Reflective Essay Research Articles

A Study on the Effects of Reflective Writing of a College Essay Contest : Focusing on Interviews with Award-winning Students

A Study on the Effects of Reflective Writing of a College Essay Contest : Focusing on Interviews with Award-winning Students

Reflective Writing Competence in Explanation, Application, Reflection (EAR) Learning Strategy and its Correlation to Academic Performance in English

Reflective writing enables students to determine and express the link between academic lectures and personal experiences. The education sector has been highly integrating reflection into the development of higher-order thinking among learners through various learning strategies. With these, this study aimed to find out if an existing institutional reflective writing strategy has a relationship with the academic performance of students in English, a subject commonly targeting the attainment of writing competencies. A quantitative-correlational research method was used in this study that specifically evaluated the reflective written outputs of random Grade 12 students. A modified and validated reflective writing tool was used in such evaluation. Statistical analysis of the results implies that the reflective writing competence of students may influence their academic performance. On this basis, it is recommended to develop a standardized evaluation instrument to properly and objectively guide the students on utilizing reflections with the enhancement of their academic competencies.

“A life-changing experience and the beginning of a lifelong commitment”: experiences and impact of Global Health Community Service-Learning in undergraduate dental curriculum in Canada

BackgroundGlobal Health Community Service-Learning (GHCSL) can have a profound professional and personal impact on learners. This pedagogy provides understanding of unfamiliar environments and challenges learners to step out of their comfort zones, adapt to new cultures, and navigate unique situations. Yet, there are relatively few studies exploring the experiences of learners participating in community service-learning placements in global regions as part of undergraduate dental curriculum. This study aimed to explore the experiences and impact of the GHCSL program in East Africa among undergraduate dental learners at the Schulich School of Dentistry.MethodsEight undergraduate dental learners were enrolled in GHCSL pilot placements. Placement agreements were established with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and the University of Rwanda in Kigali, Rwanda for the summer of 2022. Stakeholders from both institutions were engaged in the development and implementation of these placements. Learners were required to engage in weekly reflection through a ‘storytelling and incident-based narrative’ while carrying out their placement. A qualitative study design was employed, and an inductive interpretive approach was utilized to thematically analyze the learners’ reflective essays.ResultsFive major themes emerged from the learners’ reflective essays: (1) experiential clinical learning; (2) cultural humility and social awareness; (3) awareness of contrasting healthcare systems; (4) commitment to service; and (5) personal and professional growth. Most learners reflected on their engagement with diverse communities, being exposed to unique patient cases, and witnessing the adaptability exuded in resource-constrained environments. These experiences presented the learners with an opportunity to develop cultural humility and gain a newfound motivation to mitigate global oral health disparities in populations beyond that of their local communities. Learners also reflected on enhanced social awareness experiences and the awareness of contrasting healthcare systems in Canada and their placements, which encouraged the development of empathy, communication, and compassion skills, as well as an understanding of the disproportionate burden of conditions in low-resource settings.ConclusionThe reflective essays concluded that the GHCSL placements had a positive impact on the learners, encouraging many to develop a heightened desire for lifelong learning to address oral health disparities within a global context.

How context shapes international English teachers’ TPACK in reflective writings in online training

This study explores how the individual contexts of 146 international English teachers influence their TPACK developed in a Global Online Course (GOC). Employing an explanatory sequential design, the study investigates how teachers evaluated a technologically mediated collaborative writing task in ways revealing their likelihood of TPACK adoption in future pedagogy. Our findings show that teachers from different countries described similar intersections of TPACK shaped by micro situational contexts, seen in evaluations of classroom actions and practices. However, discourse analysis indicates that teachers from different regions differed in evaluating their own and students’ behavior and reactions to TPK, with some teachers not maximizing the affordances of Google Docs. This study provides new avenues for directly understanding how context shapes teachers’ forms of TPACK via analyzing reflective writing.

Reimagining chronic pain management: the case for integrated care in India

PurposeThe viewpoint essay focusses on the significance of integrated care (IC) for chronic pain in India, in an attempt to reflect on how pain management and care can be made more accessible and available to patients.Design/methodology/approachThis reflective essay invites looking at chronic pain beyond biomedical perspectives. Insights from the medical humanities and the social sciences are used to emphasise chronic pain as a psychosocial and socio-political phenomenon and not just a biomedical category.FindingsThe essay argues that there are several challenges and barriers to the recognition and validation of chronic pain as a speciality.Originality/valueIC has not received sufficient attention in the Indian context, where medical curricula and training do not sufficiently include an understanding of the multi-faceted aspects surrounding chronic pain. By highlighting the role of humanistic approaches to effectively bridge the gap, this viewpoint essay illustrates the significance of drawing on an integrated or holistic healthcare framework.

An Interactive Electronic Program Based on the Aesthetic Approach for Developing Reflective Writing Skills Among Secondary School Students

An Interactive Electronic Program Based on the Aesthetic Approach for Developing Reflective Writing Skills Among Secondary School Students

Learning professionalism using creativity and diversity concepts

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Professionalism is a multidimensional sociocultural construct that is abstract, evolving and context-dependent in nature. This has made the teaching and assessment of professionalism in healthcare complex and challenging. A lack of professionalism can increase patient risk and litigation. Background This article examines group creativity and diversity across healthcare and non-healthcare disciplines and how they can assist students in constructing their own understandings and knowledge of professionalism. It is proposed that linking professionalism to creativity will improve understanding on how to help students studying healthcare learn about professionalism better. Methods A total of 30 students from different tertiary levels and across disciplines participated in the study. They explored either a gallery or museum and examined an artefact relating to professionalism. Learning experiences were evaluated via survey results and thematic analyses of their reflective essays and semi-structured interviews. Results Participants reported increased understanding of professionalism and appreciation of perspectives and skills of others. The creative aspect of the task was fun and engaging, and group diversity enabled different opinions and perspectives to be heard and shared. This is analogous to a professional working environment. Themes generated from the essays were: (a) intrinsic motivation, (b) diversity, (c) learnings of professionalism, and (d) challenge encountered. Conclusion The results of this research make a meaningful contribution to existing literature by empirically demonstrating that students from different disciplines could better construct their own understandings of professionalism when their learning activities were performed in an authentically creative and diverse setting. This educational concept is underpinned by diverse types of creativities that are not mutually exclusive. It is hoped that this first piece of evidence will stimulate more studies on utilising group creativity and diversity in healthcare education.

Challenging agricultural norms and diversifying actors: Building transformative public policy for equitable food systems

Food systems governance regimes have long been spaces of “thick legitimacy” (Montenegro de Wit & Iles, 2016), where embedded norms benefit pro­duc­tivist agricultural practices. Within governance regimes, the science-policy interface and the scien­tists who occupy this space are integral in today’s public policy processes. Often treated as objective science, technical disciplines have become a power­ful source of legitimatizing in decision making. Without the contextualization of lived experience or diverse ways of knowing, these siloed spaces can lead policymakers towards an action bias (e.g., a rush to short-term solutions) that neglects the underlying causes and concerns of our current crises. Current governance arrangements in the science-policy interface demonstrate the bias toward technical science (e.g. economics) and short-term solutions. However, by challenging productivist agriculture norms reformed public policy processes may shift from a space of repres­sion to one of possibility. This reform can happen through investigatiing dominant actor coalitions and identifying tools to reconfigure these power arrangements. Public policy theory, such as the advocacy coalition framework (ACF), helps organ­ize relations within current agricultural policy arenas. The work of practitioners and other disci­plines offer tools that can support transformative action by food systems advocates in the pursuit of changing the way public policy is made. In part, understanding how power is organized and who may influence policy processes is critical to change. This reflective essay ends with tools and strategies for those wishing to engage governments in this shift. The proposed tools and strategies focus on how people (e.g. policy champions), processes (e.g. policy leverage points), and partnerships (e.g. ally­ship) generate ways in which advocates can, and do, engage governments in transformative change.

Empowering Medical Education: Unveiling the Impact of Reflective Writing and Tailored Assessment on Deep Learning.

Reflective thinking offers learners insight and encourages deeper understanding by leveraging past experiences. This study explores the impact of reflective writing, a self-assessment tool, on undergraduate medical students. The focus is on training students using author-specific reflection rubrics based on Moon's model. A mixed-methods study involving 32 volunteered students undertaking an interactive 3-hour session on reflective thinking and writing (RT&W). 19 students submitted reflections, which were self-graded by students and two faculties independently. The perceptions of students were gathered through questionnaires and focus group discussions. The analysis was done using the mean, inter-class correlational coefficient, and thematic analysis. Inter-rater reliability and inter-class correlation coefficient for reflective writing rubric scores was 63.2%, i.e. below the acceptable threshold. Cronbach's Alpha for the learner perception questionnaire was 0.90. The outcome of the student's perception questionnaire recognized the value of reflective writing in terms of professional skills enhancement (4.83±0.39) and improvement after feedback (4.17±0.72). However, satisfaction with overall training was comparatively lower (2.5±0.52). Focus group discussions revealed six themes. Reflective writing enhances the learning outcomes, deepens understanding, and refines judgment. The author-specific reflection rubric, though reliable, warrants empirical validation with a larger and more diverse participant pool. Undergraduate programs should prioritize mastery of reflection and meta-cognitive learning approaches to optimize educational outcomes.

Small Island Risks: Research Reflections for Disaster Anthropologists and Climate Ethnographers

Disasters and climate-related events, including tropical storms, droughts, coastal erosion, and ocean acidification, threaten small island nations. Given the urgency of reducing disaster risks and the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations, this reflection essay pursues three objectives. First, it highlights the role of anthropology, ethnography, and multi-sited research in exploring disaster impacts, climate crises, and public policy in island communities. It then highlights national planning and inter-regional activities to build awareness of various risk reduction efforts by island nations and multi-governmental organizations. This article concludes with discussion prompts to engage researchers, scholars, students, and practitioners studying and working in small island nations. Due to the growing interest in climate equity and justice, this paper argues that anthropologists can offer valuable methodologies and approaches to develop transdisciplinary and nuanced insights into researching disaster risk reduction efforts and climate policy networks in and across island nations.

Empowering Reflection and Reflective Writing in Medical Education

Reflection and reflective writing serve as integral components in medical education. They enable students to delve deeper into their experiences, fostering a profound understanding of clinical scenarios and patient interactions, nurturing self-awareness, critical thinking, and empathy. The term “reflection” carries multiple interpretations, all encapsulating the concept of understanding oneself and the surrounding environment to inform future behavior. In the realm of medical education, both students and medical teachers encounter challenges in navigating reflective practices, necessitating guidance and support throughout the process. Effective reflection between students and medical teachers in clinical settings requires adept navigation through potential difficulties in open discussions and managing the emotional impact. To address these challenges, medical teachers must possess heightened self-awareness and adaptability to cater to the diverse needs of individual students. Various models have offered frameworks to organize the reflective process, categorizing them into ‘iterative’ and ‘vertical’ approaches. Successful application involves a selective combination of elements from different models to customize reflective practices. Comprehending reflection and reflective writing is paramount for medical teachers as it empowers them to mentor students effectively, nurturing a culture of reflective practitioners. This fosters continual learning, ethical practice, and professional development among future healthcare professionals.

Why the Need for Writing Instruction Persists in the Age of Generative AI

As an educator reflecting on the challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), especially with the rise of models like ChatGPT, I explore the enduring significance of writing instruction in the modern-day classroom. Starting with a personal encounter that exemplifies the transformative potential of writing, this piece delves into my journey as an English teacher. The central question revolves around whether GenAI writing diminishes the value of traditional essays, prompting a deep exploration of my own experiences and beliefs as an educator. I emphasize the cathartic essence of writing, extending beyond academic standards to become a crucial tool for self-discovery and understanding the complexities of the world. Despite the influence of AI on every aspect of our society now, I assert that fostering authentic conversations and teaching reflective essays are essential for students’ personal growth and critical thinking.

Features of Creative Assignments in Literature Based on Reflective Writing

The article presents problematic aspects of one of the varieties of creative writing tasks in literature – tasks based on reflective writing. The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the didactic potential of creative tasks based on reflective writing in the development of reading competencies of middle and senior schoolchildren. Methodology. Content analysis was applied to samples of creative tasks based on reflective writing, and conceptual analysis provided the basis for developing a definition and classification of “creative tasks.” The presented theoretical material and samples of creative tasks will help literature teachers and methodologists in developing the skill of co-creative reading among schoolchildren. Results. Creative tasks based on reflective writing help expand the reader’s horizons and develop the ability of school readers to express their thoughts in writing. Testing the ability to create texts within the framework of reflexive genres does not occur directly in the “creative task”. Reflection is initiated, aimed at a variety of aspects of the existence of literary works that sometimes do not easily attract the attention of the reader: what is creatively productive contact with a literary work and what are the signs of a “real reader”, what are the aspects of interaction between the reader and a literary work in culture and many other problems. Conclusion. Unlike tasks based on creative writing, a creative task based on reflective writing requires literal, precise language, a reasoned solution to the problem, and the use of linguistic means depending on the communicative goal of reflection specified in the creative task. At the same time, the very concept of “writing” places emphasis on the process of writing a reflective text in the first person, which is due to the task of awakening the reader’s analytical activity, following co-creative activity.

Hit Me with Your Best Shot: A Reflective Essay on a Career in the Field of Team Research

Hit Me with Your Best Shot: A Reflective Essay on a Career in the Field of Team Research

Writing to Learn: Reflective Writing as an Educational Method for Saudi EFL Students

This study explores the implications of training English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in reflective writing and its impact on their writing ability. Reflective writing refers to critical analysis of an experience, recording its impact on the self, and planning the use of the newly gained knowledge. The study was conducted with 28 EFL students at a Saudi university with half of them exposed to reflective writing techniques and writing output compared in the pre-post-test design. Results showed that students in the experimental group performed noticeably better on their writing assignments showing that reflective writing holds much promise as an instructional technique for enhancing EFL students' writing abilities. The study also found that the experimental group's attitude toward writing had improved as the intervention not only improved their writing abilities but also, helped them develop a more favorable attitude toward the writing process. Finally, it is reported that no correlation was found between students' attitudes and achievement in post experiment. The study emphasizes the need of reflective writing in the EFL setting on the premise that including these techniques in the writing curriculum would likely enhance students’ writing in English.

Personal Gains and Challenges of Virtual Intergenerational Service-Learning in Health Promotion

ABSTRACT The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the conventional face-to-face learning since 2020. Face-to-face intergenerational service-learning was switched to online learning. Fifty-six undergraduate students in the health studies program taking the compulsory subject of Practices in Health Promotion were involved in this study which aimed to evaluate the personal gains and challenges of virtual intergenerational service-learning by applying a deductive content analysis on reflective essays submitted by the students. Results indicated that students had gained leadership skills, developed sense of empathy, built a reciprocal relationship with the community, had positive impact on future development and changed in perception of older adults after the virtual intergenerational service-learning. Challenges of the experience consisted of technical issues and support, interruptions during online presentation and effectiveness of services. Recommendations are provided for academic and community settings to achieve successful virtual intergenerational service-learning.

From conflict to harmony: changing conceptual ecology of evolution acceptance of muslim students after dialogue in science and religion

Muslim students have a high perceived conflict between religion and evolution. For this reason, constructivist teaching was implemented to emphasise the balance of the nature of science (NOS) on evolution and creationism theory within the conceptual ecology for biological evolution (CEBE) framework. This study explored changes in students’ CEBE and how perceived conflict, NOS, and religion contributed to the evolution of acceptance during the course. This research followed a one-group pre-test and post-test design to gather data. Data collection tools used in this study included a questionnaire and a reflective essay. The study group consisted of third-year undergraduate biology students aged 20–22 from Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang in Indonesia. Questionnaire responses were analysed using statistical methods, including paired t-tests, correlation, and hierarchical regression, while reflective essays were analysed using content analysis. The study found that students’ acceptance increased after the course and was correlated with their knowledge, religiosity, understanding of NOS, and perceived impact. The understanding of NOS was the primary factor influencing the acceptance of the theory of evolution, while perceived conflict has the least impact. In addition, reflective essays showed that while most students had a naive knowledge of evolutionary reasoning, they could explain the nature of science. The students were able to establish a complex relationship between science and religion using the chimpanzee-human relationship explanation. This study has provided an example of a learning method to minimise students' perceived conflict in the evolution course.

Simulating Civil Society in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Fog, Friction, and the Lebanese Port Explosion

Introduction Though the effects of fog and friction on decision-making are frequently simulated in military settings, they are less frequently extended to non-military and non-governmental MENA spaces. This article provides a description and evaluation of a disaster simulation rooted in the real-world event of the August 4, 2020 Lebanese port explosion. The aim of the simulation is to prompt student learning of the decision-making dynamics of CSOs amidst fog and friction in democratizing MENA spaces. Background A brief overview of the Lebanon-CSO landscape is provided. As part of their ruling strategy, sectarian elites engineer fog and friction to co-opt and fragment CSOs. This complex power sharing milieu creates dilemmas for CSOs. The Intervention The simulation was designed for an entire classroom of students to experience the fog and friction in decision-making that CSOs encounter in MENA conditions of limited resources and urgent humanitarian need. Methods and Limitations Student learning, framed by Bloom’s taxonomy of levels of intellectual behavior, was assessed using qualitative entry and exit classroom surveys based on three iterations of the simulation. Qualitative interpretive content analysis was used to categorize survey responses. The sample is not statistically significant given the small class sizes at the College. The study serves as an initial exploration for assessing the promising pedagogical benefits of the Lebanon port explosion simulation. Results Before the simulation, students had knowledge and understanding of CSOs, democratization, and the Lebanese context. After the simulation, student surveys yielded results that evidenced higher- ordered learning. Students discovered the challenge of applying their knowledge of Lebanese CSOs amidst fog. Next, the panel stress- testing and critical reflection essay exercises prompted an analysis and evaluation of CSOs as weak or fraught vehicles for democratization in the region. In sum, fog and friction prompted students to experience and learn how CSOs may subvert democratization in the MENA despite intentions to “do good.” Discussion The Lebanon port explosion survey data indicate the value of simulations as “experience vehicles” that may push students to higher orders of abstracted thinking about CSOs in the MENA. Conclusion Coupled with historical knowledge of co-optation and fragmentation strategies of elites vis-à-vis CSOs in Lebanon, the classroom simulation experience provided a low-cost and high-reward learning opportunity for students to grapple with the constraints and consequences of fog and friction on CSO decision-making.

Self-Talk: Musing on Distance Education. (2023)

Self-Talk: Musings on Distance Education is a compilation of blogs and a series of reflective writings written by the author on open and distance learning (ODL) and online learning, accounting for over three decades of his experience. The cornucopia of his ideas and anecdotes pertains to the key innovations that hallmarked developments in ODL and online learning. The book shares much-needed pathways to re-imagine compromised education in the post-pandemic world. At the time of writing this book, Dr. Sanjaya Mishra worked as the director of education at the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL) in British Columbia, Canada. The book is primarily based on his prior trove of experiences as a distance educator at the sole centrally-funded open university in India, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The goal of this book is to understand the developments in distance education, including the changing roles of teachers and students, with critical discourse centred around IGNOU, based on lessons learned globally and specifically from engagements at the CoL. The book comprises six sections, encompassing 45 chapters.

From the “backburner” to the forefront: Qualitative analysis of medical and physician assistant students’ reflections on Crip Camp

BackgroundDisability-focused health professions education must evolve to portray the lives of disabled patients, lived experiences of ableism, and disability history more accurately and authentically. Methods of education that utilize first-person perspectives of disabled people to deliver authentic representations are limited in the current literature. ObjectiveTo explore first-year medical and physician assistant students' reflections on healthcare access, healthcare providers’ roles, and barriers to health equity for patients with disabilities after watching an exemplar, first-person perspective documentary titled Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. MethodsA three-part, student-created disability curriculum “Introduction to Disability and Anti-Ableist Healthcare” was offered as an elective for first-year medical students during the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 academic years. The disability curriculum was required for first-year physician assistant students during the 2023–2024 academic year. One curricular component was watching Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and completing a 500-750-word reflective essay. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to organize essay responses. ResultsSeven major themes emerged in the students’ essays highlighting the importance of disability-focused education, the necessity of understanding the historical context and mistreatment of people with disabilities, limitations of health policies and health systems, the role of trainees and providers, and intersectionality. Themes were aligned with the socioecological model and disability consciousness to reflect healthcare delivery and education benefit, respectively. ConclusionCrip Camp: A Disability Revolution was an effective educational intervention to provide and apply knowledge in reflecting on healthcare experiences of people with disabilities. The themes have implications for health professions education and health care delivery.