Promoting Reflective Practitioners in Nursing: a review of theoretical models and research into the use of diaries and journals to facilitate reflection

Abstract

A review of the literature showed that the most popular techniques used for promoting reflection in nursing seem to be diaries and journals. However, the amount of research which actually evaluates the effectiveness of such techniques is minimal. The research which has been done tends to rely on self reports rather than investigating either the outcome of reflection or the techniques by which reflective practice may be facilitated. The research methods used do not usually use designs or outcome measures which allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of such techniques. Where there has been an attempt to investigate the processes and outcomes of techniques to promote learning through reflection, the research itself seems to be rather inconclusive or offers very partial explanations as to why an approach was either successful or unsuccessful. It is also contended that the use of diaries and journals is unlikely to take students beyond the first stage of the reflective learning cycle and that more research is needed into how learning in the later stages of the cycle can be promoted.