Reflective Tool Research Articles

Informing professional learning interventions with evidence-based analysis of student feedback: Implications for software use and learning clarity

This study explored the gap between teachers' perceptions of their teaching practice and students' abilities to describe their learning accurately. Using the Verso software as a reflective feedback tool alongside a personalised professional learning program, the research aimed to bridge this disconnect. Post-implementation, student feedback indicated heightened self-awareness and improved metacognitive skills. The Verso software prompted students to engage with their learning introspectively, enabling learners to develop increasingly accurate self-reflective and metacognitive skills. The findings highlight the potential of technology in enhancing professional learning and instructional efficacy.

Understanding Instant Social Control of Shared Devices in Public Spaces: A Field Trial

Public spaces are created for the convenience of visitors, but frequently, their operation does not match individual visitors' needs. We propose instant social control as a new approach for controlling devices deployed in public spaces, envisioning the democratic and inclusive operation of the spaces. It is an approach to embrace individuals in the dynamic and unpredictable situations of public spaces, providing them with a powerful tool of immediate engagement and reflection. This research explores the use of instant social control, focusing on cases where discrepancies and conflicts arise among visitors' preferences for operating public devices. We conducted a field trial by deploying a technology probe to two real-world public spaces: a university auditorium, and a cafeteria. We collected usage logs and surveyed the users' experience with this new way of device control. We further investigated their experience through in-depth interviews with participants. Our field trial revealed a rich set of findings including voting strategies, exploratory device control patterns, users' attempts to communicate with other visitors, considerations of other visitors' discomfort, and acceptance and usefulness of instant social control of public devices.

Engaging, observing, and reflecting: Utilizing the leadership learning framework as an instructional tool.

This article highlights data collected using the leadership learning framework as learning content for an undergraduate class and a reflective tool for students to self-identify ways leadership learning occurred. In this research study, 32 undergraduate students self-identified what aspects of the leadership framework were the most salient for their personal leadership learning journey. Although all six aspects of the leadership learning framework were named, this article focuses on the three aspects that five or more respondents identified as most influential in their learning. These aspects include leadership metacognition, leadership observation, and leadership development.

Uncertainties as Generative Resources in Research through Design: Three Dynamics for Moving in a Design Space

In HCI and design research, it has recently been suggested that, instead of risks and threats, uncertainties can be generative resources. This aligns particularly well with practice-based design research and research through design (RtD), where uncertainties are pervasive and unavoidable due to the approach's interest in open-ended problems, contexts under transformation, and unknown futures. Building on the idea that uncertainties drive design activity, we describe the design process as framing acts where a designer-researcher moves along perceived uncertainties. We identify three dynamics for a generative mode of working with uncertainties that can make designers aware of uncertainties, circle in towards those that appear essential while seeking to avoid others, and stay with those that offer new perspectives. We exemplify these dynamics by drawing from our experiences from three RtD projects and highlight this viewpoint's value in providing new reflective tools for designer-researchers.

Researching adequate digital competence for school leaders from a perspective of pedagogy

The paper is begun with an outlining of two pedagogical principles that carry specific weight into research aimed at understanding digital competence in schools in general. Networked learning is exemplified in terms of connecting teachers and learners through remote teaching in rural municipalities. The specific research focus of the PhD project is on the knowing that individuals in schools need to facilitate digitalization. After the pedagogical principles are described, their weight is then considered in regard to research on digital competence and school leadership. A particularly complex issue discussed in the paper is that digital competence is in substantial ways a politically driven concept, rather than primarily pedagogical. A reconceptualization of digital competence for school leaders is suggested for pedagogical research: focus on knowing when it happens on pedagogical terms, rather than on knowing about implementation in schools. Remote teaching in rural municipalities is argued to carry pedagogical objects of specific relevance for pedagogical research, where the focus need not be on implementing, or effects of implementation. Rather, the knowing that is argued to be required to make remote teaching happen in rural municipalities may have pedagogical knowing of digitalization in schools as a foundation. The paper is concluded, firstly, with a section reflecting on what the pedagogical objects suggests for research design. Secondly, with what the pedagogical principles suggests for methods and methodology, specifically regarding politically charged concepts such as digital competence. To the former, a case study research design is suggested to find difference and variance in the knowing of making remote teaching happen. To the latter, reflection about the process of bringing theory and frameworks into practice (methodology) is suggested as one key in relation to the principles. Another key point of reflection is on the assumptions that specific methods, theories and frameworks themselves carry. The relevance of the pedagogical principles in relation to networked learning, and research focusing on digitalization in schools in general, is primarily as a reflective communicative tool. By bringing to the front basic values on which knowledge ought to be built on, in a research discipline such as pedagogy, other values are made invalid. One effect implied through present paper is that, In a PhD research project such as the one presented, research discipline disciplines. Both concerning research subject, as well as bringing assumptions into practice in research design and methodology.

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF PORTFOLIOS IN FOSTERING STUDENT COURSE ENGAGEMENT

Reflective learning is an important factor that has a positive impact on students’ learning efficacy. The study aims to bring insight into the use of e-portfolios as a means and tool to promote reflection in the classroom and build self-reflection habits, plan learning activities and build learning autonomy. Mahara e-portfolio was used during the period of eight months with a group of secondary school students in Croatia (n = 57) who filled in the student course engagement questionnaire consisting of 23 Likert-scale items before and after this period. The questionnaire data are categorized into four categories, dimensions: skills engagement, participation/ interaction engagement, emotional engagement and performance engagement. Students systematically worked with Mahara, and based on the data collected that were analysed using Statistica software, no positive impact on students’ engagement was proved. Even though the quantitative results are relatively neutral, the observations and discussions with teachers and students indicate a positive impact on motivation. Building autonomy and using tools for reflection and self-reflection should become necessary components of university pre-service teacher education.

Reflection tools – support for patient learning in group education

ABSTRACT This qualitative study describes how reflection can be supported by using reflective tools in group education in type 2 diabetes. The changed conditions for living with a long-term illness may lead to increased anxiety and new demands that affect one’s current life situation. The didactic model, ‘The challenge – to take charge of one’s life with long-term illness’, has been developed into ‘Taking responsibility in life with type 2 diabetes – a model for group education in primary care’. Specialized diabetes nurses and dieticians received training, a manual and continuous guidance in applying the model. Reflection diaries, notes and interviews both from the patients and the caregivers were analyzed using a phenomenological hermeneutic method. The results show that using images as reflective tools engages thoughts and feelings in a way that appears to be important for one’s learning in life with a chronic illness. The images contribute to allowing a distance from one’s situation, actions, thoughts and feelings, which seems fruitful for investigating and discovering new ‘things’ about oneself. With the support of reflective tools and guiding questions, reflection is led to a deeper existential level where both caregivers and patients contribute by asking questions that support the reflection process.

Introducing comprehensive sexuality education in Italian schools: from the co-construction to the evaluation of a pilot intervention

IntroductionSchool-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a powerful tool that provides young people with information on all aspects of sexuality and is aimed at protecting their sexual and reproductive health and well-being throughout their lives. Currently, CSE is not integrated within the schools’ curriculum in Italy. This study describes the co-construction, implementation, and evaluation of a CSE project piloted among students attending lower secondary schools, in four regions of Italy. Evidence-based evaluation will be helpful in promote the inclusion of CSE programs in the Italian schools’ curriculum.MethodsThe pilot scheme was co-constructed by a multidisciplinary curriculum development group through a Delphi process, including educators who conducted the activities. The evaluation followed three directions: the program (based on a literature review of CSE principles and recommended characteristics), implementation (assessing the execution of the program through the analysis of the reflection tools used by the educators), and short-term outcomes (assessing critical thinking and conscious behavioural choices through pre-post and satisfaction surveys).ResultsThe main goal, learning modules and content were defined and structured in five interventions with the students, and two with families and teachers. A total of 638 students were involved in the activity, across 11 schools. Data analysis of pre/post surveys reported a significant increase in knowledge in 12 of the 15 items investigated (p < 0.05), and a high level of satisfaction with the topics addressed. Qualitative analysis added information on the pivotal role of educators in CSE.ConclusionsThe national piloting of this educational activity provided positive insights regarding the co-construction, implementation and short-outcome evaluation, suggesting potential for scalability and future inclusion of CSE in the curricula of Italian schools.

AI as a reflective coach in graduate ESL practicum: activity theory insights into student-teacher development

Abstract This study examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) as a reflective coach in graduate ESL practicums, using Activity Theory to assess its impact on student-teachers’ (STs) reflective practices. An exploratory case study of 26 graduate ESL STs was conducted, with data from AI interactions and post-reflection questionnaires analysed qualitatively. Findings indicate that AI enhances STs’ reflection, providing a structured, data-driven method for pedagogical development and personalised anytime feedback, thereby addressing feedback challenges in ESL teaching practicum courses. Despite limitations like diverse ST backgrounds and practicum environments, findings suggest AI’s promise for transformative learning experiences. The study concludes that AI, as a reflective tool in ESL practicums, warrants further research into its impact on teacher development and adaptability in various teaching contexts.

Extending higher education recognition programs through a dedicated post-award reflective practice tool

ABSTRACT Higher education professional recognition programs, which lead to the awarding of such accolades as teaching and learning fellowships, offer participants opportunities to reflect carefully on their practice. However, few resources exist to help participants engage in reflection after the award-receiving stage. This reflection is important in helping participants not rest on their laurels and, instead, build on the practices for which they received recognition. Through a process of collaborative reflection, a group of fellowship-recipients, from different disciplines and higher education institutions, addressed this gap as stakeholder-participant-researchers by developing a transdisciplinary approach to undertaking post-award reflective practice. From this collaboration, a novel two-stage tool was developed using an iterative design methodology. The tool presented in this paper as the result of this research can be understood as a means of supporting self-paced, continued post-award reflective practice; the tool’s first stage guides users through retrospective reflection, looking back on previous achievements, while the second stage leads users through anticipatory planning, looking towards the future, to achieve fresh goals. The tool thus deepens the reflective practice of recognition program awardees and supports their ongoing professional development. This paper reports on the development of this bespoke tool, which may be enacted in varied settings.

“It would have been more constructive if she had given me points to improve on”: Student perceptions of patient feedback in dietetics

Introduction: The voice of the patient has historically been peripheral in many health professional programs. Methods: We investigated the merit of health professional students seeking patient feedback on the effectiveness of their clinical consultations as part of usual clinical placements. Dietetic students (n = 34) formally sought patient feedback after usual consultations (n = 48) then completed a reflective feedback tool. The experience of seeking and receiving patient feedback was then explored through student written narratives, facilitated with a focus group (n = 4). The student reflective forms, and recorded and transcribed focus group, were inductively analysed for themes. Results: Despite the positive perception of the educational task, students did not value the overwhelmingly positive feedback they received from patients, preferring more critical clinical educator feedback. Conclusion: The lack of value attributed to patient perspectives in the learning process raises questions about the success of the current teaching of patient-centred care despite the aspiration to legitimise the patient voice as central to health professional education.

Exploring the Impact of Scholarly Writing on Professional Development and Reflective Practices Among Vietnamese Tertiary EFL Teachers: A Qualitative Inquiry

This qualitative study investigates the perceptions of Vietnamese tertiary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers on the role of writing scientific journal articles in their professional development and its contribution to their reflective teaching practices. Nine EFL teachers from two Vietnamese tertiary institutions, representing novice, mid-career, and near-end career stages, participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to interpret the data, grounded in reflective practice theory and situated learning theory. The findings reveal that teachers across all career stages perceive scholarly writing as a crucial component of their professional growth. Novice teachers viewed it as a reflective tool for self-discovery and skill enhancement, mid-career teachers as a means for consolidating experiences and contributing to the field, and near-end teachers as an avenue for mentorship and legacy building. Additionally, the study found that scholarly writing significantly fosters reflective teaching practices, enhancing self-reflection, pedagogical innovation, and mentoring across different career stages. The study highlights the multifaceted role of scholarly writing in professional development and reflective practices of EFL teachers. It underscores the need for tailored support for scholarly writing at various stages of a teaching career, emphasizing its value not only in academic contribution but also in enhancing teaching quality. The findings suggest that engagement in scholarly writing is a powerful catalyst for professional and pedagogical growth among EFL teachers, particularly in the evolving educational context of Vietnam.

Unlocking imagination, healing hearts: a comprehensive study of more than 70 years of bibliotherapy for children

ABSTRACT Bibliotherapy has been used for ages in different cultures as a comfort, reflection, and well-being tool. It allows the readers to identify with the story, characters, or situations and thus gain insight into the motives of their own behavior. It provides them insight into their problems and helps identify and explore possible solutions. Mental health professionals, educators, and individuals seeking self-help and personal growth today acknowledge and embrace bibliotherapy. Children are the supreme hope and most significant asset of any nation. Unfortunately, they are the most vulnerable group which needs the proper guidance. Hence well-being of their present is crucial for the well-being of their future. Bibliotherapy as a tool for well-being of children offers immense potential. This article conducts a quantitative and qualitative literature review to understand the work done in this area of research. The article identifies the gaps and recommends future research topics to further strengthen bibliotherapy usage.

Toward a data culture model for local governments: conceptualization and insights from Belgium

PurposeDespite the current attention toward the concept of data culture, a commonly accepted scope and definition is currently lacking. Addressing this conceptual fuzziness would be beneficial to pursue the development of knowledge on data culture in the public sector. The research aims at advancing theory by building a novel conceptualization of the constituent elements of data culture in local governments and their relationships.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, the authors used a multi-method research design. More precisely, the authors conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with mayors and heads of administration from local governments, and a document analysis. The authors inductively mapped the findings to an existing heuristic featuring seven levels of data culture and extracted relationships between these levels.FindingsThe authors find several elements belonging to the data culture of local governments for each level of the existing generic heuristic and identify 24 influence relationships between these levels. The authors integrate these findings into the data culture model, which conceptualizes data culture in local governments.Research limitations/implicationsThe data culture model provides a strong theoretical basis for researchers to position their research and further advances knowledge on this still elusive concept. Practitioners can use the data culture model as a reflective tool to understand which elements impacted their current data behavior.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work to provide a conceptualization of data culture in local governments at this level of depth, and to conceptualize relationships between constituent elements of data culture.

Settler teachers’ engagement with first nations content in the Australian curriculum

ABSTRACT Situated in the curriculum space created by the recent enhancements to First Nations content is the opportunity for teachers to better connect with First Nations perspectives. Using constructivist theory methodology and drawing on two studies, a small qualitative school-based study of teachers who teach in the early years of schooling, and a large-scale study of professional development across two Australian states, the paper explores teachers’ preparedness to teach First Nations content. The tenets of critical literacy frame the discussion and are positioned as reflective tools that can be used to support the ‘settler teacher’ in self-reflection. Audio-recorded transcripts of planning sessions, a teacher survey, comments from feedback forms and researcher memos form the data sets. Findings from the study necessitate discursive practices for the development of teacher knowledge, dispositions, and confidence, and highlight the imperative for teacher critical self-reflection.

Drawing the past to envision the future: supporting the development of primary STEM teacher identity

ABSTRACT Growing interest in STEM education and imminent curricular reform places new demands on teachers, giving impetus to re-examining how we prepare primary teachers for more integrated approaches. In addition to the acquisition of knowledge and skills, sustainable change demands the development of teacher identity, in which teachers are seen by themselves and others as STEM teachers. This paper reports on the emerging STEM teacher identities of five preservice primary teachers. Using STEM story-lines as an innovative graphing exercise, participants were prompted to reflect on key events that shaped their journey and share future-oriented narratives through drawing and storytelling, as they negotiated becoming STEM teachers. Findings suggest that although their own school experiences were varied and influential, an integrated STEM intervention was the common turning point in their STEM identity development, whereby participants aligned critical components of STEM with personal experiences and values. The reflective tools used supported identity work, by triggering a rediscovery and reinterpretation of their experiences with the benefit of increased knowledge for teaching STEM and, in turn, provided a means to re-envisage the future.

Reflective Teaching as an Agent of Reform in Teacher Education: Inhibitors, Motivators, and Tools

This mixed-methods study examines the status of reflective practice among language teachers, identifies barriers to implementing reflective practice, and explores motivators that can address these issues. The study also investigates the discrepancies between teachers’ perceptions of reflection and their practice. To this aim, the perception of 190 English teachers’ reflective practice was examined via an inventory. An interview with 124 teachers also scrutinized the inhibitors, motivators, attitudes, and reflective tools teachers adopt. Nine highly reflective teachers’ classes were further observed to investigate their reflection in action. The results indicated that their reflection was above medium, the attitude toward reflective practice was positive, and only a little match was found in their perception and classroom practices. They listed inhibitors and motivators, and observation was their favorite reflection tool. The findings underscored the significance of reflective practice in providing reform in teacher education.

Innovative airspace reflective tool for different building applications, part I: tool development

The current methods such as ISO-6946 provide thermal resistances for horizontal and vertical enclosed airspaces. Additionally, hot-box results from the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) were used to provide the thermal resistances in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals (HOF) for horizontal, vertical and 45-degree angle airspaces. The thermal resistances in the HOF are available for three temperature differences and four values for mean temperatures. Thus, thermal resistances in the HOF include a limited number of climatic conditions and construction techniques that exist around the globe. The effect of the aspect ratio on airspace thermal resistances is not included in ISO-6946 or the ASHRAE HOF. Many studies including this one have shown that the aspect ratio of enclosed airspace has a significant impact on thermal resistance. This has motivated the development of a tool for accurately determining thermal resistances of enclosed airspaces for a wide variety of conditions. In this paper, a validated numerical model has been used to obtain the necessary thermal resistances values (about one million) of various enclosed airspaces, subjected to different operating conditions. Thereafter, the calculated thermal resistances were used to develop a tool, called “Airspace Reflective Tool, ART”. The capabilities of this tool for evaluation, optimization and design are explored in this paper.

An ecological inquiry into the identity formation of a novice TESOL research mentor: Critical autoethnographic narratives in focus

This study reports on the identity formation of the author as a novice research mentor of an independent research course for TESOL teachers over six months (from the course design to the first research submission). The data is collected from four critical autoethnographic narratives written by the author before, during, and after this period. The narratives were analysed thematically with an eye on the theoretical underpinning of the study, i.e. ecological perspective, in three ecological layers namely micro-, meso-, and macrosystem. The results revealed that the author’s identity construction was influenced by different factors such as ‘autonomy in mentoring’, ‘mediating mentorship’, or ‘academic recognition’ in three levels of educational ecology. The results of this study can motivate research mentors and teacher educators, specifically novice ones, to find some similarities with the ideas discussed in this research and to record their lived experiences as a tool for reflection.

Innovative airspace reflective tool for different building applications, part II: parametric study

Enclosed airspaces of different dimensions and inclinations that exist in buildings include double-pane windows, curtain walls, skylight devices, and reflective insulation assemblies for walls and roofing systems. Evaluating the energy performance of buildings requires accurate determination of the thermal resistance of enclosed airspaces in different climates. The parameters that affect enclosed airspace thermal resistances include the physical properties of air, the temperatures and emittances of airspace surfaces, airspace dimensions, and heat-flow direction. The Airspace Reflective Tool (ART) was developed for determining the thermal resistances of enclosed airspaces for a wide variety of conditions. In this article, for enclosed airspaces of various orientations and heat flow directions, the ART has been used to conduct a parametric study to quantify the effect on thermal resistance of: effective emittance, operating conditions such as temperature, orientation, dimensions (aspect ratio) and heat flow-direction. The calculated thermal resistances from the ART were compared with those in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals or calculated using ISO-6946 that are currently being used to obtain thermal resistances of enclosed airspaces and show the importance of the factors being considered.