Motivating Students to Study a Theoretical Course Through Reflective Writing

Abstract

The emphasis on reflection is not very often applied in most professional preparation programs in the former Soviet Union area. University programs are mainly aimed at developing competencies and skills. Yet recently reflective processes have been conceived of as highly effective and indispensable for pre- and in-service professional training, usually through non- formal programs. This study investigates how students develop motivation to study theories by learning to connect them to professional practices with the help of written reflections. The data were collected from a sample of 80 students during the spring and fall semesters in 2011-2012 in the form of written papers. The content analysis of students’ papers is employed in this research work to reveal if there is any impact on student thinking as reflected in their written papers. In this research work we claim that reflective writing can make it visible how students find meaning in studying a theoretical course. From our gathered data we saw that some students have difficulty in seeing theoretical studies as meaningful and useful to them, that is why they need effective support in focusing on positive side of their learning and written reflections may be quite effective in this process.