Student learning through journal writing in a general education chemistry course for pre‐elementary education majors

Abstract

This paper describes research on the use of journals in a general education chemistry course for elementary education majors. In the journals, students describe their understanding of a topic, the development of that understanding, and how the topic connects to their lives. In the process, they are able to engage in reflection about several things. How the frequency and nature of those reflections relate to overall course outcomes, the content and quality of final exam essays on those topics, and student metacognition in problem solving are the basis of this paper. The following types of reflections were identified in the journals: action, prior knowledge, project ideas, text resources, classroom events, and monitoring of knowledge. A multiple linear regression analysis of the students' final course grade earned versus student grade point average (GPA), composite score on the ACT exam, the number of reflections made for each reflection type, and the total number of reflections made throughout all journals was used to determine the significance of the type of reflections made by students in relationship to their chemistry content understanding. The results indicate that students' prior GPA and their reflections on classroom events and their own knowledge correlate positively and significantly with a final course grade. However, student reflections on text resources have a negative and significant correlation with the final course grade. In addition, students' journal entries and final exam responses were coded for similarities in writing. The results indicate that those students who had strong similarities in writing for both their journal and final exam exhibited significantly stronger content understanding on the final exam essay. Finally, metacognition in problem solving, assessed with the Metacognitive Activities Inventory (MCA‐I) survey of metacognition, was also positively correlated with the types of reflection that correlate with overall course performance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96:543–565, 2012

Developing Student Metacognition through Reflective Writing in an Upper Level Undergraduate Anatomy Course

“…Frequent and consistent reflective writing, in the form of journal entries or blogs, is a rich way by which students may contemplate and articulate their knowledge and skill development as they are learning a new subject (Stevens and Cooper, 2009; Bean, 2011; Dianovsky and Wink, 2012). These reflective writing assignments may help students articulate what they know, what they don't know, and what they need to learn.…”

“…Previous research has shown that reflective writing improves students' metacognitive awareness and helps them become critical thinkers (Mezirow, 1990; Stevens and Cooper, 2009; Dyment and O’Connell, 2010; Bean, 2011; Dianovsky and Wink, 2012; Elbow and Sorincelli, 2014). Students regularly tasked with journaling have scored significantly higher on self‐regulated learning and reflective thinking scales, suggesting the process of journaling facilitates progression toward self‐regulated learning (Jado, 2015).…”

“…Students who journaled on climate change demonstrated greater learning gains (measured by pretest and posttest scores) than students who learned about climate change but did not have a reflective writing activity. Students who journaled about their understanding of undergraduate chemistry concepts scored more highly on a chemistry metacognitive awareness inventory than those students whose journals focused more on simply discussing text resources (Dianovsky and Wink, 2012). When Salinas (2004) analyzed her math students' (prospective teachers) reflective notebooks to document their performance, she found her students' perceptions of math changed from that of a passive learning subject with one correct answer to a more nuanced appreciation of the subject.…”

Broaching questions of race and racism through personal journals: an analysis of the reflections of students who selfidentify as black

“…In pedagogic research, journal writing has attracted attention for its potential to provide a non-threatening platform for personal contemplation on emerging understandings of a given topic (Casanave 2011). Our interest in journal writing pertains to its usefulness for encouraging participants to make connections between the academic content of a subject and personal experiences, observations, and other forms of prior knowledge that have often fallen beyond the purview of pedagogic research (Dianovsky and Wink, 2012;Pollock et al 2010). For this reason, students in our sample were encouraged to reflect both on their personal readings, as well as interaction with peers during class and tutorial discussions.…”

Prospective Science Teachers' Attitudes and Views of Using Journal Writing in the “Methods of Teaching Science" Course

“…Ed., 10(6), 625-634 response to, or analysis of an event, experience, or concept (Martin, 2000, cited in Chabon, 2012. According to many educators and previous studies, journal writing has many advantages and benefits, such as 1) Stimulating reflective thinking among students (Dianovsky & Wink, 2012;Dyment & O'Connell, 2011;Langer, 2002;Spalding & Wilson, 2002); 2) Being an effective teaching, learning and assessment tool (Chabon, 2012;Shin, 2006); 3) Improving students" learning and communication skills (Kostos & Shin, 2010;Talyor-Haslip, 2010;Harmelink, 1998); 4) providing a means for students to develop personally and professionally (Dyment & O'Connell, 2011;Rolfe, 2006); 5) Providing valuable feedback to students, showing growth and changes in their attitudes and knowledge over a term or a semester (Bolin, Khramtsova & Saarnio, 2005); 6) It can also be used to activate prior knowledge, engage the imagination, and practice writing skills (Fahsl & McAndrews, 2012), and 7) as a tool for self-awareness and empowerment (Blumenfeld, 2010).…”