Key Learning Experiences Research Articles

How pre-service teachers change their view of forms of inquiry after participating in an inquiry-based practicum

This study explores how pre-service teachers understand inquiry before and after an inquiry-based practicum and identify which key learning experiences (KLEs) were conducive to inquiry. A survey (n = 57) and a semistructured interview (n = 23) were conducted. Results showed that pre-service teachers' forms of inquiry increased in frequency and complexity after the practicum. The KLE that made their understanding of inquiry more complex was the systematization of the inquiry process into distinct phases. This study reinforces the need to implement an inquiry-based practicum in pre-service teacher training and provides guidance on which learning activities should be prioritized during the practicum.

Student placement in a university social work health clinic: key learning experiences, challenges encountered and perceived benefits of interprofessional practice

ABSTRACT This paper reports on the findings from a mixed methods study exploring the key learning experiences, the challenges, and the increased knowledge of interprofessional practice for students undertaking placement in the Social Work Student Health Clinic at Griffith University. The theoretical framework of the study is based on adult learning theory, a model for experiential learning. After placement had finished 36 students completed the Interprofessional Socialisation and Valuing Scale (ISVS-21) and a post-placement questionnaire that included a placement rating scale and a free text section specifically designed to collect data on student perceptions about learning outcomes while in the clinic. The quantitative data was entered into SPSS for statistical analysis. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified four major themes (key learning and beneficial aspects, the challenges, impact on future career options, and interprofessional practice). The themes were transformed into quantitative variables for further analysis using SPSS. The key findings indicated that the students perceived their achievements through participation in health clinics as providing positive learning experiences across a range of opportunities, some of which have impacted on future career options and an increased understanding of interprofessional practices in health care.

Logged In, Zoomed Out: Creating & Maintaining Virtual Engagement for Counselor Education Students

Distance learning has significantly changed the face of counselor education and has greatly enhanced the learning process, becoming more prominent since the national pandemic of COVID-19. However, experiential learning, a primary component for counselor education students, can be particularly challenging for some instructors as they may struggle with developing key learning competencies and experiences via distance formats (Schreiber et al., 2021). Using the Theory of Online Learning Quality as a theoretical framework (Hathaway, 2009), we provide practical implications for how faculty can implement best practices for distance learning while maintaining active engagement for counseling students. In addition, we review online learning from a social justice lens, evaluating the diverse needs of various counseling students' identities and the unique challenges they face that impact curriculum.

Strengthening undergraduate food science programs: Comparing industry relevance of the Institute of Food Technologists' Essential Learning Outcomes with graduate proficiency levels

AbstractFifty‐five Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) comprise the required content for food science degrees approved by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), yet the importance of each outcome for graduate industry readiness is expected to vary. To analyze this variance, we assessed the industry relevance of IFT's recently revised (2018) ELOs and compared them to The University of British Columbia's food science graduate proficiency levels. Additionally, we investigated key learning experiences and future directions of the industry to further strengthen food science programs. Significant, positive correlations were found between industry ELO importance ratings and alumni (r = 0.229, p = 0.002) and new graduate (r = 0.476, p < 0.001) self‐reported proficiency levels. ELOs in food safety, critical thinking, and professionalism were rated by industry as most important for graduates. Beyond IFT requirements, labs, case studies, and industry exposure through site visits, Co‐op, and guest speakers were rated the most effective course learning activities. Industry respondents advised food science programs ensure a strong background in hands‐on product development, application of government regulations, and project management. As the IFT considers further ELO refinements, our study suggests that inclusion of business, sustainability, and food science‐specific computational skills could enhance graduate professional preparedness and impact. We hope this study will inform appropriate ELO weighting within food science curricula so that collectively we can best prepare graduates to address food science challenges of the future.

EBiSC best practice: How to ensure optimal generation, qualification, and distribution of iPSC lines.

Disease-relevant human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are generated worldwide for research purposes; however, without robust and practical ethical, legal, and quality standards, there is a high risk that their true potential will not be realized. Best practices for tissue procurement, iPSC reprogramming, day-to-day cultivation, quality control, and data management aligned with an ethical and legal framework must be included into daily operations to ensure their promise is maximized. Here we discuss key learning experiences from 7 years of operating the European Bank for induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC) and recommend how to incorporate solutions into a daily management framework.

Medical students using the technique of 55-word stories to reflect on a 6-week rotation during the integrated primary care block

Background. Reflection and reflective practice are identified as a core competency for graduates in health professions education. Students are expected to be in a position to process experiences in a variety of ways through reflective learning. In doing so, they can explore the understanding of their actions and experiences, and the impact of these on themselves and others. Objectives. To draw on 5-weekly reflections by final-year medical students during the integrated primary care block placement. These reflections explore the learning that occurred during the rotation and the change in experiences during this period, and illustrate the use of reflection as a tool to support the development of professional practice. Methods. This descriptive qualitative study analysed students’ 55-word reflective stories during a 6-week preceptorship in either a rural or urban primary healthcare centre. The writing technique of short 55-word reflective stories was used to record student experiences. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted using MAXQDA software. This involved identifying the most commonly used words for each week through a word cloud, highlighting each week’s most notable focus for learning to generate themes and sub-themes. Results. Analysis of 127 logbook entries generated 464 stories on a range of experiences that had a significant impact on learning. Students’ reflections in the first 2 weeks were linked to personal experiences and views about the block. In subsequent weeks, reflections focused on the individual responses of students to the learning experiences regarding the curriculum, patient care, ethics, professionalism and the health system. Conclusions. The reflections highlighted the key learning experiences of the medical students and illustrated how meaning is constructed from these experiences. The 55-word stories as a reflection tool have potential to support reflection for students, and provide valuable insight into medical students’ learning journey during their clinical training.

Personal narratives of learning self-management: Lessons for practice based on experiences of people with serious mental illness.

Clinicians are challenged to deliver self-management interventions in recovery-oriented services for individuals living with serious mental illnesses. Little is known about how people learn self-management skills and questions remain about how best to deliver support. To offer insights for delivery, this research describes the lived experiences of learning self-management and the meaning of those experiences within recovery journeys and the context of health-care delivery. Design followed van Manen's approach of phenomenology through an occupational therapist's lens. Using purposeful criterion sampling until saturation, 25 adults with psychosis experiences (8-40years) from six community-based specialised mental health programs were interviewed. Conceptual maps were cocreated depicting key learning experiences, intersections with services, and recommendations. Data reduction, reconstruction and explication of meaning occurred concurrently, and multiple strategies were used to transparently support an open, iterative, reflexive process. Participants described eight essential tasks to live well, learned often serendipitously, taking up to 15-30years to find the right combination of supports and self-management strategies to achieve what they felt was a life of quality. Self-management needs were not routinely addressed by services and extended beyond illness or crisis management while participants grappled with emotions, self-concept, relationships, and occupational issues. Participants asked providers to "teach us to teach ourselves"; "invite clients" to the decision table; and deal directly with emotions of fear, shame, and trust with respect to self and relationships. Findings challenge conventional conceptualisations of self-management to consider clients living interdependent lives with tasks performed in context, dynamically influenced by complex personal, socio-ecological relationships. Participants' narratives compel increasing access to strategic personalised self-management learning opportunities as an effort to shorten the prolonged recovery paths. Findings offer ways providers can understand and address eight self-management learning tasks from the perspective of lived experiences. Self-management was enmeshed with recovery, health, and building a life.

Shifting the Teaching Beliefs of Preservice Science Teachers About Socioscientific Issues in a Teacher Education Course.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how 22 preservice science teachers’ (PSTs’) beliefs about teaching socioscientific issues (SSI) changed after experiencing SSI instruction and reflection from both a learner’s perspective and a teacher’s perspective during a 12-week initial teacher education course. The study also explored the learning experiences associated with these changes. This study was conducted in Hong Kong, where the science, technology, society and environment (STSE) framework has been integrated into the secondary science curriculum but no SSI instruction is provided. Data were collected through learning tasks completed by the participants: (a) curriculum designs (pre-, mid- and post-course), (b) lesson plans (mid- and post-course) and (c) weekly reflective journals. Six profiles characterising teaching beliefs about SSI emerged from the data analysis. Qualitative analysis showed that the teaching beliefs of the PSTs had shifted from the traditional view that SSI should not be covered in science education to embracing SSI teaching. Three illustrative cases were used to capture key learning experiences and explore how these had led to a change in beliefs over time. These cases explained how PSTs’ reflection on the why, what and how of teaching SSI to students can shape their beliefs about teaching SSI. The results have implications for the development of a closer alignment between PST beliefs and the SSI paradigm.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10763-021-10177-y.

A Risk Manager's Journal of the Plague Year

The aim of this article is to share the key learning experiences from the challenges presented by COVID-19 that Risk Managers have had to accept and live through.

"From schoolboy to counsellor: An autoethnography of deconstructions and reconstructions of the self as a learner".

Autoethnographic methods can explore key learning experiences and significant occurrences over a particular lifespan. In this paper, the author has explored and employed these methods to examine the constructs of the self and how such learning may enrich the lifespan of a trainee counsellor. These findings will add to the research literature in the field that is limited in relation to identity formation, impact of education on learners and men becoming therapists. Key themes emerged, "He's a sensitive boy"-learning to hide, help through others-I can learn and re-construction-restoration and healing. Despite the introspective nature of autoethnography, findings from this narrative have a bearing on the importance of inter-dependant relationships and support and how they can impact on learning and how people are viewed and labelled by communities and societies. These findings also illuminate the understanding of the construction and re-construction of the self and inform how a person, in therapy, can rebuild their lives by considering more than the negative narratives about themselves?

In Their Own Words: Student Key Learning Experiences in an Introductory Evaluation Course

Abstract: Reflections by students on their key learning experiences in evaluation courses can provide useful data for educators seeking to identify the most impactful aspects of their teaching practice. In this practice note we describe how an instructor has included active reflective practice as part of their teaching practice, and how both the instructor and a graduate student analyzed other student reflections on key learning experiences to help improve the course. We first analyze these reflections using grounded theory, then perform two additional analyses, one using Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning and the second using both the Canadian Evaluation Society’s Competencies for Canadian Evaluation Practice and the American Evaluation Association’s Competencies framework. We conclude by reflecting on how the frameworks provided helpful data to understand and improve the practice of teaching evaluation through the lens of the student learner.

Environmental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from a (marine) ecological perspective

The 2019-2020 pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 virus—the cause of the novel COVID-19 disease—is an exceptional moment in modern human history. The abrupt and intense cessation of human activities in the first months of the pandemic, when large parts of the global human population were in lockdown, had noticeable effects on the environment that can serve to identify key learning experiences to foster a deep reflection on the human relationship with nature, and their interdependence. There are precious lessons to be learned. A global, tangible threat was needed to trigger a global lockdown, where different societies adopted different strategies and management measures to adapt or transform their activities. Humanity is still coming to terms with how to relaunch the economy while preventing further outbreaks. Here, I summarize the immediate positive and negative effects that the pandemic has had on the natural environment, with emphasis on marine ecosystems. I reflect on key lessons learned from this unprecedented situation so far. The essential role that the oceans play in maintaining the functioning of natural systems and key socio-economic activities is exceptionally relevant, and I discuss key not-to-miss opportunities to add the ‘Blue Recovery’ to the international agenda under the new ‘Build Back Better’ or ‘Healthy Recovery’ context after the acute phase of COVID-19. Achieving sustainable use of the ocean is one of the grand challenges of the new decade, and marine ecologists must play a more proactive role.

Student teachers’ positioning with regard to their key learning experiences in the first practicum

This exploratory study consists of a description of which kind of key learning experiences student teachers’ have to face during their first practicum in schools and how they positioned their selves in these situations. Twenty-seven second-year student teachers were interviewed. Five key learning experiences were identified: classroom instruction, socialization, conflicting between pre-existing conceptions and the reality, classroom management, and diversity. Two kinds of positions were adopted by them when they faced these experiences: I as a student and I as a teacher. They posi-tioned as students when they focused their attention on observing educational practices and fully and unreservedly accepting their mentors’ strategies and they positioned as teachers when they acted and made decisions with autonomy and applied the theoretical knowledge acquired. The difficulties students face in positioning themselves as teachers were found to relate to all the key learning ex-periences except for those connected to do with classroom instruction.

Same but Different: Exploring Mechanisms of Learning in a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship.

Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) are a widely used method of delivering clerkship curricula. Although there is evidence that LICs work and core components of LIC training have been identified, there is insufficient understanding of which components are integral to why they work. To address this question, this research explored how students experienced the first year of an LIC program. The aim was to use participants' understanding of their learning experiences to identify potential mechanisms of the LIC curriculum model. Thirty-two interviews were conducted with 13 University of Toronto students, 7 LIC and 6 block rotation students from the same site, from October 2014 to September 2015. A thematic analysis was performed iteratively to explore participants' understanding of their key learning experiences and outcomes. Participants in both cohorts described their key learning outcome as integration and application of knowledge during patient care. Experiences supporting this outcome were articulated as longitudinal variable practice and continuity of relationships with preceptors and patients. Critically, these experiences manifested differently for the 2 cohorts. For block students, these learning experiences appeared to reflect the informal curriculum, whereas for LIC students, learning experiences were better supported by the LIC formal curriculum. The results illustrate the importance of learning experiences that support longitudinality and continuity. By also emphasizing variability and knowledge integration, they align with literature on expert development. Notably, many of the learning experiences identified resulted from informal learning and thus support going beyond the formal curriculum when evaluating the effectiveness of curricula.

Understanding stories of professional formation during early childhood education and care practice placements

Narrative inquiry as a methodological approach enables us to examine how people represent their experiences and selves through storytelling (Chase, S. E. 2005. ‘Narrative Inquiry: Multiple Lenses, Approaches, Voices.’ In The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, edited by N. Denzin and Y. Lincoln, 651–679. London: Sage). To understand these constructions, other kinds of knowledge are required. Theories of social life, for example, help to interpret areas which narrative inquiry is good at revealing about human experiences such as the animation of temporality, sociality and place (Clandinin, J., V. Caine, A. Estefan, J. Huber, M. S. Murphy, and P. Steeves. 2015. ‘Places of Practice: Learning to Think Narratively.’ Narrative Works 5 (1). Accessed November 30, 2017. https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/NW/issue/view/1799). Drawing on interviews with practice educators and final-year undergraduate early childhood education and care (ECEC) students in North-West Ireland, this paper considers how narrative inquiry and education theories work together to illuminate key learning experiences of ECEC undergraduate students during 12-week practice placements. In this paper I attempt to show how two education theories – ‘Threshold Concepts’ and ‘Communities of Practice’ – shed light on the nature of these key learning experiences. The paper suggests that narrative inquiry offers an emancipatory research approach by uncovering human and reflective elements of learning journeys made by ECEC students during their practice placements.

Bridging Two Worlds: Experiences of Chinese and Taiwanese Americans Attending Chinese Heritage Schools in Houston

This qualitative case study presents the reflections of ten Chinese and Taiwanese Americans on their experiences in community-based Chinese Heritage Schools (CHS) in Houston, Texas. Five themes emerged from the in-depth interviews with the participants: (1) self-perceptions of being Chinese/Taiwanese Americans, (2) motivations for learning Chinese, (3) key learning experiences at CHS, (4) perspectives on CHS, and (5) suggestions proposed by the participants.

A multidimensional approach to examine student interdisciplinary learning in science and engineering in higher education

ABSTRACTPreparing science and engineering students to work in interdisciplinary teams necessitates research on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. A multidimensional approach was taken to examine student interdisciplinary learning in a master course on food quality management. The collected 615 student experiences were analysed for the cognitive, emotional, and social learning dimensions using the learning theory of Illeris. Of these 615 experiences, the analysis showed that students reported 214, 194, and 207 times on, respectively, the emotional, the cognitive, and the social dimension. Per learning dimension, key learning experiences featuring interdisciplinary learning were identified such as ‘frustrations in selecting and matching disciplinary knowledge to complex problems’ (emotional), ‘understanding how to apply theoretical models or concepts to real-world situations’ (cognitive), and ‘socially engaging with peers to recognise similarities in perceptions and experiences’ (social). Furthermore, the results showed that students appreciated the cognitive dimension relatively more than the emotional and social dimensions.

Moving into and out of high-performance sport: the cultural learning of an artistic gymnast

Background: High-performance sport has been described as a formative environment through which athletes learn sporting skills but also develop athletic selves. Within this process, career movements related to selection for and de-selection from representative teams constitute critical moments. Further, retirement from sport can be problematic as the athletic self becomes ‘obsolete’. This dilemma is acute in sports that demand an early entry, extreme time investments and a high risk of retirement before adulthood. Women's artistic gymnastics (WAG) is such a sport.Purpose and scope: This article considers an artistic gymnast's (Marie) experiences of movement into and out of this sport. Marie's construction and reconstruction of her athletic self when she entered gymnastics at the age of six, relocated to a different city in order to train with the national team at the age of 15, and retired from the sport one year later receives particular attention.Method and theoretical perspective: An in-depth biographical interview was conducted with Marie. Further, the first author's personal knowledge of this gymnast's career experiences was used for contextualisation. The analysis of data involved the identification of learning outcomes during her time in high-performance WAG and post-retirement. Storied accounts surrounding the key learning experiences were compiled. In order to understand Marie's learning, cultural perspective of learning developed by education scholars and the respective metaphors of ‘learning as becoming’ and ‘horizons for action’ and ‘horizons of learning’ are employed.Findings: Marie's choice of relocating to train with the national team involved her assuming a temporary orientation towards the requirements of the high-performance WAG context she entered. To achieve this, Marie suppressed the dispositions she had brought to this setting and adjusted her training philosophy, relationship with her coach, diet and socialising. Further, despite Marie intending to only momentarily adjust to the practices of the high-performance context, her learning was deep. Upon retiring from gymnastics, she could not leave the high-performance gymnastics self behind. The subsequent process to adjust to life without gymnastics was difficult and testing, and could only be realised with professional treatment.Conclusion: Learning in sport is not limited to athletic skills. Athletes’ selves are formed in interaction with sporting contexts and actors. This embodiment can become durable and cause significant conflict when moving out of sport. To handle life without sport, adjustment may be challenging and lengthy.Recommendations: Sporting cultures should allow for more interactive learning and athlete diversity. Coaching practices that allow athletes to voice difficulties should be provided. Athletes should be encouraged to reflect upon their sporting experiences and upon leaving high-performance sport, should be (professionally) supported.

Are You A Leader? How We Learned to Stop Asking

Smith College initiated an ePortfolio pilot project to guide students in documenting key learning experiences and in linking those experiences to Smith's institutional mission of “developing leaders for society's challenges” (Smith College, 2011). Twenty-one college students volunteered to participate in the pilot, based on the integrative knowledge portfolio process and informed by research in the fields of narrative psychology, integrative learning theory and ePortfolio theory. This article discusses the process of guiding students in integrative learning through the development of ePortfolios and through a curriculum, which engaged them in understanding and articulating their own learning, as well as in connecting it to the college mission.

Exploring Constructivist Perspectives in the College Classroom

The study used Explanatory Sequential Design (ESD) of Mixed-Methods to investigate college students’ and instructors’ perspectives of constructivist learning environment (CLE). Students, including graduates and undergraduates from a Midwestern university, rated their preference for personal relevance, collaboration, negotiation, and autonomy as key learning experiences embodied in CLE. Results indicated that undergraduates were more likely than graduate students to prefer collaboration and negotiation experiences. Expanding on the results of students’ quantitative ratings, students’ and instructors’ perspectives of collaboration were explored. Eight participants (four students and four instructors) participated in one-on-one interview sessions. Themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis showed that the differences in students’ preference for collaboration related to students’ perceptions of unequal opportunities to collaborate, perceived benefits, and diverse backgrounds and orientations. In addition, conditions necessary for effective collaboration in the college environment were explored. Thematic analysis produced three themes: understanding collaboration process; monitoring, assessment, and evaluation system; and group composition. Implications for practice in the college classroom have been discussed.