Personal Reflections Research Articles

Student and Faculty Perceptions of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Student Writing

Background Psychology instructors frequently assign writing-to-learn exercises that include personal reflection. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can write text that passes for humans in other domains. Objective Do students and faculty rate a reflection written by GenAI differently than reflections written by students? Do students and faculty agree about the appropriateness of using GenAI for college-level writing? Method Eighty-three students and 82 faculty read four reflections (three written by undergraduate students and one by GenAI). After rating the quality of each, they chose which one they thought was AI-generated. Participants then rated the ethicality of nine potential ways to use GenAI in college-level writing and the potential of each to compromise learning. Results Participants rated the AI-generated reflection similarly to the student-generated reflections and failed to reliably detect AI-generated writing. Faculty and students agreed that using GenAI to produce the final text for a student likely compromises learning more than using it to generate ideas. Conclusion AI-generated reflections blend in with student-written reflections, and students and faculty agree about the potential detriments to learning. Teaching Implications GenAI can be hard to detect in the psychology classroom. Rather than implementing one-size-fits-all policies, instructors might focus classroom conversations on how GenAI could compromise learning.

The Changes in Drug Laws to Apply the Death Penalty for Drug-Related Offences in Vietnam

Vietnam has a history of executing individuals for particularly serious crimes. Applying the death penalty for drug-related crimes has sparked considerable debate since the first criminal code in 1985. Vietnam has retained this toughest punishment as one of the deterrent methods to combat drug trafficking in the last three decades. However, as a retentionist-and-reductionist state, Vietnam abolished capital punishment for several crimes in the last code (2015), including drug possession and appropriation. The application of the death penalty for drug offences in Vietnam has evolved in response to international standards and the country’s global integration. Despite these changes, the death penalty remains a contentious issue in Vietnam, with the country maintaining its right to use it in its criminal code system. The path towards the complete abolition of capital punishment for drug offences is still uncertain because this complex issue involves political, legal, and social aspects in Vietnam’s context, particularly when the Communist Party’s ideologies still prefer a supply-driven reduction. This study uses personal reflections from over 20 years to focus and combine with the grey literature from national reports and desk-study in Vietnam’s legislative documents. Seven specific thoughts with relevant recommendations in the last section will explain why we should need further evidence to (re)call for consideration to reduce the death penalty for drug offences before requesting/asking Vietnam to abolish these concerns immediately.

Sustainable, affordable, and transferable approaches to experienced doctoral supervisor development

ABSTRACT Doctoral supervision is complex and takes place against a background of contextual, political, economic, and cultural affordances/constraints; with multiple purposes; and in a global higher education system. The result can be significant tensions for supervisors and, often, poor student satisfaction and progression. Globally, systematic development of doctoral supervision capacity is unusual and/or prohibitively expensive at scale. In response, this paper reports an educational design research initiative to develop a series of collaborative online workshops for experienced doctoral supervisors, supporting deliberate ‘reflective, personal, scholarly and systematic reflection’ across ten areas of doctoral supervision. Participants are then well-equipped to craft a successful application for the prestigious United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education supervisor recognition. Our evidence suggests short-term benefit is in two phases: directly via collaborative workshop engagement with the supervision literature in relation to participants’ shared experiences of supervision, and then via application of that to practice, captured in semi-structured scholarly reflective accounts on development of practice in submission for accreditation. Embedded medium-term benefits are now emerging. Multiple iterations suggest the approach is sustainable, transferable, affordable, and richly beneficial to participants, doctoral students, and wider doctoral communities. The contribution is to development of academics’ teaching and research, and it is both theoretical and practical.

Interdisciplinary teaching squares enhance reflection and collegiality: A collaborative pedagogical approach

AimTo explore the experiences of interdisciplinary Higher Educational Academics within Nursing, Midwifery, Pharmacy and Biomedical Science in the use of teaching squares as a formative, collaborative pedagogical tool to promote reflection. BackgroundOne approach to enhancing academic teaching practice involves the provision of feedback to individual academics. This approach can be challenging for the reviewer, hence other less intimidating approaches are popular. One such approach is the teaching square. In this approach typically 4 other teaching staff are involved in observing their peers’ teaching methods (synchronous or asynchronous) and then engaging in a cycle of personal reflection. Reflection on teaching practices of their peers can provide opportunity to improve their own teaching. Typically teaching squares involve participants from the same academic discipline, however, in this study participants from related yet different disciplines were purposely connected and the benefits of this approach assessed. DesignA qualitative descriptive design was used to explore the participants’ experiences of undertaking interdisciplinary teaching squares through online questionnaires and focus group feedback opportunities. MethodsThis study was undertaken between August 2022 to June 2023 at an Australian university. Sixteen academic staff members from Nursing, Midwifery, Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical science and Biological science expressed an interest in the project. Five participants elected not to continue citing time pressures and 11 staff members participated in the project. Participation involved completing the teaching square experience and a subsequent focus group that were held to explore their experiences of undertaking a teaching square. The demographic survey data were presented and the focus group interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. ResultsTriangulation of the findings resulted in the identification of four main themes: Teaching squares for professional networks; Perceptions of Safety; Stepping in and out of a reflective cycle; and Time Constraints vs. Time Value. ConclusionsThe study aimed to explore the effectiveness of teaching squares in encouraging academic reflection on teaching and fostering a collaborative teaching culture within interdisciplinary higher education academics. An unexpected finding was the value and promotion of interdisciplinarity professional relationships and networks. The findings from this research project offer valuable insights into the benefits of adopting teaching squares in health education and contributes to evidence-based pedagogical practices.

Biophilia and Adolescents’ Sense of Place in Australian Vertical Schools

This article describes the place relationships adolescents have with natural elements in recently developed ‘vertical schools’ in Australia: a relatively new school typology in the country, generally considered to be over four storeys high. Vertical schools are being built in Australia’s largest cities in response to the need for new schools where land is scarce. Drawing on qualitative research into the place relationships that adolescents have with their learning environments in two Australian vertical schools, this article explores the ways young people seek closer associations with nature in multi-storey educational settings. The research adopted a phenomenological approach to ‘place research’, asking what makes a place a place? Further, it recognised that places have the capacity to shape the ‘becoming’ of a person, that ‘becoming’ happens when there is a certain resonance between a place’s cycles, and that identity is created out of difference. As such, ‘place as complex adaptive assemblage theory’ was employed to study the interplay between location and experience in selected vertical schools, also drawing on the earlier theoretical work of Relph (1976), who suggested that the essence of a place lies in the unselfconscious intentionality that defines places as profound centres of human existence. Photovoice was employed as a method to elicit insights into the relationships adolescents have with their school as place. Students created photo essays to document their place relationships, revealing deeply insightful personal reflections on their school as place and the meanings they associate with it. Specifically, the article reports on what thirteen adolescent students communicated about the biophilic experiences afforded by their vertical school, including how it influenced their ‘becoming’. The findings demonstrated that the participating students not only valued relationships with natural elements, but actively sought biophilic experiences on a regular basis. The desire for more frequent and more significant interactions with natural materials and cycles was common across most students, indicating that the relatively limited biophilic experiences available to students in vertical schools is a challenge that should be addressed in future multi-level educational environments.

Is age more than a number? Accounting for adult development and aging in the study of psychoneuroimmunology, stress, and health

Traditional stress-and-health models link stressors to their health consequences through a well-characterized cascade. Most of the research assumes that the stress-health sequence unfolds in the same way across adulthood, whether a person is 25 years old or 80. Taking a “developmental” or “lifespan” approach has been synonymous with studying the lasting health impacts of early life experiences. However, theories and evidence from adult development and geroscience suggest that stress-health dynamics evolve in important ways over the adult lifespan—from the stressors that we encounter, to the emotion regulation strategies that we use to confront challenges, to the psychosocial resources at our disposal, to the cellular milieu, and thus to the magnitude of stressors' biological and functional consequences. This critical review synthesizes theoretical perspectives and selected empirical literature on the social-emotional and biological dimensions of aging to promote an Integrative Model of Aging, Stress, and Health. Through this integration, the model illustrates how an interdisciplinary, developmental perspective can enrich our understanding of stress's consequences for health across adulthood. It also seeks to guide a new generation of research questions that confront aging with a multidimensional approach. The piece concludes with personal reflections on the foundational legacy of the author's mentor, Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser.

Personal Reflections on Sexual Health: From Aspiration to Emerging Reality in U.S. STD Control.

Personal Reflections on Sexual Health: From Aspiration to Emerging Reality in U.S. STD Control.

From the Cold Chain to Point-of Care Tests for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea: Personal Reflections.

From the Cold Chain to Point-of Care Tests for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea: Personal Reflections.

AI art education - artificial or intelligent? Transformative pedagogic reflections from three art educators in Singapore

ABSTRACT With growing interest in the role and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI pedagogies in transformative art education this paper voices the pedagogic reflections of three art educators in Singapore who have engaged AI in their art provision. It discusses and exemplifies the advantages (intelligent), like interdisciplinary opportunity, enhanced student engagement and increased connectionism, and limitations (artificial), like ethical and moral dilemmas and positioning, of AI integration in three art education settings showcasing how educators and learners engage. Model of pedagogic reflection is used to reveal how the educators provided transformative learning with AI, whilst showing the influence of personal art interests, technique modelling and professional reflections on teaching and making involving AI. Paper contributions include insights into and examples of AI practices and pedagogies (like AI literacy and prompt engineering), that are and could be used in art education, reflections on their successes and limits and commentary on the position of AI integration in the circular economy of art education. The paper is positioned to mobilize educator and student voice as an influential driver in the transformation of art education given ongoing developments in digital education futures.

In case of emergency break glass: Reckoning with Project 2025.

Public health nursing frequently finds itself at the nexus of community and politics. It is a precarious position, one that demands a keen understanding of how decisions made in the halls of power impact the most vulnerable among us. From gutting Medicaid and TANF to eroding protections for LGBTQ individuals and female-headed households, Project 2025 is an affront to public health nursing's moral foundation and professional ethos. This personal reflection challenges nurses to embrace their role as advocatesfor a more just and equitable society.

Reading slowly together: climate literature book clubs and their potential for engaging young people with climate crisis

Engaging young people with the effects and potential future impacts of climate crisis is essential for facilitating the changes required. These topics and their consequences can be overwhelming, and the emotional responses equally diverse, from anxiety to disengagement, but emotional depth can mean deeper levels of engagement. This paper introduces an empirically tested innovative approach to this challenge. Over a three-month period, a cohort of young participants met three times and actively engaged in a structured and facilitated climate-focused book club where they read one book slowly. Their perspectives and experiences in relation to climate crisis within this context became the focal point of a semi-structured narrative focus group. Thematic analysis of this data, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, yielded key themes encompassing 1) personal reflections, 2) knowledge acquisition, skill development and behavioural changes, 3) connections to others, 4) enthusiasm, inclusion, and support. Subsequently, the discussion delves into the importance of providing opportunities for shared discussions when reading climate literature and the pivotal role and potential of climate literature as a mechanism for personal and collective meaningful engagement with climate crisis.

Sustainable meaningful learning through the tree of knowledge: a teaching project for Nepal

Introduction: The climate crisis and social justice are at the focus of UNESCO's 2030 Agenda, which presents 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) as a roadmap for the preservation of the planet. From the educational field, its achievement can be promoted through the design of educational projects that promote sustainable meaningful learning (SML) hand in hand with learning for social justice (LSJ). In this context, an innovative teaching practice was developed in 2021-22 using biosphere reserves in Nepal, in which students from the International Primary Education Teacher Degree Program designed teaching materials to be offered to nearby primary schools in Nepal, close to the selected biosphere reserve. Methodology: The students built knowledge models based on conceptual maps about the selected biosphere reserve, creating teaching units with activities aimed at students in Nepal. A tree of knowledge was also designed that summarized the joint project as a metacognitive tool for sustainable meaningful learning. Results: For the evaluation, a double rubric was used that analysed both the oral defence of the project and the different sections of the UD, and personal reflections were analysed, as well as the learning results and motivation. Discussion: Sustainable meaningful learning together with learning for social justice and the didactic tools that were used are very valid methodologies to stimulate international cooperation and promote meaningful, autonomous, motivating and sustainable learning.

Bridging Success through Comparative: Uncovering the Motivation Potential of Improving Students' Writing, Individually vs Collaboratively

Writing effectively is crucial in upper secondary education, yet many students face challenges with vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Educators can assist by incorporating both individual and collaborative writing methods. This study investigates the impact of these writing activities on students' writing skills and examines the role of student motivation. Using a causal-comparative method, the study involved 35 tenth-grade students from SMA Negeri 2 Tambang, Indonesia. A questionnaire based on Dörnyei (1994) indicators assessed student motivation levels, while a descriptive writing test evaluated their writing skills. Writing samples were scored using an analytical scoring rubric, and a two-way ANOVA analyzed the effects of motivation levels on writing skills in both individual and collaborative contexts. Results showed a significant interaction between the type of writing activity and motivation level, with a significance level of 0.006. The findings indicate that collaborative writing activities significantly enhance writing skills, while motivation levels do not have a substantial impact on writing performance. Educators are encouraged to blend individual and collaborative writing activities to optimize students' writing skill development. Individual writing supports personal reflection and growth, whereas collaborative writing promotes peer learning and idea exchange.

“Curious Is as Curious Does”: Fostering Question-Asking in a Sino-Foreign Engineering School—A Case Study

Curiosity and question-asking are at the heart of science and engineering education. However, question-asking can be difficult for students due to several factors, including fear, language barriers, and cultural norms. This is especially true among Chinese students, who represent a growing number of upcoming engineers. To address this, in this case study from a university teaching reform project, we investigate the perceptions of curiosity and question-asking among Chinese science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate students following a newly developed semester-long project in a second-year communications course at a recently established Sino-foreign engineering school in China. In this period, students engaged in project-based learning centered around Nobel Prize-winning research, allowing them to explore the driving questions behind groundbreaking discoveries. Through a combination of qualitative analyses from students’ personal reflections as well as from a post-survey, the study examines students’ perceptions of curiosity and question-asking, the influence of gender on these skills, and the role of failure and perseverance in scientific inquiry. Findings indicate that the project increased students’ curiosity and improved their confidence in asking questions while providing insights into gender differences. Moreover, students were inspired by the curiosity of the Nobel Laureates, by the “simplicity” of the questions asked, and by the great importance of tenacity, passion, and learning from mistakes.

The digital Balint: using AI in reflective practice

ABSTRACT Reflective practice is fundamental to postgraduate general practitioner (GP) training and ongoing professional development. However, real-world challenges like time constraints and professional isolation often limit meaningful engagement with this critical skill. This article proposes that large language models (LLMs), sophisticated artificial intelligence systems, may have potential for enhancing reflective practice. We present three case studies, in which we explore the ability of LLMs to generate thought-provoking questions, which could prompt GPs to consider new angles, address underlying factors, and bridge the gap between theory and practice. Our findings suggest that LLMs could help reframe experiences and foster deeper self reflection, particularly for isolated practitioners. While ethical concerns regarding privacy, over reliance, and potential biases exist, we consider the possibility of responsibly integrating LLMs into reflective practice. For trainees, AI-generated questions might complement personal reflection under guidance. For GPs working in isolation, LLMs present an opportunity to enhance reflective practice, challenging us to consider a place for this technological innovation without diminishing the human aspects essential to medical practice.

Personal reflections on basics of research workshop conducted by Journal of Pakistan Medical Association (JPMA).

Recognizing the importance of research in a medicalstudent's life, we were thrilled to volunteer as organizersfor JPMA's research workshop for undergraduate medicalstudents. This five-week long program, held on consecutiveSaturdays, commencing from 18th May 2024, aimed toequip participants with the fundamentals of research. Tomaintain the quality of the workshop, the participant poolwas kept limited to fourteen only. The workshop was heldat the premises of PMA. Every session consisted of twoclasses, each an hour long with a brief lunch break inbetween. Besides broadening our understanding onresearch basics, we hoped to gain valuable leadership andcommunication skills through this organizing experience. Continued...

Transplantologia a ontologia – Intruz Jeana-Luka Nancy’ego

This article presents an analysis of Jean-Luc Nancy’s essay L’Intrus (2002), a personal reflection on illness and the experience of heart transplantation. The analysis combines two approaches (though the first of them is given more prominence). Firstly, L’Intrus is treated as philosophical-literary pathography, where the reader’s attention is engrossed by the lived experience of illness and its linguistic representation – a sophisticated, elliptical, metaphorical style which exposes the altering intrusiveness of both the med-ical condition and the treatment (implanting an ‘alien’ organ). Secondly, L’Intrus is read in the context of Jean-Luc Nancy’s philosophical reflection proper. The essay’s linguistic manipulation of singular and plural are interpreted as an echo of his philosophical position put forth in Être singulier pluriel. The totally individual experience of illness and suffering exposes the underlying ontological validity of ‘being-with’ others. The in-sight that there is no being (Dasein) without ‘being-with’ (Mitsein) leads in effect to a revision of a number of key philosophical concepts like the Self / the Other, the subject, identity, nature and technology (ecotechnology).

Parties, Planners, and Publics: From Memory of Nights Out to Urban Planning on Union Street

This article explores notions of publicness in relation to the recent history of Union Street, Plymouth, drawing on personal reflection and policy research. Until 2002, I would go ‘downtown’ to this street most weekends, often multiple times a week. Union Street and its many venues were notorious for DJs, cheap drinks, dancing, flirtatious or sexual interactions, violent encounters, and drugs. By 2010 most of its venues had closed, with the street and surrounding area falling into significant economic decline. Framing the street’s past activities through Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of the carnivalesque and Stephen Lyng’s investigation of edgework, this article repositions the street’s negative image in relation to theories of publicness. On this basis, I present a critique of planning policies that contributed to the physical and conceptual marginalisation of the area. Varied and pluralistic notions of publicness offer a means by which the recent activities of arts and cultural organisations in this area of Plymouth can be analysed, while also offering a way for me to reflect on my own positionality relative to Union Street - a research context and a scene of close personal memories.

Couples in breast cancer survivorship: Daily associations in relationship satisfaction, stress, and health

Romantic relationships are a key health determinant underlying both morbidity and mortality. Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser’s prolific research revealed cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine, and immune pathways connecting marriage to health and longevity. In addition to her empirical work, she developed conceptual models on marriage, the gut microbiome, stress reactivity, and spousal health concordance; these models guide and inspire mechanistic research, serve as essential readings for graduate students and mentees, and provide inspiration for researchers across career stages. This paper highlights Dr. Kiecolt-Glaser’s influential work, includes personal reflections and professional growth as past mentees, and provides Dr. Kiecolt-Glaser-inspired evidence linking relationships to health among couples in breast cancer survivorship. Using baseline questionnaires and daily dairies, breast cancer survivors (stage I-IIIB) and their cohabiting partners (60 individuals, 30 couples) rated their relationship satisfaction, stress, and physical health symptoms every day for 7 days. Results suggest that breast cancer survivors and their partners who felt more satisfied with their relationships also felt less stressed, both typically and on a daily basis. Survivors’ and partners’ lower stress was also associated with fewer physical health problems on average and in daily life. These findings demonstrate the daily stress and health advantages of satisfying relationships for both breast cancer survivors and their partners. We discuss the study’s implications and several avenues for Dr. Kiecolt-Glaser-inspired research addressing a relationship’s long-term health impact among couples in survivorship.

PRODUÇÃO DE VÍDEOS ESTUDANTIS: UMA ABORDAGEM PEDAGÓGICA ALINHADA ÀS TEORIAS DE MULTILETRAMENTO E NEUROCIÊNCIA

Student video production represents a dynamic and meaningful pedagogical approach, grounded in the principles of neuroscience and learning theories. By providing an engaging and inclusive educational experience, this practice not only fosters students’ cognitive development but also their social, emotional, and digital skills, preparing them for the challenges of the 21st century. Student video production has emerged as an innovative pedagogical approach aligned with the principles of neuroscience and learning theories. This study explored the relevance of this practice, analyzing how it promotes a significant and engaging educational experience for students, stimulating not only cognitive skills but also social and emotional competencies. From the perspective of neuroscience, the importance of visual and emotional stimulation in learning was highlighted. Authors such as Pantano (2009) emphasize the role of emotions in the consolidation and retrieval of information in memory, underscoring how video creation can emotionally engage students, fostering a deeper connection with the content. Additionally, Zorzi (2009) emphasized the relevance of attention in the classroom, directing focus to specific stimuli and facilitating memory formation. Furthermore, video production stimulates essential cognitive skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Authors like Gardner (1995) addressed the theory of multiple intelligences, highlighting the importance of recognizing and developing students’ individual skills, an opportunity provided by audiovisual production. Collaboration and communication were identified as fundamental aspects of student video production. Authors like Pereira and Neves (2014) highlighted how this collaborative activity encourages students to work together, promoting an inclusive environment and stimulating the development of communication and collaboration skills, as pointed out by Santos and Aquino (2011). In the classroom context, video production offers an opportunity for students to explore significant issues and themes authentically. Authors like Fresquet (2015) emphasized how this approach allows students to engage in deep investigations and personal reflections, increasing their motivation and engagement. Moreover, video production promotes a hands-on and experiential approach to learning, supported by neuroscience as an effective teaching strategy. Authors like Cosenza (2011) explained how exposure to practical and emotionally engaging experiences facilitates learning consolidation, an advantage offered by student video creation. Finally, video production contributes to the development of socioemotional skills and competencies for the 21st century. Authors like Aquino and Cavalcante (2017) highlighted how this approach promotes interpersonal skills, teamwork, as well as media and technology competencies, preparing students for real-world challenges.