The Rolfe’s Reflective Model is a simple yet feasible way of reflecting on experiences. It was developed by Professor Gary Rolfe, Dawn Freshwater, and Melanie Jasper in their book on self-reflection practice in 2001. It is similar to Driscoll’s model of reflection as it also contains the three stages - What? So What? Now What? The difference between the two models lies in the depth covered by their questions.
The Driscoll model delves deeper into the experience and is more specific. While the Rolfe’s model gives a general overview of the situation. It is especially used in healthcare. The focus of Rolfe's Reflective Model is on learning and guiding future actions in a similar situation.
The lucidity and the simplicity of the Rolfe Model of Reflection are the strengths of this model. The significance of the three questions lies in their ability to be effective and concise.
These stages are the stepping stones to learn valuable lessons through a structured approach of reflection. In the next section, we will delve deeper into these three questions to understand their role in self-reflection practice.
In the first stage, you focus on describing the facts and details of the situation. You are setting the scene for further assessment. You need to view the situation objectively.
The questions that are asked:
All these questions point to the single fact that you are stating the facts of the events unbiasedly.
After this stage, you are now ready to come to the next stage.
The next step is the real stage of reflection and drawing lessons. Here, after assimilating every detail together, you begin to analyse your reactions, emotional state, and the implicit details.
Ask Yourself:
After answering these questions, you get to understand the potential significance of the event or occurrence. That will help you realise your shortcomings and point towards the lessons learned.
The last stage is the time to transform all the lessons into a source of future action. Now that you understand the learnings, you focus on what you can do better in the future.
Answer these questions:
This is the stage where learnings become the seeds of growth. You know what skills you lack and how you can develop them. The future actions are planned here.
The reflective practice framework is a widely used method in various fields, like nursing, healthcare, etc. By using the Rolfe reflective cycle, you get to leverage some crucial benefits. They are:
The clarity is one of the main benefits of Rolfe Model. You only need to answer three questions: What, So What and Now What. That is why it is easy to keep in mind and reflect on.
This “What So What Now What” model works across many scenarios and fields. Not just in healthcare, it is widely used because of its practicality and adaptability.
At the “So What” stage, you get to analyse the situation and develop critical thinking skills. By reflecting and deciding future actions through “Now What” stage, you grow and learn more.
After self-reflection and identifying areas for development, you foster growth and develop into a better version of yourself. It helps in your personal life as well as your professional growth.
You get a deeper understanding of your role and responsibilities. Through reflective practices, you build self-awareness, which helps you navigate professional challenges.
This model is especially used by students and professionals who are new to this reflective writing and are learning. It gives them the perfect start to hone their skills in reflective writing essays.
Many fields or academic disciplines widely use the Rolfe model stages to form their reflective practice framework.
Originally Rolfe model was made for the healthcare sector, and now it is used widely across multiple sectors. In nursing, there are many situations, like patient care, etc., where it is applied.
It helps professionals gauge the impact of their interactions on clients, develop emotional awareness, and make ethical decisions that promote the welfare of the individuals.
Teachers use this model to engage students with careful planning, like assessing lessons, classroom interactions, etc. Accordingly, they develop teaching strategies moving forward.
Assessing team dynamics, evaluating decision-making processes, and reflecting on leadership style through this model helps in navigating professional challenges.
The Rolfe model of reflection is used in professional settings, like determining appraisals. Similarly, it aids in continuing professional development by identifying new goals.
There are more such applications of Rolfe model, like performing arts, hospitality, customer service, etc. You can apply it to any field to enhance understanding and for continuous improvement.
Let us now compare it with other popular models to understand the differences and similarities.
| Rolfe’s Model | Driscoll’s Model | Gibbs’ Model |
|---|---|---|
| It has three stages: What? So What? Now What? It gives a general overview of the situation and is open-ended. | It also has the same structure as the Rolfe model with three stages. But it is more detailed with guiding questions for each stage. | It has six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. |
| It is more practical and used across many professions, like healthcare, education, etc. | It is especially used in nursing as it is quite popular there. | It is a bit detailed as compared to the other two models. |
| The focus is on learning and action. | The focus is on critical thinking and self-development. | It focuses more on exploring emotions and structured learning. |
Comparing Rolfe’s model to Gibbs’ model, we understand that Rolfe’s model is good for a fast-paced environment like healthcare. Similarly, Driscoll’s reflective framework is best suited for nursing.
As with any other model, Rolfe’s reflective model also has limitations. They are mentioned below.
Sometimes, the situations demand more details and guiding questions to properly reflect upon the experience. It becomes important to note the significance of the event rather than just using the three-question structure. Oversimplification in such cases may lead to shallow reflection.
It is too simplistic to note the emotional impact of the situation and how anxiety or frustration drives our responses. This model doesn’t delve deeper into the emotions and hence ignores emotional aspects that are important for personal growth.
The effectiveness of this model depends on the person using it. Less experienced individuals may not be able to reflect deeply without using prompts. To make the best use of this model, you need to ask yourself deeper questions, which is difficult for beginners.
Even after these limitations, it is still the most practical and adaptable reflection model available out there. Its simplicity makes it easier for students in professional settings to learn from their experiences.
Are you struggling to properly use in-text citations or full references for Rolfe’s reflective model? Then we have got you covered. Look at the examples below to understand how to use them.
Below, we have included some examples for you featuring APA, Vancouver and Harvard.
Need examples for full reference, then see below.
So, these were just some examples of commonly used citation and referencing styles. It is important to cite the references properly, as many students lose marks due to this.
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