A Specific Implementation of Reflective Journals in Self-Regulating Academic Presentation Skills

Seher Balbay

doi:10.31458/iejes.761278

Abstract

Reflection journal writing is recognized as an effective learning activity in facilitating learners’ self-regulative skills and abilities and their academic performance in the literature. It is evident that self-regulation is of vital importance in learning. Hence, this study aims to investigate self-reflective journal writing on university students’ self-regulation strategies in a scope of academic presentation and speaking course. An exploratory mixed-method research design was adopted. The participants were selected with convenience sampling method and included 94 undergraduate students studying at a prominent English-medium instruction public university. The data was collected through an online questionnaire, and students’ reflections on the ‘Reflection Journal’ task, which aimed to develop their awareness of the strategies that work for their own learning. Students were assigned to videotape their two main presentations during a required language course, and to keep a journal to reflect on certain points predetermined by the course instructor. The study aims to both investigate the perceptions of students about self-regulated learning in presenting, and the effectiveness of the journal task in promoting their learning. The findings indicated that the majority of students benefited from the task which helped them to reflect on their own micro-level presentation skills. This study concluded that reflective journal keeping could facilitate students’ self-regulation and learning performance when developing academic presentation skills.

Highlights

As Bayraktaroğlu (2017) puts it ‘when we encourage students to focus on the process of learning rather than the outcome, we help them consciously examine their own contribution to their learning’ (Scharle & Szabo, 2000), which is called ‘self-regulation’
Self-regulation, autonomy and agency are terminology widely used and continuously redefined in the literature, they still remain to be ‘muddy’ (Thomas & Rose, 2018), it is a common understanding that adapting self-regulatory behaviour through reflection of actual school performances develops learning strategies
The results indicated that the Reflection Journal was somewhat effective in making the students think in retrospect and reflect on their learning experience

Summary

Introduction

As Bayraktaroğlu (2017) puts it ‘when we encourage students to focus on the process of learning rather than the outcome, we help them consciously examine their own contribution to their learning’ (Scharle & Szabo, 2000), which is called ‘self-regulation’. This practice is defined as the composition of “self-generated thoughts, feelings and actions that are planned and cyclically adapted to the attainment of personal goals” (Zimmerman, 2000, p.14). Zimmerman (2000) defines self-regulation in three stages; namely, forethought (before), performance or volitional control (during), and self-reflection (after) phases. The forethought phase includes task analysis and self-motivational beliefs, the second performance or volitional control referring to self-control and self-observation, and the final one is where students experience self-reflection which includes self-judgement and self-reaction

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion