Self-study Of Practice Research Articles

Critical Friendship Quality and Trustworthiness: Our New Understandings

ABSTRACT This self-study explored the authors’ evolving perspectives on critical friendship quality and trustworthiness within the context of self-study research. Drawing on over 20 years of engagement in self-study research, the authors adopted a theoretical framework grounded in Dewey’s reflective thinking and Rosenblatt’s Transactional Theory. Data collection involved analyzing eight previous self-studies that applied critical friendship over a 10-year body of work, as well as detailed notes from conversations. The Critical Friend Definition Continuum, Critical Friend Quality Criteria Guide (CFQCG), and Catalog of Trustworthiness Indicators were applied to help the authors analyze how they demonstrated CF rigor and trustworthiness. Utilizing direct content analysis, real-time dialogue, and writing as a way of knowing, the findings identified nuanced working definitions for CF quality and CF trustworthiness, emphasizing the need for shared language and established criteria to offer more in-depth explanations of CF contributions, thereby enhancing reader understanding and trust. The authors transformed their thinking and now suggest that a more detailed and shared language can improve the clarity and impact of CF on self-study research. The implications further highlight the importance of defining and communicating CF criteria to enhance the rigor and credibility of self-study practices.

“You’re not learning skills—you’re just realizing what you can do”: a preliminary study of self-regulation in higher education

IntroductionThis preliminary study employs a phenomenological approach to investigate the phenomenon of self-regulated learning among higher education students in the United Kingdom. The research seeks to identify both facilitators and challenges associated with effective self-regulated learning, shedding light on the factors that influence students’ ability to manage their own learning processes.MethodsThe study used in-depth interviews with students and employed thematic analysis to explore the experiences of self-regulated learning. Through this qualitative approach, key themes emerged, including motivation, the learning process, support systems, planning, and group dynamics.ResultsNoteworthy findings include the significance of clear guidelines regarding study hours and designated learning environments for students. Themes such as the learning process, planning, and group dynamics were highlighted as crucial factors in effective self-regulated learning. Additionally, motivation and the role of support systems were found to play essential roles in students’ learning outcomes.DiscussionThe findings suggest that even students who exhibit autonomous motivation benefit from additional tools and support mechanisms to enhance their self-study practices. Educators are encouraged to integrate activities that foster learning strategies and promote social relationships within student groups. The study emphasizes the importance of creating structured learning environments and support systems to facilitate effective self-regulated learning for all students.

Aligning extracurricular school activities with physical literacy: pilot evaluation through self-study of practice.

Although several important documents of education and health promotion on the international level favor practices geared toward physical literacy (PL), not all countries have yet gained experience with this holistic concept. Therefore, numerous stakeholders and practitioners who intend to align their interventional activities with PL will soon face the situation that there are no recommendations for their specific culture and language for how to design such programs. Given that such recommendations are also lacking for Germany, the goal of the present study within the uncontrolled pilot cycles of the PLACE study was (a) to describe the process of a female pedagogue (27 years old, previously unexperienced with PL) initially familiarizing herself with the PL concept and its implementation opportunities for the school setting, and (b) to retrace the process of developing and refining a PL-driven intervention for extracurricular physical education (60-90 min) of children in grades three and four at primary schools in Bremen. Adopting a self-study design, this endeavor emphasized continuous reflexivity involving: (a) session protocols; (b) biweekly discussions with another coach; (c) weekly discussions between scientists and stakeholders of youth development ("multi-perspective panel"); (d) weekly observations and impressions during field work; and (e) summative group interviews with children (n = 17, age range: 8-9 years, 17.6% boys). Written documents underwent qualitative content analysis with inductively generated categories. Despite explicit links between the theoretical PL domains and the intervention content, the character of how PL informed the intervention level was dominated by the stance and atmosphere implemented by the deliverer (e.g., participatory attitude, open mindset). Accordingly, the team revised the intervention primarily on the levels of organization (temporal schedule and sequences), instruction, and materials. After initial stages of didactically "surviving" within classes, the deliverer could increasingly integrate tasks of cognitive engagement and provide choice for students enabling individual autonomy for nurturing a person-centered approach. This study encourages teachers and stakeholders of physical education to seek exchange with scholars or other practitioners while simultaneously demonstrating patience in comprehensively internalizing PL and efficiently translating the concept into routines in line with individual's quality standards.

Evaluating Self-Study Practices and Needs for Chinese Idioms among Upper-Year Students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education

Evaluating Self-Study Practices and Needs for Chinese Idioms among Upper-Year Students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education

Podcast Creation In/As Teacher Education and Self-Study

ABSTRACT This article explores a collaborative teacher self-study in which two teacher educators/podcasters, inquired personally and collectively into the possibilities for podcasts in/as teacher education. Extending framings of podcasts to include more than content-transmission or replacement of previous texts or pedagogical practices, we further theorize the social, exploratory, and most importantly, (co)creative, within the process of making podcasts in/as teacher education. We wonder about how and why podcasting, informed by self-study practices, might support the articulation, questioning, returning to, and (re)inventing of professional identities within teacher education. This article-as-podcast enmeshes our findings and discussion as different ‘episodes’ to first share our methods, and then detail the concept of informality in podcasting and teacher education, and to explore the power of polyvocality. Finally, we end with some provocations for the reader – questions and wonderings about the ways in which the process of podcasting might prompt building relationality between a range of audiences to create space for teachers’ imaginings of themselves and what it means to teach.

Becoming a Feminist Educator: A Self-Study Exploring Possibilities of Feminist Pedagogy in Higher Education

ABSTRACT This article explores the process of becoming a feminist educator as the author employed feminist theory in her pedagogy for the first time. This self-study answered the research question: ‘What would a feminist pedagogy look like in a music history classroom?’ Throughout a ten-week undergraduate music history course, the author employed a research design based on autoethnography and autobiography in which data was collected from research journals, class sessions, dialogues with a critical friend, and student feedback. This self-study both illuminated and improved the author’s pedagogical practice as a newly conscious feminist educator. The author re-imagined knowing and being through a feminist lens as she experienced epistemological and ontological shifts in her pedagogy. The author’s feminist pedagogy unfolded through knowing herself as an educator, knowing the curriculum differently, and knowing through experience. Feminist pedagogy was also enacted through being in relationship with herself, being in relationship with others, and being in community. This self-study provides an example to educators in self-study of practice and in-service teachers of feminist pedagogy moving from theory to practice. It provides a discipline-specific example of resisting oppressive ways of knowing and being that exclude gendered experiences from educational spaces.

The Trajectories of Arts and Culture Students Transitioning from Rural Secondary Contexts to Higher Education: A Self-Study of Practice

This is a self-study of practice investigating the trajectories of Arts and Culture students transitioning from rural secondary contexts to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The main objective of this paper was to propose support strategies for first-year university students majoring in Arts and Culture at a specific HEI. First-time entering students (FTENs) struggle to transition from secondary to postsecondary education for a variety of reasons. The paper was based on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory, which states that individuals are still influenced by their environment but become important through interactions with other influencers in each system. This research inquiry utilized an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative approach through a self-study of practice, and data was gathered using a qualitative questionnaire, observations, and document analysis. The data was thematically analyzed concurrently with data collection. Participants were selected from several ethnic groups, such as Xhosas, Zulus, Sothos, and others. They were selected purposefully, but Xhosas and females predominated. The findings revealed insufficient exposure to advanced and modern cultural activities; a lack of enthusiasm and passion for arts subjects; and the negative impact of transitioning on students’ learning. These hiccups have a detrimental effect on students’ transitions to HEIs. The paper recommended these support strategies: capacity building of students with proficient skills to transition effectively; use of teaching and learning strategies that cater for students’ different learning styles; and consideration of students’ backgrounds and indigenous knowledge. These variables may help first-year Arts and Culture students transition smoothly into higher education. Keywords: Transition, Arts and Culture, Rural students, teaching and learning, support strategies

Developing older adults’ learner autonomy through one-to-one counselling: Results of an exploratory investigation

Developing autonomous learning to maintain independent learning practice in an effective way is a crucial ability in adult education (Confessore & Park, 2004). Therefore, this study investigates the potential of one-to-one learning counselling to promote older learners' learner autonomy (aged 50 and older). Twenty-five older learners participated in the exploratory study. Reflective learning diaries and qualitatively oriented questionnaires were used as research tools to track participants' autonomous learning behaviour. We applied grounded theory and network analysis to see the complex interrelations of underlying constructs. Results show that comprehension and speaking development are significant incentives for older adults' language learning. Further, self-awareness in learning and metacognitive knowledge were identified as important constructs for self-study practice. Cognitive stimulation, sustained learner motivation and certain self-relating constructs continuously affected older adults’ learning behaviour. Application of cognitive- and memory-enhancing learning strategies, as well as technology-supported learning materials, played an important role in independent learning practice. General perceived self-efficacy and self-management were areas developed beyond language learning.

‘More than Marking and Moderation’: A Self-Study of Teacher Educator Learning through Engaging with Graduate Teaching Performance Assessment

ABSTRACT Global attention continues to focus on the quality of teaching, teacher quality, teacher education programs and the preparation of graduates who are ready to teach. This self-study research focuses on one aspect of the preparation and assessment of graduates for teaching: the marking and moderation of a Teaching Assessment Performance (TPA), a mandated assessment tool implemented in Australian universities and education institutions that is used as one key determinant to assess graduate readiness for the profession. While there is a developing field of research related to the implementation and effectiveness of TPAs, less is known about the teacher educator expertise required to mark and moderate these assessments. The purpose of this self-study, conducted at Federation University, a regional university in Australia, aimed to identify and examine teacher educator marker and moderator experience and expertise through the establishment of a professional learning community (PLC). Using audio-recorded transcripts of team meetings and teacher educator vignettes, the data were analysed using NVivo and were individually and collectively categorised and coded. Reflecting in and on our practice, we focused on critical moments, interactions, and experiences to interrogate the data. The key themes included: 1) collaboration through marking and moderation; 2) reflection through critical engagement; 3) growth as a teacher educator and 4) enactment in teacher educator practice. This self-study of practice, using a PLC, enabled us to make our often-tacit knowledge, understanding and expertise explicit, and provided frameworks and structures for enacting this new knowledge in practice.

ПРЕДИМСТВА НА ДИГИТЕЛНИТЕ ПЛАТФОРМИ ЗА СЛУШАНЕ НА АУДИОКНИГИ В ЧУЖДОЕЗИКОВОТО ОБУЧЕНИЕ ПО АНГЛИЙСКИ ЕЗИК

In recent years, the use of audiobooks to enhance language skills in a foreign language and, in particular in English language, remains somehow outside this field of studies and their advantages are still unexplored and underestimated by foreign language researchers and teachers both in Bulgaria and worldwide. This paper aims to present a report on the most widespread digital platforms for listening to audiobooks, which are suitable to be implemented both in the classroom and in self-study practices. Their functionality is considered and an attempt is made to systematize their use according to language proficiency levels and appropriate age groups. This study is driven by the growing interest in audiobooks during the Covid-19 pandemic and the research of their place and role in foreign language learning.

The Role of Self-Study in Addressing Competency Decline Among Airline Pilots During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the self-study methods used by pilots while grounded and their perception of competence decline and confidence upon their return to flying.BackgroundPreviously, long absences from flying were managed on a case-by-case basis. Thousands of pilots returning to flying as the pandemic eases have burdened airline training systems. Limited research has been conducted on the decline in skills of airline pilots while operationally absent from the cockpit. Few studies have considered this topic in the context of a pandemic.MethodA questionnaire study was conducted with 234 airline pilots who were grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsUncertainty regarding sudden and indefinite periods of grounding made it challenging to maintain motivation to self-study. This matter was aggravated by the additional financial and personal stress caused by the state of the airline industry and the outcomes of the pandemic. The participants anticipated a decline in manual flying skills as the worst outcome after being absent from the flight deck. However, these pilots proved quick to recover these skills when they resumed flying. It took significantly more time for pilots to regain proficiency in applying knowledge, procedures and compliance with regulations, situation awareness and workload management.ConclusionThe study proposes recommendations for pilots and airlines to harness essential self-study practices in competency areas identified to have significantly declined.ApplicationThe outcome of this paper guides airlines, pilots and regulators in better understanding how grounded pilots observe skill decline in a broader range of competencies.

Learning strategies of general practitioners striving to achieve point-of-care ultrasound competence: a qualitative study

Background Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is increasingly used in general practice despite the lack of official educational programmes or guidelines for general practitioners (GPs). Aim To explore how GPs have learnt to use POCUS and which barriers they have encountered in their learning process. Design and setting Qualitative study conducted in office-based general practice in Denmark. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 GPs who had implemented POCUS without supporting guidelines or regulations. Analysis was carried out using systematic text condensation. The interview data for this study were collected along with data used in a previous study. Results The participating GPs described having composed their own ultrasound education following a continuous learning process. Basic POCUS competences were achieved through formalized training sessions at hospital departments or courses. The GPs further developed and expanded their scanning skills through additional courses and continuous self-study practice on patients often while consulting internet sources, textbooks or colleagues. Lack of available ultrasound courses, supervision, and clinical guidelines together with time constraints and financial aspects were mentioned as barriers to their ultrasound training. Conclusion This study showed how GPs had composed their own ultrasound education individually and differently, guided by their own experiences and beliefs about good clinical practice. Formalized ultrasound training was considered a prerequisite for achieving basic ultrasound competences while continuous practice was considered paramount to develop and maintain scanning skills. There were several obstacles to overcome in the learning process including lack of supervision, guidance, and opportunity for practicing skills. Key points Little is known about the educational needs of general practitioners striving to achieve ultrasound competences. General practitioners described using formalized training to achieve basic scanning competences and continuous self-study and practice to further develop their skills. Lack of time, supervision, clinical guidelines and ultrasound courses were considered barriers in the learning process together with financial aspects.

Learning to teach self-study in improving data management practices of student-teachers during an action research course

ABSTRACT The article shares collaborating educators (authors’) experiences in supporting a group of student-teachers’ interventions to improve learning practices as part of an action research course in a teacher education setting. The authors engaged in a series of reflective discussions in making sense of and improving the course process. Facilitation and students’ experiences retrieved from course artefacts and written evaluations provided a context for the authors’ self-study practices and identifying critical learning experiences. Qualitative data, including practice-based discussion transcripts and students’ evaluations, were coded and thematically analysed. The two data sets were combined in showing how students’ experiences instigated educators’ learning in developing contextualised conceptions and practices of self-study. The notion of turning points was also employed in analysing data that significantly influenced conceptions of self-study and shaped the course of facilitations. Framing the experiences within community of practice and self-study of teacher education practices literature, we have discussed changing conceptions and practices of self-study while supporting students engage with data for and during interventions. Course experiences on how intervening to improve practices amplify the relevance of action research in teachers’ learning, and the significance of generating evidence from data in action research are discussed.

Education of general practitioners in the use of point-of-care ultrasonography: a systematic review.

To systematically review and synthesize the published literature regarding the education of general practitioners (GPs) and GPs in training (GPTs) in the use of ultrasonography. This systematic review was prospectively registered in PROSPERO, conducted according to the Cochrane recommendations. We combined studies identified in a previous systematic review with studies from an updated literature search using the same search string. We searched the following databases: MEDLINE via Pubmed, EMBASE via OVID, Cinahl via Ebsco, Web of Science and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials using the words 'ultrasonography' and 'general practice'. Two reviewers independently screened articles, extracted data and assessed the quality of included papers according to the Down and Black quality assessment tool. Disagreements were resolved by involving a third reviewer. Thirty-three papers were included. Ultrasound training was described to include both theoretical and practical training sessions. Theoretical training was achieved through introductory e-learning and/or didactic lectures. Practical training included focussed hands-on training sessions, while some papers described additional longitudinal practical training through proctored scans during clinical work or through self-study practice with continuous feedback on recorded scans. There was a large variation in ultrasound training programs for GPs and GPTs, with an overall emphasis on focussed practical training. Few studies included a longitudinal learning process in the training program. However, diagnostic accuracy seemed to improve with hours of practical training, and studies including continuous feedback on scans conducted during clinical patient encounters showed superior results.

Enacting a pedagogy of reflection in initial teacher education using critical incident identification and examination: a self-study of practice

ABSTRACT This article examines what it means for a teacher educator to enact a pedagogy of reflective practice in an initial teacher education classroom using self-study methodology. The focus of the article is the examination of a critical interaction that occurred in a third-year Bachelor of Education mathematics education tutorial (N = 15). The critical incident prompted further reflection through collecting and analysing data that included pre-service teacher (PST) oral feedback during the tutorial; structured written feedback that was based on peer presentations during tutorials; and mid-semester and post-semester ‘freewrites’. Teacher educator journal reflections provided further data for analysis. Thematic analysis together with teacher educator critical incident analysis, revealed key understandings for both the PSTs and the teacher educator. These learning outcomes included the importance of identifying PST perceptions and practices associated with participating in peer assessment; the incongruities between oral and written feedback; the crucial need for PST scaffolding when providing feedback; the impact of the learning environment; and the role of the teacher educator in explicitly facilitating discussions associated with critical incidents, conversations and interactions. Using self-study methodology to examine teaching surfaced unspoken and assumed beliefs, and through examination, led to authentic, negotiated learning and improved outcomes for PSTs and teacher educators.

Effects of Private Tutoring on English Performance: Evidence from Senior High Students in Taiwan

Private tutoring has expanded as a global phenomenon and is receiving increasing research attention, but evaluation studies on private tutoring are lacking. By performing a control-group pretest-posttest experiment, this study examined the effectiveness of English private tutoring (EPT) on the academic performance of Taiwanese secondary school learners. One group of students (N = 100) participated in EPT for three months and was compared to a non-tutored control group (N = 100). Using national college entrance exam data gathered in 2017 and 2018 and t-tests and difference-in-differences (DID) analysis, the present study found that differences in the effect of EPT on students’ academic performance between the tutored and non-tutored groups decreased in magnitude after considering the students’ individual characteristics, family socioeconomic status, school type, and self-study practices. Among these variables, the time students spent on self-study activities had a more significant positive effect than did private tutoring. The findings from this study show that as an alternative to investing in EPT, investing time and effort in self-study activities can lead to an increase in students’ academic performance. These data from Taiwan contribute to the international analysis on private tutoring and add an important component to the broader conceptual literature.

Self-Study with the Educational Technology <i>Tell Me More</i>: What EFL Learners do

This study investigated 350 English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduate students’ use of Tell Me More (TMM), a language learning technology, for self-study in a university in the south of Thailand. Two questions guided the study: 1) What were learners’ self-study practices with the TMM program? 2) How did learners’ self-study practices enhance or undermine the purpose of using the TMM program? Self-report questionnaire with subscales from Students Approaches to Learning and a semi-structured focused group interview were used to investigate the participants’ practices, effort and persistence on the TMM. The findings indicated that the learners multitasked to compensate for the lack of support from instructors and for assessment purposes, sometimes left the program on to count the time. The findings on the time of use suggested that self-study practices do not depend only on learners’ attitude or features of the learning environment but also goals set by instructors. Additionally, the findings showed that learners made moderate effort of use and were inconsistent in their self-study practices. The findings shed new light on what accounts for the effective use of educational technologies and how practices could be improved. This study would guide developers of online learning curriculums and educators on learning goals and assessment types to be incorporated in online self-study programs.

“I Solemnly Swear that I Am up to No Good”: Mapping My Way through TESOL Teacher Education

ABSTRACTThis article documents my 2-year sojourn from voicelessness – in the face of normalizing discourses about race, privilege, and difference in teacher education scholarship – to an authentic voice capable of addressing normalizing discourses from a position of inclusivity. This journey has involved my face-to-face and even mediated engagement with a critical community of human scholars. In difference to most self-study work, it has included my dialogic engagement with literary (Audre Lorde and Gloria Anzaldúa) and popular (J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series) textual critical partners. In highlighting the role of these textual partners in my self-study research, I draw upon the field of cognitive poetics and reader response theory to push against the boundaries of self-study practice and methodology.

Shaping Community in Online Courses: A Self-Study of Practice in Course Design to Support the Relational

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on what we learned as online teachers about relational contexts in our online courses using a self-study of teacher education practices methodology. Using the curriculum commonplaces of teacher, learner, subject matter, and milieu, we inquired into the design and implementation of our online courses. A responsive audience at the 2018 international self-study conference moved our work forward. We consider the ways the curriculum commonplaces interact and inform each other. A significant aspect was the shaping of milieu across distance. The ontological basis of Self Study of Teacher Education methodology resides in attention to practice and relationship, which clearly supports a focus on the relational in this online teaching context.

Thinking with Posthuman Perspectives in Self-Study Research

In this study, we set out to explore processes of individual and group becomings of a self-study collective over time and distance, and with/through technology. Born out of a self-study project in one of our early doctoral courses, our self-study community has evolved over several years to one that is hybrid in nature. As we have continued our collaboration through online media, a tension arose at the juncture of our fundamentally relational work together, our need for the physical, embodied aspect of learning and self-study and the hybrid, often disembodied, experience provided by substituting online meetings for those conducted in-person. In this article we explore these tensions through pivotal moments and lines of flight in our self-study work over the past year. To frame these moments, we draw on ideas from posthumanism, which offers ways to conceptualize our collective as a multiplicity, account for the relational and material aspects of our work, address the agency of non-human actors (such as technology) in our collaboration, and consider our self-study practice a dynamic, complex, contextualized, situated phenomenon.