflect on and initiate pedagogical change by asking the following research questions:1. Which pedagogical practices do the teachers notice and choose to investigate – and how? 2. What improvements to their own practice do they bring forward as a result of their investigations?Anchored in Dewey’s pragmatism, Benner’s praxeological approach, and Mason’s theory of noticing, the analysis reveals that teachers frequent-ly focused on differentiated instruction, student motivation, inclusive practices, and classroom dynamics. These investigations lead teachers to critically examine their teaching through self-initiated inquiry. The assignments not only document changes in teaching methods but also demonstrate a shift in teachers’ professional self-understanding and conceptual framing of pedagogy. Teachers often narrate their learning processes, linking personal experiences to broader educational theories, thereby bridging formal coursework with the realities of everyday class-
148room practice. The findings highlight the transformative potential of di-ploma assignments when integrated within institutional models like the University School, which supports situated, autonomous inquiry. These reflective artifacts serve as tools for noticing, principled experimenta-tion, and ethical reflection, enabling teachers to engage deeply with their practice. The study contributes to the field of reflective teacher education by presenting a model of partnership-based profession-didactical learn-ing that emphasizes teacher agency and boundary-crossing reflection. It suggests that structured, experience-based inquiry can lead to mean-ingful, context-sensitive pedagogical development when embedded in supportive professional environments.