This ethnographic study responds to concerns that the goal of developing reflective teachers is unrealistic given the practical concerns of preservice teachers. The study examines what should be meant by "reflective teaching" and whether or not teachers can become "reflective." The aim of the research was to understand if and how preservice teachers become more reflective, and the relationship between the preservice teacher, the teacher education program, and the broader social context. The setting for the study was an elementary education program at a large midwestern university which specifically aims to develop reflective teachers. After offering a definition of "reflective teaching", a description is given of the progress and problems that preservice teachers face in becoming reflective teachers. The research demonstrates that preservice teachers cannot make sense of teaching without incorporating ethical and critical criteria into their observations. In order to understand the difficulties that teachers face in becoming reflective, the study situates them within the teacher education program and the larger social millieu of social and ethical concerns. Some implications for teacher education are discussed. (Twenty-eight references are listed.) (JD)