Reflective Journals Research Articles

Exploring the Transformative Effects of Gamified Learning on Writing and Metacognition in an EFL University Context: An Account of Blended Learning Landscape

This study investigates the effects of a Gamified Learning Model (GLM) on the writing skills and metacognitive awareness of Thai EFL university students within a blended learning environment. Employing a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design alongside a Concurrent Embedded mixed-methods approach, the research scrutinizes the efficacy of GLM in enhancing English language writing skills and metacognitive awareness. Quantitative findings, obtained from the paired t-test, revealed significant improvements in students’ writing skills post-intervention, with average scores escalating from 11.97 to 19.92 (p<0.01), alongside a notable enhancement in metacognitive awareness, as evidenced by increased mean scores in metacognitive awareness questionnaire items. Qualitative feedback, gained from semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, further illuminated students’ positive perceptions towards the GLM, highlighting its role in fostering engagement and facilitating a deeper understanding of writing tasks and strategies. The study underscores the transformative potential of gamified learning in EFL contexts, advocating for its integration as a dynamic component of language education pedagogy. Implications for future research include exploring varied gamified learning approaches across diverse educational settings to validate and extend these findings.

Interprofessional education stroke workshop: case-based learning for occupational therapy and speech-language pathology students

ABSTRACT Collaboration between occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists is crucial in stroke rehabilitation to effectively manage the complex challenges patients often experience after stroke. This article describes a two-hour, case-based interprofessional education (IPE) stroke workshop that required 67 graduate occupation therapy (OT) and speech-language pathology (SLP) students to collaboratively solve a case study related to stroke. Students used a survey to self-assess their interprofessional collaborative practice before and after participating in the workshop and completed a reflection journal. Results of Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed a significant improvement in interprofessional collaborative competence following participation in the IPE stroke workshop. Students’ reflection journals supported the survey ratings and discussed learning and applying skills related to interprofessional collaborative practice. Students overwhelmingly expressed interest in engaging interprofessional collaborative practice and sought more interprofessional learning opportunities. The current study offers a practical method for implementing IPE for cohorts of OT and SLT students.

The Effects of Reflective Learning on the Quality of English Writing in Chinese University Students: An Analysis Based on Coh-Metrix and Reflective Journals

This study aims to examine the effects of reflective learning on the quality of English writing in Chinese university students using the Coh-Metrix tool and the students’ reflective journals. According to its research findings, reflective learning had significantly positive effects on the students’ quality of English writing in terms of content/ideas, organization/development, and language. Furthermore, reflective learning significantly improved the lexical diversity of their English writing; it also enhanced the cohesion and coherence of their writing through the improvement in referential coherence and semantic overlapping. Thematic analysis of the subjects’ reflective journals corresponds to these findings while also indicating that reflective learning helps elevate their self-efficacy in English writing.

Teachers Co-Designing and Enacting Elementary Data Science Curriculum through Connected Learning

We detail a research-practice partnership between an elementary school and educational researchers with a common goal of increasing data science literacy among rural elementary students. Drawing on connected learning theory and using the CT-STEM taxonomy of practices, we co-developed data science units with teachers and they subsequently implemented them in classrooms. Connected learning was used to envision the unit co-design process. In that regard, we assisted teachers in drawing on students’ interests when selecting real-world problems to solve during the design of data science units and providing learning opportunities mirroring what students enjoy and engage in outside of school. Qualitative methodology guided the data analysis of observations, reflective journals, interviews, and curriculum artifacts. Five primary themes emerged describing the teachers’ approach in relation to connected learning when co-designing and implementing the units, implying that effective data science instruction for elementary school students might be intentionally designed for student interests and experiences, be locally relevant, model and foster group work and peer collaboration, encourage student agency through production, and meld disciplinary standards and content with prior and new instructional practices. This research suggests connected learning can guide educators in planning and enacting data science units and lessons in elementary classrooms.

Developing multilingual awareness through engaging with the linguistic landscape: a transformative approach

ABSTRACT This study, located at a university in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, considers the potential of the linguistic landscape for developing multilingual awareness, i.e. a critical understanding of social information surrounding the use of languages. Taking the linguistic landscapes (LLs) as both pedagogical material and tool, it discusses an overview of a linguistic landscape course, focusing on recognition, inquiry-based exploration, and transformative learning. It also traces transformational learning in multilingual awareness by examining course plans, classroom practices, learners’ LLs interests, reflection journals, and field notes. Findings indicate that learners collected, analysed, and reflected upon multilingual LL, combining contextual and affective resources, transformative agency, and responsive courses of action. These resources become the means for initiating the transformation of selves and the social milieu and subsequently built multilingual awareness. These insights contribute to the multilingual development literature by offering a nuanced understanding of transformational learning concerning multilingual awareness and proposing strategies to support the development of multilingual awareness.

Flipped Classroom Model Combined with Problem-Based Learning: Increase Thinking Ability

The growing complexity of real-world problems has heightened the need for critical thinking skills in education, particularly in fields like statistical education. This study examines the integration of the Flipped Classroom (FC) model with Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to foster critical thinking among university students. Conducted at Bhineka University, the research involved 60 students divided into experimental (FC+PBL) and control (PBL-only) groups. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining pre-tests, post-tests, classroom observations, and reflective journals to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The experimental group participated in pre-class activities such as video lectures and quizzes, with in-class sessions focusing on collaborative problem-solving guided by PBL principles. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant improvement in critical thinking skills in the FC+PBL group compared to the PBL-only group (p < 0.001). Qualitative findings highlighted increased engagement, collaboration, and deeper inquiry among the experimental group. These results underscore the potential of integrating FC and PBL to create dynamic, student-centered learning environments that enhance critical thinking and prepare students to tackle complex challenges effectively

Structured mathematical modelling in an authentic scientific-engineering context

Abstract This study suggests the framing of structured mathematical modelling (MM) in an authentic scientific-engineering context. Taking a task design view, structure is maintained through inherent scaffolding for the dual purpose of preserving the authenticity of the extra-mathematical context and making the adaptations required to allow incorporation of the task into the duration of a regular lesson and within the full capacity of the curriculum. Participants were 23 secondary school novice mathematics teachers and two experts who possess extensive experience in MM task design. Research tools included a reflective diary filled in by the novice teachers throughout the design process, and a task design evaluation form that was filled in by the two expert designers. Both tools aimed at identifying MM task characteristics and the alignment of the designed structured MM tasks with the MM cycle phases. Findings show the presence of all the unique characteristics that underly a quality designed MM task, with relatively low presence of openness and high presence of accessibility and authenticity from the novice teachers’ point of view. The alignment with the MM cycle was further manifest in the designed tasks, with the validation phase as being less evident compared to the other MM phases. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed in the paper, indicating the sequentially-oriented process by which the structured MM tasks scaffold students through the MM cycle.

L2 Students’ Gradeless Assessment of Digital Multimodal Composing: Unlocking Multiliteracies Through Rubric-referenced Multisource Feedback

While a body of literature highlights the positive effects of digital multimodal composing (DMC) on second language (L2) writing, research into DMC assessment practices remains few and far between, particularly when scholars pay little attention to L2 learners’ perceptions towards DMC assessment. The current DMC assessment is largely confined to linguistic modes, leaving other multimodal semiotic modes almost unaddressed. This article, therefore, presents a learning-oriented assessment strategy to involve L2 writers in evaluating their digital storytelling videos through rubric-referenced multisource feedback. This gradeless DMC assessment practice encompasses three key features: (1) a tailored genre-based feedback sheet that provides students with standardized guidelines to deliver ungraded comments on their videos; (2) two hands-on workshops that offer foundational support and ‘just-in-time’ scaffolding for DMC creation and evaluation; and (3) the integration of self- and peer feedback, placing L2 students at the center to assess and reflect on their videos. The analysis of students’ group reflective journals, student-authored videos, and feedback sheets revealed that the rubric-referenced self- and peer feedback created a complementary process for DMC assessment. This approach facilitated the employment of cognitive and metacognitive strategies to self-regulate feedback and video revisions, promoted multimodal metalanguage development, and enhanced multiliteracies. Pedagogical implications for implementing multisource feedback to assess DMC in L2 contexts were discussed.

Employability, aspirations, and career resources: reflective diary insights from postgraduate international students

PurposeDrawing on sustainable career theory as a framework, our study aims to explore how Asian international students studying in a UK-based University Business School view their employability, career aspirations, and career resources.Design/methodology/approachA total of 128 participants provided 602 voice-recorded reflective diary insights over six weeks while studying a mandatory employability module in a postgraduate Master’s programme at a UK-based Russell Group University Business School. The reflective diary insights addressed employability (weeks 1 and 3), aspirations (weeks 2 and 5), and career resources (weeks 4 and 6). Thematic analysis was conducted before theme and code prevalence were counted to compare changes between the two time points for each topic.FindingsEmployability includes skills, experiences and qualifications (theme 1), challenges (theme 2), and career ownership (theme 3). Aspirations include intrinsic motivators (theme 4), extrinsic motivators (theme 5), and person-organisation fit (theme 6). Career resources include people (theme 7), knowledge (theme 8) and signalling (theme 9). Time influences the interplay of person and contextual dimensions across the two timespans with different effects between and within themes.Originality/valueTheoretically, our study advances the empirical validation of sustainable career theory, as well as integrating graduate employability and career development streams into higher education research. Methodologically, it underscores the underutilised potential of diary studies in the field. Practically, it offers insights for lecturers, university career advisors, and employers to holistically address the employability, aspirations, and career resources of international students.

Developing English Language Teachers’ Action Research Competencies Through an Exploratory Action Research Project

This article reports the impact of an exploratory action research (EAR) project on developing teachers’ action research competencies. Through various face-to-face and online activities, the project facilitated four English language teachers to conduct EAR in their teaching contexts. Qualitative data were collected through reflective journals and WhatsApp group chats. Data reveal that each participating teacher critically reflected on the teaching context, selected a research question, collected and interpreted evidence, designed and evaluated an action, and disseminated their research. The findings imply that teachers’ participation in EAR can develop their action-research competencies and ability to integrate teaching and research for their continuing professional development.

Co-producing a live fieldwork broadcast in the biosciences

Most live broadcast work in education operates with an expert to novice delivery mode, and in indoor settings such as surgical teaching environments. Those few examples of live broadcasts from outdoor locations have heavy resource requirements, limiting their uptake within Higher Education. Working with undergraduates in a students as partners approach, this research aims to test the feasibility of a low-cost and low-tech solution to co-produce a live fieldwork broadcast within the biosciences. The co-production partnership successfully produced a live broadcast from conception to delivery in 2022–2023 with three placement students and in 2023–2024 with two placement students and three mentors. The students were involved in all aspects of design, development, and delivery of the live fieldwork broadcast. A pocket wireless modem creates an outdoor wireless network with a mobile device and wireless microphones used to deliver the broadcast. Semi-structured interviews, student self-assessments, and a reflective researcher diary explored the impact of this approach to co-produce a live fieldwork broadcast. Enjoyable aspects of the placement identified were the opportunity for new experiences and a sense of achievement. The live fieldwork broadcast placement enabled the placement students to develop 28 skills, with 73% of skills identified by at least two of the placement students. Most skills developed were transferable (54% of student identified skills), including teamwork and project planning. The simple and low-cost technology used provides a solution to address the barriers of technology integration within fieldwork and offers insight into the experience of working in partnership during a live fieldwork broadcast.

Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ readiness for AI-integrated language instruction

ABSTRACT Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have created new opportunities in education. While existing research has largely focused on AI’s role in educational contexts and teachers’ perceptions of AI-supported learning, there remains a notable gap in understanding teachers’ readiness to integrate AI into their instructional practices. This study addresses this gap by exploring pre-service English language teachers’ (PELTs) readiness to incorporate AI into their future classrooms, specifically examining their confidence in using AI, attitudes towards AI, and perceived needs for training and support. The study involved nine PELTs enrolled at a state university in Türkiye and employed a qualitative methodology. Data were collected through reflective journals and semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was used to identify key findings. Results revealed that PELTs generally hold positive attitudes towards AI-supported education but emphasize the need for targeted training and additional support to implement AI effectively in their teaching practices. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing AI-related training programs for pre-service teachers to facilitate the integration of AI in education. Future research with larger and more diverse samples is recommended to validate these results and provide robust insights for policymaking and curriculum development.

Cultivating resilience through a community of inquiry: how academic emotions impact the professional growth of pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT This research investigates the academic emotions of pre-service primary school teachers in Hong Kong and the influence of these emotions on professional resilience. It can inform the development of teacher education programmes that address holistic emotional competencies. Applying the community of inquiry (CoI) framework as a conceptual lens, we focused on the cognitive, social and teaching presence of seven first-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education students. Data were collected through reflective journals and interviews and subjected to thematic analysis. We adopted an interpretivist paradigm and used the CoI framework as a scaffold to identify themes related to cognitive, social and teaching presence. The qualitative analysis indicated that the participants’ practicum experiences were characterised by the complex interplay of the three forms of presence, which contributed to professional growth and resilience. They encountered cognitive challenges that elicited strong emotional responses, found strength in their social connections and received guidance from experienced teachers. This study provides valuable insights for teachers, policymakers and teacher educators who aim to enhance support systems and foster professional resilience among pre-service teachers.

How do we build and sustain a teacher community? The case of Korean language teachers

ABSTRACT The current study explores how teachers create, engage in, and sustain a teacher community utilizing collaborative self-study. By articulating and sharing the teachers’ experiences on the process of building and sustaining a teacher community, we aim to develop a critical understanding of what constitutes a teacher community and what factors contribute to its sustainability. Specifically, we ask 1) how do teachers describe their experiences using collaborative self-study to build a teacher community? and 2) what are the characteristics that contribute to a sustainable teacher community? The participants were four Korean language teachers in an intensive summer program at a university in the U.S. Data were gathered from group discussions, observations, reflective journals, and interviews. The findings indicate that teacher-oriented process and woori culture contributed to building a strong teacher community and are crucial factors for maintaining a sustainable practice in the field.

The Heart of Teaching: Can Empathy-Focused CPD Elevates Tutoring?

This study aims to explore how a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme focused on empathy-based pedagogy can influence the teaching practices of private tutors, with a particular focus on enhancing social-emotional learning (SEL) and student well-being. Given the critical role private tutors play in the academic and emotional development of students, the research seeks to fill the gap in professional development opportunities that support empathy-driven teaching approaches. The methodology used for this qualitative case study includes semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and reflective journaling to collect data on how private tutors perceive and implement empathy-based strategies. The study was conducted at a private tutoring centre, with a focus on understanding the challenges tutors face when applying empathy-based pedagogy and how these strategies impact student engagement and interactions. The findings suggest that empathy-based CPD has a transformative effect on tutors' teaching practices. It enhances their ability to foster stronger student-teacher relationships, create more supportive learning environments, and improve student engagement. Tutors reported that the programme helped them develop greater emotional awareness and communication skills, which in turn positively influenced their students' academic and social development. However, the research is limited by its focus on a single tutoring centre, which may affect the generalisability of the findings to other contexts. Additionally, the study’s reliance on qualitative data means that further quantitative research could be beneficial to corroborate the results.

Unpacking teacher beliefs on feedback: shaping multifaceted teacher feedback literacy

Although the importance of teacher feedback literacy in enhancing student feedback literacy is recognized, the influence of teacher beliefs on teacher feedback literacy at the classroom level remains uncertain. This study aimed to address this issue by examining twenty-two educators’ beliefs in Hong Kong universities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. Thematic analysis revealed four distinct patterns of teacher beliefs: knowledge-oriented, social learning, relationship-building, and technology-mediated feedback beliefs. Teachers with a knowledge-oriented approach position themselves as authoritative figures, emphasizing their expertise and focusing on evaluating students’ performance based on assessment criteria. Those endorsing social learning feedback beliefs highlight the collaborative efforts of peers in enhancing feedback literacy through discussions and reviews. Educators with relationship-building feedback beliefs prioritize supportive interpersonal relationships to alleviate learner anxiety through teacher–student conferences. Lastly, teachers with technology-mediated feedback beliefs leverage technology for efficient feedback exchanges and promote AI tools for evaluating student drafts. While these belief patterns are distinct, each participant holds at least two feedback belief patterns, prioritizing one set over the others. The implications of these findings for teacher development in feedback literacy are discussed.

Self-imposed pressure or joyful learning: emotions of Chinese as a foreign language learners in feedback on academic writing.

Although writing feedback is widely believed to elicit a range of emotions, studies on the emotional experiences of L2 students with this teaching and learning tool, as well as their regulation strategies, remain largely underexplored. Drawing on the analytical framework of academic emotions from the perspective of positive psychology, this study examines two Chinese as foreign language (CFL) students' emotional reactions to their teacher's oral and written feedback and their emotion regulation strategies. The main data includes interviews, retrospective oral reports, students' reflection journals, academic writings, and teacher feedback. The study found that feedback aroused students' academic achievement emotions, cognitive emotions, and social emotions across various dimensions of valence and activation. Over the course of three feedback processes within one semester, the two learners' emotions gradually became neutral or positive. They effectively employed emotion-oriented, appraisal-oriented, and situation-oriented strategies to manage negative emotions and adapt to feedback. The findings suggest that paying attention to the intrinsic values of feedback may help learners experience more positive academic emotions, while paying too much attention to its extrinsic values may lead to negative emotions.

Teacher Education in the Age of Digitality: Conclusions From a Design‐Based Research Project

ABSTRACTIn response to the essential need for digital competences in education, a 3‐year Design‐Based Research project was conducted to prepare pre‐service mathematics and science teachers for the demands of teaching in the digital age. Over three design cycles, an evidence‐based course design for teaching and learning with and about digital media was developed. The interactions of 37 pre‐service teachers with the course design were examined using a mixed‐methods approach. Acceptance surveys, pre‐, mid‐, post‐surveys and reflection journals informed iterative phases of refinement. This article presents global project findings and derives contributions to context‐specific theories about teaching and learning with and about digital media. From this, key implications for higher (teacher) education are discussed, such as the use of scaffolds and teaching vignettes to promote self‐efficacy expectations for implementing digital data acquisition and the use of the SAMR model as a scaffold for planning digitally transformed lessons.

From coffee shops to online platforms: students’ construction of and experiences in multiple higher education learning spaces

ABSTRACT Learning space has expanded to spaces outside the traditional classroom, such as public transport, cafés, or parks, where students can easily engage in learning activities. In order to understand whether students use classrooms outside class time, where their learning takes place, why, when, and with whom, students’ experiences should be at the forefront of the inquiry. This study is among the first that attempts to understand students’ experiences of learning spaces in a non-Western higher education context. Data collected from weekly reflective journals and interviews with 10 university students sheds light on their engagement with multiple learning spaces in their everyday life, and their navigation of and their transitions between formal, timetabled and informal, non-timetabled learning spaces. The paper reveals the way personal space is carved from public space and personal time for learning, and how learning involves students’ arrangements to take advantage of different spaces for educational purposes.

The Scholarly Notebook: A Qualitative Investigation of Students` Academic Journaling Practices in Higher Education

This qualitative research delved into how postgraduate students, in two Higher educational institutions from South Africa utilise academic journaling techniques for their studies and personal development purposes. Using qualitative methods, the study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with fifteen participants code-named S1 to S15. Data analysis uncovered four major themes indicating four groups of journaling practices used by the participants. The four major themes included: academic journaling, reflective journaling, digital journaling, and creative journaling. Participants indicated that academic journaling techniques were used to record coursework and research experiences, while reflective journaling was employed to capture personal growth and emotional well-being throughout their learning journey. Concerning the theme of digital journaling, data revealed that some students opted for digital platforms such, as Microsoft OneNote and Google Docs over the traditional pen-and-paper method, for documenting their experiences. Moreover, the theme of creative journal writing suggested that many participants integrated written reflections, with components and innovative methods by employing tools like markers, stickers, and sketches to document their experiences. The findings from this research contribute to our understanding of how graduate students incorporate journal writing practices to support their academic development, in university settings.