Reconceptualising critical reflection as a democratic practice: advancing agency, participation and professional learning in the digital age

Critical reflection is widely embedded within Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) policy frameworks as a mechanism for improving practice and ensuring quality outcomes. However, its conceptual ambiguity often results in compliance-oriented enactment, limiting its transformative potential. This paper reconceptualises critical reflection as a democratic professional practice that enables educator agency, fosters participatory cultures, and supports ethical engagement in the digital age. Drawing on a qualitative case study informed by grounded theory methods, the study examines how critical reflection is understood and enacted within an ECEC setting. Data generated through interviews, observations, and document analysis reveal that when supported through structured, collaborative, and relational processes, critical reflection shifts from procedural compliance to transformative praxis. This shift enhances educator decision-making, professional dialogue, and pedagogical practice. Findings indicate that reflection is not an individual cognitive process but is enacted as a relational, distributed, and socio-digital practice across educators, leadership structures, and documentation systems. Digital platforms actively mediate what is made visible as reflection, while leadership practices shape the conditions under which reflective dialogue emerges. The paper proposes the SCHEMED model as an analytic lens for conceptualising reflection as structured, collaborative, heart-centred, empowering, and distributed practice. The discussion situates these findings within contemporary digital contexts, arguing that critical reflection is essential for navigating ethical, pedagogical, and technological complexities. Implications are offered for practice, policy, and future research, particularly in relation to sustaining democratic and inclusive Early Childhood Education in increasingly complex environments.