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1 – 10 of over 24000Jim Stewart, Anne Keegan and Pam Stevens
This paper aims to explore how teaching and assessing reflective learning skills can support postgraduate practitioners studying organisational change and explores the challenges…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how teaching and assessing reflective learning skills can support postgraduate practitioners studying organisational change and explores the challenges for tutors in assessing these journals.
Design/methodology/approach
Assessment criteria were developed from the literature on reflective practice and organisational power and politics and mapped against the content of the journals to understand how and why students had benefited from keeping the journals. The extent to which they had engaged in “deep” learning was also assessed.
Findings
Tensions arose between giving students sufficient scope and designing appropriate assessment guidelines. Students submitted a wide variety and quality of journals; everything from a DVD, to a diary to a “standard” essay. Reflective journals were found to be an effective tool for students who are practitioners involved in organisational change through their capacity to promote deep rather than surface learning. An unintended outcome of the study was the recognition that reflective practice in postgraduate education supports the skills required to develop the “thinking performer”.
Research limitations/implications
The study was small scale, and not retested.
Practical implications
The study has reinforced the significance of the link between thinking (critical reflection) and performing (workplace application), within organisational change. It has also demonstrated that non‐traditional forms of assessment have greater capacity to promote deep learning than do conventional essays, especially where students are not HR specialists yet are tasked with leading complex organisational change projects. Therefore the use of reflective journals could be extended to other postgraduate programmes with skill requirements in organisational change and management.
Originality/value
While there is now a growing body of literature on reflective practice, few studies exist which examine how learning journals are assessed, particularly for line managers. The analysis has encouraged further research into the development of critical reflection, the use and benefits of learning journals and more specifically, how educators can develop sufficiently robust assessment criteria for such journals.
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Marguerite C. Sendall and Michelle L. Domocol
The purpose of this research is to understand reflective journalling in a first year Public Health practice unit.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to understand reflective journalling in a first year Public Health practice unit.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses pure phenomenography to interpret students’ descriptions of reflective journalling. Data were collected from 32 students enrolled in PUB215 Public Health Practice in the School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology. Participants completed a brief open‐ended questionnaire to evaluate the first assessment item in this unit, a reflective journal. Questionnaire responses were analysed through Dahlgren and Fallsberg's seven phases of data analysis.
Findings
The reflective journal required students to reflect on lecture content from five of seven guest speakers. Participants’ responses were categorised into four conceptions: engagement in learning, depth of knowledge, understanding the process and doing the task. Participants describe reflective journalling as a conduit to think critically about the content of the guest speakers’ presentations. Other participants think journalling is a vehicle to think deeply about their potential career pathways. Some define journalling as a pragmatic operation where practical issues are difficult to navigate. The reflective journal successfully: engaged students’ learning, increased students’ depth of knowledge and deepened students’ understanding of the journalling process.
Originality/value
This research gives an insight into how first year public health students understand reflective journalling, supports educators in reflective journalling assessments and confirms a reflective journal assessment can move student reflection towards higher order thinking about practice.
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This paper describes the successful application of reflective learning journals to promote critical self‐awareness and improve both individual and team performance among members…
Abstract
This paper describes the successful application of reflective learning journals to promote critical self‐awareness and improve both individual and team performance among members in 11 management undergraduate teams conducting management research projects. Qualitative analyses of the journals revealed several major themes; for example, management skills development, leadership, team communications, stresses of team work, and individual versus team work. Analyses of the journaling evaluation data showed that participants found journaling a useful learning tool. Recommendations are presented for those interested in using reflective learning journals to improve individual and team performance.
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Perry Heymann, Ellen Bastiaens, Anne Jansen, Peter van Rosmalen and Simon Beausaert
In a fast evolving labour market, higher education graduates need to develop employability competences. Key in becoming employable is the ability to reflect on learning…
Abstract
Purpose
In a fast evolving labour market, higher education graduates need to develop employability competences. Key in becoming employable is the ability to reflect on learning experiences, both within a curriculum as well as extra-curricular and work placements. This paper wants to conceptualise how an online learning platform might entail a reflective practice that systematically supports students in reflecting on their learning experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
When studying online learning platforms for developing students' employability competences, it became clear that the effectiveness of the platform depends on how the platform guides students' reflective practice. In turn, the authors studied which features (tools, services and resources) of the online learning platform are guiding the reflective practice.
Findings
This resulted in the introduction of an online learning platform, containing a comprehensive set of online learning tools and services, which supports students' reflective practice and, in turn, their employability competences. The online platform facilitates both feedback from curricular and work-related learning experiences and can be used as a start by students for showcasing their employability competences. The reflective practice consists of a recurrent, systematic process of reflection, containing various phases: become aware, analyse current state, draft and plan a solution, take action and, finally, reflect in and on action.
Research limitations/implications
Future research revolves around studying the features of online learning platforms and their role in fostering students' reflection and employability competences.
Practical implications
The conceptual model provides concrete indicators on how to implement online learning platforms for supporting students' reflection and employability competences.
Originality/value
This is the first article that analyses an online learning platform that guides students' reflective practice and fosters their employability competences. The authors provide concrete suggestions on how to model the online platform, building further on reflective practice theory.
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This chapter explores the benefits of reflective practice in learning environments and discusses the conditions that can impede and facilitate reflection for teachers and teaching…
Abstract
This chapter explores the benefits of reflective practice in learning environments and discusses the conditions that can impede and facilitate reflection for teachers and teaching assistants. Various strategies and tools to support teaching teams to reflect collaboratively are discussed and recommendations about how to introduce reflective practice are outlined.
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Virginia Cathro, Paula O’Kane and Deb Gilbertson
The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways in which business educators can interact successfully with reflective learning journals (RLJs). Specifically, the research was…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways in which business educators can interact successfully with reflective learning journals (RLJs). Specifically, the research was interested in how students used RLJs and how educators assessed these RLJs.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 31 RLJs, submitted as part of an international communication course involving a global virtual team exercise, were analysed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes discussed by participants, while content analysis, based upon Kolb’s learning cycle, was used to assess the depth of student reflection.
Findings
Students appear to have engaged with depth and understanding and were able to articulate their skill level, but there was variance in their reflective ability across different skills.
Practical implications
An interpretation of Kolb’s (1984) learning cycle as a method to assist educators to assess RLJs is presented. Specifically, educators need to provide more guidance to students to enhance their ability to reflect. The authors suggest that a rubric based on Kolb could fulfil this objective.
Originality/value
This study responds to the call for more research examining depth of reflection (Lien et al., 2012); it also offers contribution to the variety of models characterising reflective depth (Ash and Clayton, 2009; Chamberlain, 2012; Lien et al., 2012) drawn from experiential learning in the form of written RLJs.
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Ki-Hoon Lee and Rob Hales
This paper aims to explore Master of Business Administration (MBA) students’ “reflections” and/or “reflection on practice” of sustainability into responsible management education…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore Master of Business Administration (MBA) students’ “reflections” and/or “reflection on practice” of sustainability into responsible management education using Bain et al.’s (2002) 5Rs (reporting, responding, relating, reasoning and reconstructing) reflective scale.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a case study approach using content analysis and written reflective journals analysis from MBA students’ assignments.
Findings
This study revealed that responding and relating (emotionally-based reflections) scales are dominant reflections while reasoning (cognitively-based reflections) is a slightly less dominant reflection. The findings confirm that effective management education for sustainability should encourage and motivate students to reflect on their emotional learning to improve leadership values, attitudes and activities. Such reflection can lead to transformative experiences.
Research limitations/implications
This study adopted a small-scale content analysis using an Australian university’s MBA case. To increase validity and generalisation, researchers will benefit from a wide range of quantitative analyses in different countries and cultural contexts.
Practical implications
Curriculum design using reflections and reflective journals should be enhanced in management education for the practice of sustainability and/or sustainable development.
Social implications
Higher education should encourage socially and environmentally responsible management in programme and curriculum design with a reflective approach.
Originality/value
This study presents a conceptual framework and analysis approaches that can serve as some bases for the development of a more robust analysis in responsible management education.
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Jonathan Matthew Scott, Kathryn Pavlovich, John L. Thompson and Andy Penaluna
Little is known about how experiential entrepreneurship education approaches contribute toward enhancing the engagement of students in the learning process. Using a purposive and…
Abstract
Purpose
Little is known about how experiential entrepreneurship education approaches contribute toward enhancing the engagement of students in the learning process. Using a purposive and convenience sample of individual student reflective journals, the purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate how the process of constructive misalignment enhances the level of student engagement through a team-based experiential entrepreneurship education assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered from a purposive and convenience sample of reflective journals, an individual “performance assessment” element of three Masters-level courses (courses 1, 2 and 3) that included an “active” group business ideas generation presentation and a report. These texts were analyzed through content analysis that critically evaluates and summarizes the content of data and their messages.
Findings
While expected learning outcomes included teamwork and communication, the higher levels of active learning and student engagement related to innovation and generating a business idea was much more modest. Rather, the study finds that significant learning opportunities were apparent when students experienced unexpected aspects of constructive misalignment, such as linguistic–cultural challenges, nonparticipation and freeriding.
Originality/value
Building on Biggs’ (2003) model of constructive alignment in course design and delivery/assessment, this paper elucidates various unexpected and surprising aspects. It suggests that constructive misalignment could provide major learning opportunities for students and is thus more likely in these team contexts where entrepreneurship students experience constructive misalignment. Educators should, therefore, continue to design experiential entrepreneurship courses and their performance assessments through team-based approaches that achieve higher levels of engagement as well as more active learning.
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Claire McGuinness and Michelle Brien
The purpose of this paper is to show how the use of reflective research journals to assess students on a Stage One information literacy (IL) module can offer unparalleled insight…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show how the use of reflective research journals to assess students on a Stage One information literacy (IL) module can offer unparalleled insight into the complex information research processes and subjective learning experiences that lie behind the production of an academic essay.
Design/methodology/approach
Research journals created by 109 students over the course of a Stage One IL module were analysed qualitatively to reveal an iterative, problem‐strewn process, mostly culminating in deep satisfaction at the eventual production of an acceptable academic essay. Quotations from the journals are included to bring the students' experiences vividly to life.
Findings
Students' experiences of research are discussed under three key themes: Problems and Challenges; Enjoyment and Pride; and Learning Experience. Analysis showed that while problems were inevitable, students mostly considered the process to have been a useful and worthwhile learning experience.
Practical implications
Research journals offer an alternative mode of assessment which may be adopted by IL instructors wishing to focus on the students' subjective experience of “becoming information literate”. Traditional, quantitative forms of assessment do not offer the same insight into the actual process of doing research, instead focusing on what the students say they know, rather than demonstrate it performatively.
Originality/value
To date, few papers have reported the use of research journals to assess an IL programme, and it remains a novel assessment method in this context. This paper describes the advantages and pitfalls of using the method with Stage One students, and places its use within the general context of assessment practices for IL.
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The purpose of this paper is to persuade curriculum developers that the aims of incorporating English literature, particularly in the concern with developing a responsive openness…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to persuade curriculum developers that the aims of incorporating English literature, particularly in the concern with developing a responsive openness of mind, could and perhaps should be a part of any work based learning programme.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative approach and drawing on the experience at a university in the south‐east of England, this study provides an exploration of and insights into incorporating English literature in journal reflection within the context of work‐based learning.
Findings
The purpose of this paper was to present a case study of a course that was taught through a blend of requiring research on writers and reflective journaling and then assessed by a means of formative (journal entries shared and discussed) and summative (final formal presentations) feedback.
Originality/value
The author believes that the paper has demonstrated some ideological and practical insights to offering a work‐based learning course marrying literature and journal use. The author is convinced that the learning journal remains a potent tool in the arsenal of materials used to engage learners in the skills of enquiry. Furthermore, incorporating aspects of a rich field such as English literature allowed students to become open to alternative theories, challenge their attitudes, jettison old ways of thinking – in short, through learning, self‐analysing and reflecting, to improve practice.
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