Reflective Conversation Research Articles

Conversation circles – an inventive way to talk about and address migratory related mental health

Abstract Refugees in European countries face psychological stressors stemming from pre-, peri- and post-migration experiences. In Sweden, a mental health promotion program for newly settled refugees “Ways Forward - After the escape”, was tried out to mitigate the consequences of negative migratory experiences. The program included training of course leaders and implementation of conversation circles for participants, i.e., short in-depth courses for smaller groups led by a trained leader. The objective of the program was to equip civic communicators working within the Introduction program for refugees with the necessary skills to lead conversation circles on mental health in cities in the south of Sweden. During 2020-2023, 43 course leaders were trained and 55 refugees participated in conversation circles. The course leader training included 50 hours of training on themes of the program “Ways Forward”; health and well-being, loss and identity, grief and forgiveness, reconciliation and acceptance, stress and stress management, trauma and trauma-conscious care. The conversation circles for participants were given in 3-hour modules x 10 occasions. 1. How did the course leaser perceive the utility of the training for their work with the target group? 2. In what ways has the intervention assisted the participants in navigating their mental and well-being in Sweden? The results showed that course leaders acquired new knowledge and practical skills and tools to lead reflective conversations about mental health related to migration. Participants reported a higher awareness of mental health issues, less stigma, trying out new coping techniques and increased motivation to seek help. Short training courses for civic communicators on migratory mental health increased knowledge and gave new skills and tools to lead conversation circles. Newly settled refugees reported higher awareness, new tools and less stigma to talk about mental health following participation in conversation circles. Key messages • Short training courses on mental health related to migration increased knowledge and gave new skills and tools to lead conversation circles. • Newly settled refugees reported higher awareness, new tools and less stigma to talk about mental health following participation in conversation circles.

Using Psychophysiological Data to Facilitate Reflective Conversations with Children about their Player Experiences

Given the ubiquity of videogame play by children, concerns about the impacts of videogames, and increasing evidence of the benefits associated with digital play, it is important to evaluate the player experience (pX) of children. Moreover, it is essential to include children's voices in research about technologies designed for their use. However, eliciting rich, first-hand data on their experiences and perspectives is challenging because it requires children to articulate opinions in a pre-established context of general positivity towards games, alongside potential social desirability bias. In this paper, we present a methodology which uses children's psychophysiology as a prompt for reflective interviews, with two commercial off-the-shelf computer games (Rocket League and LEGO Builder's Journey). We consider the utility, reproducibility, reliability and validity of the method. In assessing the method, we discuss children's experience of wearing the sensors, the insights generated from the psychophysiological data, and the understanding that emerged when prompting children to reflect and comment on their own psychophysiological data.

Catalysts for Change: The Impact of Reflective Conversations on Leaders' Hope and Change-Oriented Behaviors.

How can leaders effectively navigate challenges and drive positive change in the workplace? This research introduces reflective conversations as a powerful catalyst for leaders' change-oriented initiatives. Integrating transformative learning theory and hope theory, we suggest that reflective conversations improve leaders' sense of hope and subsequently facilitate their transformational leadership and creative behaviors. We further introduce hardships (Study 1) and relationship quality (Studies 2 and 3) as key boundary conditions. We conducted a content validation study to validate our measure of reflection conversation and further conducted two experience sampling studies and one online experiment to test the transformational power of daily reflective conversations. The results reveal that when leaders experience hardships or have high-quality relationships with others, reflective conversations can be a powerful force in terms of fueling their sense of hope and inspiring them to exercise transformational leadership and creative behaviors.

Ka ara ake te akoranga i te whenua: Perspectives from the classroom and the field

Teachers can respond to the climate crisis through deliberate choices about what and how to teach. We suggest that, for history teachers, this requires stepping outside traditional topics that often focus on political change. Instead, they need to select contexts for learning that illustrate how global forces of colonisation impact the ecology of local places and how iwi and hapū resist these changes. While this learning can begin in the classroom, it is not enough on its own. Wherever possible, teachers and students need to head into the field, alongside mana whenua. Furthermore, when this learning is consolidated by place-based projects that centre an Indigenous kaupapa, students become more active agents of change with a deep connection to the whenua. We share some of our experiences through excerpts from a reflective conversation between the three of us, two secondary school teachers and their student.

Using simulation scenarios and a debriefing structure to promote feedback skills among interprofessional team members in clinical practice

BackgroundTeam reflexivity and peer feedback in daily clinical work can improve patient safety. However, teams do not always engage in reflection after patient care. A reason could be that team members may lack skills in engaging in team reflection. This study explores the use of interprofessional team-based simulations to encourage and equip teams for reflective conversations in the real-world clinical practice.MethodsThis was a prospective, explorative study of team members’ perceptions of the use of in situ simulation-based scenarios with critically ill patient cases to train team-based reflections and peer feedback. The study took place in two neurological wards. Prior to the intervention, a 1-day observation in each ward and semi-structured short interviews with physicians and nurses were conducted.ResultsA total of 94 staff members, 57 nurses, 8 nurse assistants and 29 physicians participated in the in situ simulation scenarios. All team members showed appreciation of the safe learning environment. The authors found that the simulations and the debriefing structure provided an opportunity for training of team reflexivity and feedback. The team members evaluated the simulation-based training very positively, and their initial reaction indicated that they found peer feedback useful for the individual and the team. This approach allowed them to reflect on their own clinical practice.ConclusionThe simulation-based training scenarios and the debriefing structure promoted team members’ team reflexivity and peer feedback skills. The method is feasible and could be used in other specialties and situations.The team members’ reactions to feedback were positive, and based on their reflections, there is a potential to increase both individual and team skills as well as improve patient treatment.

Further Reflective Conversations: Medical Library Usage in the Context of Career Transition

ABSTRACT This article is a literature driven reflection about a radiologist’s experience of using health libraries in England’s National Health Service, as a consultant after returning from a Clinical Fellowship in New Zealand. It is a collaboration between a Consultant Interventional Radiologist and two Academic Librarians. It attempts to reflect on the lived experience of the radiologist and locate that experience within the wider Library and Information Science (LIS) context. Findings include new suggestions about how librarians can support staff in career transition and apply their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic to forge pragmatic relationships within the health care community.

Emotional expressivity and self-regulation as indicators of social emotions in older preschool children: Evaluating the effectiveness of development

Introduction. The article presents a theoretical analysis of the main ideas on the problem of social emotions and social competence in the context of the development of self-regulation and interaction skills, as well as the role of parents in this process. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the effectiveness of the development of certain indicators of social emotions in older preschool children, such as emotional expressivity and self–regulation, using an innovative method of reflective conversation. Materials and Methods. A narrative approach was used as a methodological basis of the study. The main research methods comprise the analysis of scholarly literature devoted to the problem of the development of social emotions in older preschool children; as well as evaluation methods, including observation (V. M. Kholmogorova and E. O. Smirnova’s ‘Primary orientation in children s’ relationships’), testing (R. M. Chumicheva’s inventory for determining the ability of a 3-7-year-old child to assess mental states of another person), situation analysis, the method of reflexive conversation, as well as methods of statistical data processing (criterion φ – Fisher angular transformation). 68 preschoolers participated in the study. Results. The authors substantiate that the study of emotional expression and regulation of emotions of older preschool children is significant for understanding and choosing techniques for developing appropriate interactive skills. The relationship between the socio-emotional competence of older preschool children and reflective conversation has been determined. It has been proven that children’s ability to regulate their own emotions contributes to increasing their overall social competence. As a result of comparing the data of primary and secondary assessment of the experimental and control groups according to the indicators established: assessment of the mental states of another person, initiative, sensitivity to peer influences and the prevailing emotional background, significant differences were revealed. Conclusions. The experimental study of the influence of reflexive conversation on the development of social emotions and skills of emotional self-regulation allowed us to establish a causal relationship between indicators of socio-emotional competence and the constructive algorithm for conducting reflexive conversation. The study concludes that reflective conversations contribute to the development of emotional expressivity and self-regulation as indicators of social emotions in older preschool children.

Anxious boys and girls under the teacher’s radar: Students’ perceptions of academic problems and help in compulsory school

ABSTRACT Anxiety adversely impacts boys’ and girls’ mental health. We assessed agreement on student anxiousness in 390 student and teacher reports from first to 10th grade. Of 67 self-reported anxious students, 56 (83.6%) were unrecognized by the teacher. Next, we explored classroom-related characteristics of anxious and unseen students in logistic regression. Multivariable analyses showed perceptions of being bothered in class to be typical for boys, whereas loneliness was most dominant for anxious and unseen girls. Lastly, we explored the influence of specific academic problems and teacher help. Dissatisfaction with teacher help and perceived problems in mathematics characterized girls, whereas boys reported problems with writing, mathematics, and English. However, it is worth noting that perceived teacher help lessened burdens of academic problems for anxious and unseen students. We discuss possible reasons for the large proportion of unseen anxiousness and suggest that reflective conversations among teachers may increase their attentiveness and engagement.

Managers’ sociocognitive conflicts in collaborative learning

ABSTRACT Despite extensive research on collaborative learning and sociocognitive conflict, its impact on executive education and managers’ learning is less understood. This study addresses this gap by identifying the manifestations and topics of verbalised sociocognitive conflicts and reflective collaborative discussions in managers’ collaborative small-group learning settings. The research material comprises approximately 40.5 hours of video recordings from three separate small groups. This video material was analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis, guided by prior collaborative learning research, focusing on the role of sociocognitive conflict. Various forms of challenging as manifestations of verbalised sociocognitive conflicts were identified in the small-group setting at both the group and structural and individual and peer levels. The study demonstrates how managers’ discussions evolve from sociocognitive conflict to reflective conversations fostering collaborative learning, highlighting the crucial role of these conflicts in managers’ learning. Theoretical implications provide insights into how sociocognitive conflict evolves into collaborative learning in managers’ education, suggesting insights for further research. This study has practical implications for developing collaborative learning and executive education for managers by leveraging sociocognitive conflicts.

Computational thinking in primary mathematics classroom activities

The integration of computational thinking (CT) into primary education is often facilitated using one or more CT tools, such as block-based programming environments and educational robotics. A major concern is that these CT tools often are used to design mathematics classroom activities that focus on CT at the expense of mathematics. Hence, there is a need to investigate more closely how CT tools can be used in primary mathematics classroom activities in ways that enable a stronger focus on the learning of mathematics. Using information ecology as a theoretical lens, this study aims to understand how and why CT tools are integrated into primary mathematics classrooms, and how teachers value the possible contributions of such tools. We draw on multiple interviews with two primary teachers, recordings of planning sessions where classroom activities that include CT were designed, the classroom implementations themselves, and reflective conversations with the teachers after the CT tools were integrated in their mathematics classrooms. A deductive analytical approach to our data revealed that (1) CT tools, to varying degrees, facilitate the learning of mathematics; (2) some CT tools were valued by teachers as a better ‘fit’ than others; and (3) CT tools are primarily used to support the learning of geometry, excluding other mathematical domains. Based on these findings, we suggest that there is a need for more research on the use of different CT tools and their role in the learning of primary mathematics. Moreover, more research is needed to understand how CT tools can be used in topics other than geometry.

Blended Learning And Lab Reform: Self-Paced Sotl And Reflecting On Student Learning

As part of a large exercise physiology laboratory (lab) reform project, we used blended learning to support graduate teaching assistants and lab technicians in developing their pedagogical knowledge and create an entry point to reflective conversations about teaching and learning. Because self-paced asynchronous online modules can enable reflective and self-determined learning, this asynchronous professional development course is punctuated with reflective questions for the instructional team preparing to teach reformed exercise physiology labs. Asynchronous course content was shared via short videos, podcasts, and readings. We debriefed this self-paced, SoTL-informed course together, in-person. This social debriefing kicked off our weekly synchronous reflective conversations about teaching and learning in a community of practice. Developing a shared language for talking about teaching, enabling student learning, practicing effective teaching, and beginning to contemplate teaching philosophies were described by graduate teaching assistants as notable aspects of this blended learning journey. Lab technicians described discovering SoTL and discussing learning challenges as helpful to their teaching.

Metamaterial terahertz device with temperature regulation function that can achieve perfect absorption and complete reflection conversion of ultrawideband

The field of terahertz devices is important in terahertz technology. However, most of the current devices have limited functionality and poor performance. To improve device performance and achieve multifunctionality, we designed a terahertz device based on a combination of VO2 and metamaterials. This device can be tuned using the phase-transition characteristics of VO2, which is included in the triple-layer structure of the device, along with SiO2 and Au. The terahertz device exhibits various advantageous features, including broadband coverage, high absorption capability, dynamic tunability, simple structural design, polarization insensitivity, and incident-angle insensitivity. The simulation results showed that by controlling the temperature, the terahertz device achieved a thermal modulation range of spectral absorption from 0 to 0.99. At 313 K, the device exhibited complete reflection of terahertz waves. As the temperature increased, the absorption rate also increased. When the temperature reached 353 K, the device absorption rate exceeded 97.7% in the range of 5–8.55 THz. This study used the effective medium theory to elucidate the correlation between conductivity and temperature during the phase transition of VO2. Simultaneously, the variation in device performance was further elucidated by analyzing and depicting the intensity distribution of the electric field on the device surface at different temperatures. Furthermore, the impact of various structural parameters on device performance was examined, offering valuable insights and suggestions for selecting suitable parameter values in real-world applications. These characteristics render the device highly promising for applications in stealth technology, energy harvesting, modulation, and other related fields, thus showcasing its significant potential.

30 Years of Advancing the Field of Education Abroad: Reflections and New Directions for Frontiers

We used several reflection processes to assess where we are currently as a field and journal and to chart our future directions. First, after a SWOT analysis, the Editorial Board divided itself into three working groups, reflecting on the focus, organization, and quality of our work. Each made recommendations and brought them back for discussion with the full Board. Also, we invited a group of Visiting Distinguished Editorial Fellows to join us as action editors for a number of submissions whose review process had been complicated by the pandemic and editorial transition, and to come together for a reflective conversation on what they noticed and would like to see more of based on their long histories in the field. There were many parallel themes between this conversation and those of the Editorial Board working groups, which led us to plan several changes for our journal. Our consensus is that moving forward, we would like to support more robust engagement with the existing literature, rigorous methodologies, critical interdisciplinary thought pieces, and clearly articulated relevance to practice.

Practical methods for aerial image acquisition and reflectance conversion using consumer-grade cameras on manned and unmanned aircraft

Practical methods for aerial image acquisition and reflectance conversion using consumer-grade cameras on manned and unmanned aircraft

Supporting Coaches to Learn Through and From Their Everyday Experiences: A 1:1 Coach Development Workflow for Performance Sport

This paper overviews an intensive 1:1 coach development workflow developed and used in U.K. performance and high-performance sport. The workflow has been field tested with over 60 coaches in mainly Olympic and Paralympic settings in a variety of sports. The workflow proposes six main stages: “beginning new relationships,” “seeking first to understand,” “preparing for reflective conversations,” “engaging in reflective conversations,” “working with difference,” and “supporting change.” The stages are tailored pragmatically to context, and the workflow does not suggest a fixed sequence. The application of the workflow requires adaptive expertise based on considerable coach development experience and a breadth and depth of coaching and coach development knowledge. The workflow suggests the need for coach developers to build and support trusting, collaborative, and supportive relationships with the coach, as a foundation for the coach development task. Coach development practices and the workflow are continually being developed and refined in a U.K. context, and future work will provide case studies, evidence of outcomes, and refinements to the work.

REFLECTIVE NARRATIVE OF A PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT MIDWIFE

REFLECTIVE NARRATIVE OF A PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT MIDWIFE

Becoming a Collaborative Scholar: A Metalogue

In this article, the three authors, each of whom has been collaborating in various ways with practitioners for over 40 years, engage in a metalogue to explore their experiences of engaging in collaborative research. A metalogue is a reflective conversation whereby the mode of conversation mirrors the topic being discussed. In this illustration of a metalogue, the authors explore how they have developed as collaborative scholars. Both in the respective stories and in the metalogue the themes of being in a space of not-knowing, relevance and relationships emerged. The article offers an account of how the authors grew into their respective collaborative scholarship approaches, the key themes that emerged and of the metalogue process as a method for shared reflection on the practice of scholarship.

Interconnectedness, place and growth: a visual essay on transformative learning

In this visual essay, personal growth, experienced by the authors, is explored and communicated through combined images and words. A theoretical framework – that of Mezirow’s (1994. “Understanding transformation theory.” Adult Education Quarterly 44 (4): 222–232) transformative learning – is adapted to structure the essay, and images communicate the transformative growth experienced by the four authors through involvement in a transnational education project. Images were all taken in Bruges, a significant place for all the authors in respect to interconnectedness and growth. Bruges was the location for the culmination of the transnational project, and was a new place to all authors before their involvement in the project. Images are accompanied by captions to add a layer of meaning, but neither image nor caption is truly narrative and represents the growth experienced, rather than illustrating the activities of the project. A reflective conversation, held in Bruges, provided the captions. The visual essay provides a reflection of the interconnectedness between place, experience, growth, words and image.

The use of critical communicative methodology as a collaborative research approach to enhance co-creation of inclusive practices in schools

ABSTRACT This paper explores the use of Critical Communicative Methodology (CCM) as a collaborative research approach to co-construct knowledge with participants in a research project aimed to enhance the inclusion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in three mainstream schools in England. The paper discusses how collaboration between researchers and research participants (i.e. school staff, parents and students), based on egalitarian dialogue, created knowledge co-construction through the use of reflective conversations, communicative focus groups and communicative observations. By describing the design of the project and reflecting on the decisions taken with the participants, the paper highlights how CCM supported the researchers and the participants in reconsidering their assumptions towards inclusive practices. The paper also shows how the generation of qualitative findings with the participants led to the co-creation of a toolkit to improve the services schools provide to students with SEND and their families. The main ethical issues, the unique role of CCM, and challenges in its implementation are discussed. It is concluded that CCM can enhance inclusive practices in an inclusive way based on egalitarian dialogue between academic- and practice-based knowledge co-construction.

Supervisors’ guidance of PETE students’ reflections at practicum: creating conditions for different learning journeys

ABSTRACT Physical education teacher education (PETE) students’ reflections on their practicums are influenced by how their supervisors guide them. Supervisors often evaluate and discuss PETE students’ teaching by guiding their focus on essential aspects to consider. This exploratory case study focuses on how supervisors’ guiding styles in reflective conversations affect how PETE students make meaning of their teaching. Reflective practitioners, in this case PETE students, make sense of practical situations from their own perspectives as part of their teaching practice. Supervisors’ guidance is essential here, because it can change PETE students’ understanding by (re)directing their attention to meaningful aspects when framing their teaching and help them to examine it from new perspectives. However, the findings indicate that supervisors’ various guidance affect how PETE students experience their learning journeys during practicum. In this study, the participating PETE students’ experiences of practicum differed: either they experienced a controlled journey that restricted their teaching due to predefined rules and condemning attitude toward pupils, or they experienced an adventurous journey that enabled them to find their own paths as a teachers.