Student Self-reflection Research Articles

Impact of a learning portfolio on reflective, clinical and communication skills in undergraduate dental students- A pilot study

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Student portfolios are a collection of evidence, prepared by the student and evaluated by the faculty member to demonstrate mastery, comprehension, application, and synthesis of a given set of concepts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of portfolio on student's self-reflection, clinical competency and communication skills in daily clinical practice and to know students perception on faculty feedback. A randomized controlled, triangulation study was conducted in Melaka-Manipal Medical College with thirty consenting Year IV BDS students as participants. There was statistically significant improvement for all the outcomes tested in the portfolio group compared to traditional logbook group.

Linguistic characteristics of reflective states in video annotations under different instructional conditions

Video-based self-reflection and annotation is receiving increasing attention within the education literature. The importance of such technologies in education relate, in part, to the interactive nature and functionality these tools bring to aid learning engagement. In particular, these tools are well aligned with the need to promote and develop student meta-cognitive skills through the use of self-reflection activities. However, in the context of video-based learning environments, the nature of a students' self-reflective process is not well understood. We attempt to address this gap in the literature in two main ways. First, we developed a coding instrument to assess the depth of a students' self-reflection captured through the use of a video annotation tool. We then explored the linguistic and discourse properties of the student self-reflections using Coh-Metrix, a theoretically grounded computational linguistics facility. The adopted approach applies comprehensive analysis of language and discourse features associated with the specificity of students' internal self-feedback, which is externalized as self-reflections in video annotations. The results suggest that levels of self-reflection have characteristically different linguistic properties, and these differences align with the underlying cognitive mechanisms associated with distinct reflective activities. The paper provides a detailed discussion of the findings in the context of the theoretical, methodological, and practical implications associated with video-based self-reflection and video annotation.

TRAINING TEACHING ASSISTANTS AS COACHES

Abstract – The role of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) is becoming more demanding as engineering education places an increased emphasis on teamwork and design. For undergraduate students to excel, GTAs must help them form well-functioning teams and encourage them to operate as self-directed learners. In other words, GTAs should operate more as coaches rather than teachers. Many GTAs, unfortunately, lack the basic competencies of to perform as a coach. In this work, we present a 3-hour workshop designed to address this skills gap. The role of a coach and basic theoretical concepts, as well as a simple tool to elicit self-reflection in students are presented through a series of experiential exercises and discussions. The exercises also give participants an opportunity to practice these newly acquired skills while developing confidence in identifying scenarios where the tool may be applied. This workshop has been executed once with a group of 10 graduate engineering students at the University of Victoria. Survey results have been encouraging, we believe that the participants successfully acquired basic coaching competencies and applied them to their interactions with undergraduate students.

Strategies & Self-Regulation in ESL Writing: Using Self-Regulated Strategy Development in an African Seminary

Self-Regulatory Strategy Development (SRSD) is an interactive instructional method used to teach writing through the use of strategies and self-regulation (Harris, Graham, Friedlander, & Laud, 2013). Using SRSD, the researcher implemented a 6-week essay writing unit in an ESL university classroom in Cameroon, West Africa. The author collected and analyzed data in the form of writing samples, student and teacher assessments, and student self-reflections. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of SRSD within this setting, from a quantitative perspective (rubric-based assessments) and a qualitative perspective (student self-reflections). A discussion on the findings and implications for future use of SRSD are included.

Self-Reflection and Math Performance in an Online Learning Environment

According to recent reports, K-12 full-time virtual school students have shown lower performance in math than their counterparts in regular brick-and-mortar schools. However, research is lacking in what kind of programmatic interventions virtual schools might be particularly well-suited to provide to improve math learning. Engaging students in self-reflection is a potentially promising pedagogical approach for supporting math learning. Nonetheless, it is unclear how models for math learning in regular classrooms translate in an online environment. The purpose of this study was to (a) analyze rich assessment data from virtual schools to explore the association between self-reflection and math performance, (b) compare the patterns found in student self-reflection across elementary, middle, and high school levels, and (c) examine whether providing opportunities for self-reflection had positive impact on learning in a virtual learning environment. In this study, the self-reflection assessments were developed and administered multiple times within several math courses during the 2014-2015 school year. These assessments included 4-7 questions that ask students to reflect on their understanding of the knowledge and skills they learned in the preceding lessons and units. Using these assessments, multiple constructs and indicators were measured, which include confidence about the topic knowledge/understanding, general feelings towards math, accuracy of self-judgment against actual test performance, and frequency of self-reflection. Through a series of three retrospective studies, data were collected from full-time virtual school students who took three math courses (one elementary, one middle, and one high school math course) in eight virtual schools in the United States during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. The results showed that (a) participation in self-reflection varied by grade, unit test performance level, and course/topic difficulty; (b) more frequent participation in self-reflection and higher self-confidence level were associated with higher final course performance; and (c) self-reflection, as was implemented here, showed limited impact for more difficult topics, higher grade courses, and higher performing students. Implications for future research are provided.

Comparison of faculty and student self-assessment scores of aseptic technique skills and the impact of video review on self-awareness for second-year pharmacy students

Background and purposeEducating students about aseptic technique presents many challenges. Students at Drake University have limited exposure to this skill outside of the classroom setting, and students have previously shown a lack of awareness related to their own aseptic technique skills. One approach to developing self-awareness in this area may be the incorporation of activities involving video viewing and self-reflection. Educational activity and settingSecond-year pharmacy students in the Intermediate Pharmacy Skills and Applications 2 course completed four total aseptic technique activities, each of which was assessed by faculty using a standardized assessment tool. Each student was video-recorded during one of these aseptic technique activities. Students were asked to self-reflect on their performance immediately after the activity and again after viewing the video recording of their performance (using the same criteria included in a standardized faculty assessment tool). Student self-reflection scores before and after video viewing were then compared to faculty scores. FindingsOne-hundred six students participated in the video recording and self-reflection activity. Compared to faculty assessment scores, there was no significant difference between the self-reflections before or after video viewing (p = 0.571). DiscussionVideo self-reflection had no significant impact on the ability to accurately self-assess aseptic technique skills, but this study did reveal several other opportunities for future teaching and research. SummaryFuture efforts to impact student self-awareness should include additional self-reflection instruction, repeated self-reflection activities conducted over the course of a semester, and improved video recording technology.

A compliance assessment of midpoint formative assessments completed by APPE preceptors

IntroductionExperiential pharmacy preceptors should provide formative and summative feedback during a learning experience. Preceptors are required to provide colleges and schools of pharmacy with assessments or evaluations of students’ performance. Students and experiential programs value on-time completion of midpoint evaluations by preceptors. The objective of this study was to determine the number of on-time electronically documented formative midpoint evaluations completed by preceptors during advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). MethodsCompliance rates of on-time electronically documented formative midpoint evaluations were reviewed by the Office of Experiential Education of a five-member consortium during the two-year study period prior to the adoption of Standards 2016. Pearson chi-square test and generalized linear models were used to determine if statistically significant differences were present. ResultsAverage midpoint compliance rates for the two-year research period were 40.7% and 41% respectively. No statistical significance was noted comparing compliance rates for year one versus year two. However, statistical significance was present when comparing compliance rates between schools during year two. Feedback from students and preceptors pointed to the need for brief formal midpoint evaluations that require minimal time to complete, user friendly experiential management software, and methods for documenting verbal feedback through student self-reflection. ConclusionsAdditional education and training to both affiliate and faculty preceptors on the importance of written formative feedback at midpoint is critical to remaining in compliance with Standards 2016.

STUDENT EVALUATION OF USING SELF-REFLECTION LOGS: THE VALUE OF USING SELF-REFLECTION MATERIALS IN AN EFL UNIVERSITY COURSE IN JAPAN

This study reports on the utilization of a student self-reflection log within a first-year university EFL course to examine the perceived value of self-reflection by the students for their English studies. Through using the log, students reflected on what they did inside of class, what they felt was successful, and what they would like to improve. The objective of the study was to examine what value the students felt the self-reflection logs had for their English studies. A post-course evaluation questionnaire and delayed post-course interviews were carried out to answer the following research questions: Would students regard the self-reflection logs as a valuable tool for learning English? What elements of using the logs would be valuable for the students? The results showed that the participants’ evaluation of using a self-reflection log was positive, and that their motivation and learning behavior had improved through weekly self-reflection and goal setting. It can be claimed that the self-reflection logs were perceived as being of value to the participants for their English learning

Are Students Blind to Their Ethical Blind Spots? An Exploration of Why Ethics Education Should Focus on Self-Perception Biases

Ethics blind spots, which have become a keystone of the emerging behavioral ethics literature, are essentially biases, heuristics, and psychological traps. Though students typically recognize that ethical challenges exist in the world at large, they often fail to see when they are personally prone to ethics blind spots. This creates an obstacle for ethics education—inducing students to act in an ethical manner when faced with real challenges. Grounded in the social psychology literature, we suggest that a meta-bias, the bias blind spot, should be addressed to facilitate student recognition of real-world ethical dilemmas and their own susceptibility to biases. We present a roadmap for an ethics education training module, developed to incorporate both ethics blind spots and self-perception biases. After completing the module, students identified potential ethical challenges in their real-world team projects and reflected on their susceptibility to ethical transgressions. Qualitative student feedback supports the value of this training module beyond traditional ethics education approaches. Lessons for management and ethics educators include (a) the value of timely, in-context ethics interventions and (b) the need for student self-reflection (more so than emphasis on broad ethical principles). Future directions are discussed.

Preparing to Lead: A Leadership Philosophy Exercise for Business Students

This article introduces a leadership philosophy exercise where students reflect on their values and prepare a statement of what they intend to do as a leader in their careers. This exercise has the potential to add value to leadership classes or seminars where personal leadership is the focus. By using the leadership philosophy exercise, I argue that management instructors can facilitate student self-reflection and better prepare students to lead effectively in their careers.

Self-reflection of Medical Students over Professionalism-A Qualitative Study

Self-reflection of Medical Students over Professionalism-A Qualitative Study

Evaluation of Qatari and Canadian Pharmacy Students Learning Together about Cultural Competency using Videoconference Educational Activities

Background: Pharmacists are under pressure to provide patient centered care within increasingly culturally diverse settings. Pharmacy schools play an important role in educating learners regarding culture and its impact on patient care.
 Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine if a novel cultural competency learning activity, which involved students from two culturally and ethnically different pharmacy schools learning together using videoconference education activities, improved: (1) student knowledge and confidence pertaining to cultural competency concepts, (2) attitudes and perceptions towards being a culturally competent pharmacist, and (3) academic performance related to cultural competency case studies.
 Methods: Pharmacy students from Qatar University in Doha, Qatar (n=25) and the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada (n=85) participated in a cultural competency activity comprised of small group work on a patient case study, followed by tutorial discussions. Some Canadian students (n=31/85) worked collaboratively (via video conference) with the students from Qatar. The evaluation used a convergent mixed methods design comprised of: (1) a pre and post session survey measuring student knowledge and confidence; (2) pre and post session student self-reflections; and, (3) student academic performance on care plans and an observed structured clinical exam (OSCE).
 Results: The survey identified small but statistically significant (p<0.05) improvements in knowledge and confidence with respect to 11 of the 12 questionnaire items in the students from Canada and 2 of the 12 items in the students from Qatar. The self-reflections found that 44.4% (n=36/81) of students who completed the pre and post reflective questions reported a change in knowledge and attitudes regarding cultural competency, but a reason for the change was not evident. Student grades on the cultural competency care plans and the OSCE were not different between the students who worked collaboratively across the two schools compared with those who did not.
 Conclusion: The cultural competency student activity showed small improvements in pharmacy student knowledge, attitudes and confidence, but did not affect academic performance. Future research in this area could utilize a greater diversity of methodological approaches, including a focus on student self-reflection and qualitative assessment, to better capture student competency.
 
 Type: Original Research

An Investigation into the Meaning of Women Leadership in Korean Society shown through Self-reflection of Female University Students

An Investigation into the Meaning of Women Leadership in Korean Society shown through Self-reflection of Female University Students

Situated willingness to communicate in an L2: Interplay of individual characteristics and context

Recently, situated willingness to communicate (WTC) has received increasing research attention in addition to traditional quantitative studies of trait-like WTC. This article is an addition to the former but unique in two ways. First, it investigates both trait and state WTC in a classroom context and explores ways to combine the two to reach a fuller understanding of why second language (L2) learners choose (or avoid) communication at given moments. Second, it investigates the communication behavior of individuals and of the group they constitute as nested systems, with the group as context for individual performance. An interventional study was conducted in a class for English as a foreign language (EFL) with 21 students in a Japanese university. During discussion sessions in English over a semester in which Initiation–Response–Feedback (IRF) patterns were avoided to encourage students to initiate communication, qualitative data based on observations, student self-reflections, and interviews and scale-based data on trait anxiety and WTC were collected. The analyses, which focused on three selected participants, revealed how differences in the frequency of self-initiated turns emerged through the interplay of enduring characteristics, including personality and proficiency, and contextual influences such as other students’ reactions and group-level talk–silence patterns.

Changes in Self‐Leadership and Self‐Efficacy After Leadership Training of First‐Year Premedical Students

The purpose of this study was to elucidate to what extent the goals of the leadership training program implemented in a medical college were achieved. Study subjects consisted of 74 first-year premedical students at the College of Medicine of The Catholic University of Korea. All participants completed two questionnaires: an 18-item self-leadership questionnaire asking self-expectation, rehearsal, goal setting, self-rewards, self-judgment and constructive thinking, and a 28-item self-efficacy questionnaire asking preference toward difficult work, efficacy of self-control, and confidence before and after the leadership training program. Students also competed a program satisfaction survey after the program. The collected data were analyzed with a paired t-test, descriptive statistics by IBM SPSS ver. 20.0 (IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA). Students’ overall satisfaction with the program scored 4.06 out of 5. The scores of self-leadership and self-efficacy increased after the leadership training program except for ‘confidence’ in self-efficacy. The results indicate that an intensive leadership program in a short period of time could help to enhance social competencies such as communication skills, empathy, self-reflection, and teamwork of premedical students.

Implementing and Evaluating a Four-Year Integrated End-of-Life Care Curriculum for Medical Students

abstractProblem: Meeting the needs of patients with life-limiting and terminal illness requires effectively trained physicians in all specialties to provide skillful and compassionate care. Despite mandates for end-of-life (EoL) care education, graduating medical students do not consistently feel prepared to provide this care. Intervention: We have developed a longitudinal, integrated, and developmental 4-year curriculum in EoL care. The curriculum's purpose is to teach basic competencies in EoL care. A variety of teaching strategies emphasize experiential, skill-building activities with special attention to student self-reflection. In addition, we have incorporated interprofessional learning and education on the spiritual and cultural aspects of care. We created blended learning strategies combining interactive online modules with live workshops that promote flexibility, adaptability, and interprofessional learning opportunities. Context: The curriculum was implemented and evaluated in the 4-year program of studies at Yale School of Medicine. Outcome: A mixed-method evaluation of the curriculum included reviews of student written reflections and questionnaires, graduating student surveys, and demonstration of 4th-year students’ competency in palliative care with an observed structured clinical examination (OSCE). These evaluations demonstrate significant improvements in students’ self-reported preparedness in EoL care and perceptions of the adequacy in their instruction in EoL and palliative care, as well as competency in primary palliative care in a newly developed OSCE. Lessons Learned: A 4-year longitudinal integrated curriculum enhances students’ skills and preparedness in important aspects of EoL care. As faculty resources, clinical sites, and curricular structure vary by institution, proven and adaptable educational strategies as described in this article may be useful to address the mandate to improve EoL care education. Teaching strategies and curricular components and design as just described can be adapted to other programs.

Encouraging Self-Reflection in Social Work Students: Using Personal Construct Methods

We report on a research study in which we introduced undergraduate social work students in England to two methods originating in Personal Construct Theory (PCT) as a way of encouraging in-depth self-reflection. The methods were first piloted with four students and subsequently used with two large classes of second year students. The students often found the methods challenging, but many felt that these enabled them to reflect upon social work practice and upon their own assumptions, values and behaviour in a fresh and thought-provoking way. We argue that such methods could usefully be added to existing methods for encouraging reflexivity in social work students. Teaching materials and instructions for delivering our teaching session using these methods are available online at http://www.hud.ac.uk/research/researchcentres/capr/projects/personal-construct-methods-in-reflective-practice/

Re-appropriating a question/answer system to support dialectical constructivist learning activity

Learning can be engaged by dialectic, that is, by identifying pros and cons that inhere in propositions, and more generally, by raising questions about the validity of claims. We report here on a classroom case study of dialectical constructivist pedagogy: Students created dialectical analyses of two lectures and four books as core activities in a freshman seminar “Information, People and Technology”. We adapted the functionality of Piazza, a free wiki-style question–answer course management infrastructure, and Toulmin argumentation structures to organize and facilitate these dialectical learning activities. In this paper, we motivate this approach, describe our implementation of it, and present interaction log data and content analysis of Piazza debates, and analysis of student self-reflections on learning activity and consequences, to assess issues in this approach, and directions for further instructional design and research.

Teachers’ conceptions of student creativity in higher education

Creativity is one of the important skills of the twenty-first century and central to higher education (HE). When we look closer into research on creativity in HE, however, it is not clear how university teachers conceptualise student creativity. How do teachers grasp, observe and express student creativity? Different methods such as interviews and online questionnaire have been used in this study. From the teacher perspective, student creativity is categorised into a 6-Facet-Model, in which teachers ‘see’ student creativity expressed through (1) student self-reflections, (2) independent decisions, (3) through curiosity and motivation, (4) producing something, (5) multi-perspectives and (6) when students develop original new ideas. The results provide a new understanding of student creativity from university teachers’ perspective that is useful for re-organising course designs.

The Effects of Input-based and Output-based Planning on English Speaking Anxiety

While studies on the effects of foreign language speaking anxiety on EFL learners’ performance in oral tasks have been of great interest, few studies have been conducted regarding practical pedagogies that can decrease foreign language speaking anxiety. Based on the principles of Krashen’s input hypothesis (1985) and Swain’s output hypothesis (1993), this study compared the results and effectiveness of input-based reading activities and output-based writing activities, conducted prior to a recorded speaking task for foreign language speaking anxiety. For this study, 66 Korean university students were divided into two groups, each being assigned either input-based or output-based planning activities. The results showed that there was no significant difference in pre-/post-course speaking anxiety tests between groups. However, there was a significant decrease in foreign language speaking anxiety within each group. The results of student self-reflection papers demonstrated that around 80% of participants considered the planning activities to be helpful in decreasing their speaking anxiety. The organization of contents in planning activities was seen to be of most value in decreasing anxiety.