Moving from technical to critical reflection in journalling: an investigation of students' ability to incorporate three levels of reflective writing.

PubMed

Usher, K; Tollefson, J; Francis, D

2001-01-01

This paper outlines a research project aimed at changing the levels of reflection of preregistration nursing students in a tertiary institution. Whilst reflection is widely espoused now in nursing, few studies have been found that identify whether the level of reflective writing can be identified or developed by students. Anecdotal and research evidence (Powell 1989; van Manen 1977) however indicates that most student reflective writing occurs at the technical level. A descriptive exploratory study using both qualitative and quantitative techniques was undertaken to apply van Manen's (1977) levels in a structured way in an attempt to facilitate the student's understanding and use of the levels in their reflective writing. The findings of the study indicate that student self evaluation and identification of the levels in their own writing can lead to change in the levels of critical reflective writing achieved by undergraduate students.

Writing in/of/and Educational Leadership: Reflections of a Journal Editor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite, Duncan

2017-01-01

In this article, I deal with a journal's relation to its field and issues involved in writing and publishing, especially in educational administration and educational leadership. Some issues discussed include: the social construction of the field; the conservatism of educational administration and, later, educational leadership; status hierarchies…

Reflective Practice through Journal Writing and Peer Observation: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakshmi, B. Samrajya

2014-01-01

Journal writing and Peer Observation in an educational context have become popular techniques, with several different types of applications. They have now been used quite widely in both language teaching and in teacher training. However, despite its reported advantages in both teaching and research, there are not many Peer Observation and Diary…

Reflective journals: unmasking student perceptions of anatomical education.

PubMed

Lazarus, L; Sookrajh, R; Satyapal, K S

2017-01-01

In medical education, reflection has been considered to be a core skill in professional competence. The anatomy laboratory is an ideal setting for faculty/ student interaction and provides invaluable opportunities for active learning and reflection on anatomical knowledge. This study was designed to record student attitudes regarding human cadaveric dissection, explore their experiences of anatomy through an analysis of their journal-reflective writings and determine whether this type of creative writing had a beneficial effect on those students who chose to complete them. A total of 75 journals from Medical and Allied Health Science students were collected and analysed. Results were categorised according to the following themes: (i) Dissecting room stressors (27.6%); (ii) Educational value of dissection (26.3%); (iii) Appreciation, Gratitude, Respect and Curiosity for the cadaver (18.9%); (iv) Positive and negative sentiments expressed in the dissecting room (25.8%); (v) Benefit of alternate teaching modalities (4.6%); (vi) Spirituality/Religious Beliefs (3.7%); (vii) Shared humanity and emotional bonds (3.69%); (viii) Acknowledgement of human anatomical variations (3.2%); (ix) Beauty and complexity of the human body (1.8%) and (x) Psychological detachment (0.9%). Students appreciated the opportunity to share their emotions and reflect on the humanistic dimension of anatomy as a subject. Student reflections illustrated clearly their thoughts and some of the difficult issues with which they wrestled. The anatomy laboratory is seen as the budding clinician's first encounter with a patient, albeit a cadaver. This was the first time that reflective journals were given to students in the discipline. Reflective journals allow students to express themselves in an open-ended and creative fashion. It also assists students to integrate anatomy and clinical medicine and assists in applying their basic anatomical knowledge in an authentic, yet safe environment.

Journal Writing and Learning: Reading between the Structural, Holistic, and Post-Structural Lines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mannion, Greg

2001-01-01

Structural approaches to journal writing enable learners to manage subjectivity while seeking "objective truth." Holistic approaches attempt to synthesize ways of learning, giving a false sense of completion and inclusion. Poststructuralism places journal text in the context of discourses; through reflection and deconstruction, the…

Journal Writing in Health Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillis, Angela J.

2001-01-01

Notes the growing use of journals in nursing education and health professions continuing education. Describes a three-step method involving critical analysis of clinical practice, peer group discussion, and self-evaluation. Presents practical guidelines for journal writing and ways to use journals to develop competence. (SK)

Improving Language Acquisition through Journal Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chanthalangsy, Sonevilay; Moskalis, Stan

This study examined how journal writing could improve language minority students' language acquisition. Participants were Serbo-Croatian and Laotian second and third graders from two elementary schools. Initial student surveys and writing assignments, conducted in September to document the problem, found that students lacked writing skills,…

"Trína Chéile": Reflections on Journaling in the Border Country of Doctoral Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCormack, David

2014-01-01

In this paper I reflect autoethnographically on my experiences of writing as part of a professional doctorate. I draw on the research journals that I kept during a particularly challenging time in the dissertation process and in particular on the method of journal writing that I used to help me through this time. This storied account offers an…

Health and Physical Education Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions of Journals as a Reflective Tool in Experience-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Timothy; Dyment, Janet

2011-01-01

The pedagogical use of journals as a reflective tool has been used in many academic disciplines. Researchers have studied the effectiveness of implementing journal writing as an academic exercise, and results have generally touted journals as a successful means of encouraging learning and reflection. However, little is known about how students…

Writing Week-Journals to Improve the Writing Quality of Fourth-Graders' Compositions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosário, Pedro; Högemann, Julia; Núñez, José Carlos; Vallejo, Guillermo; Cunha, Jennifer; Oliveira, Vera; Fuentes, Sonia; Rodrigues, Celestino

2017-01-01

Students' writing problems are a global educational concern and is in need of particular attention. This study aims to examine the impact of providing extra writing opportunities (i.e., writing journals) on the quality of writing compositions. A longitudinal cluster-randomized controlled design using a multilevel modeling analysis with 182 fourth…

Understanding the processes of writing papers reflectively.

PubMed

Regmi, Krishna; Naidoo, Jennie

2013-07-01

This paper explores the writing of research papers using reflective frameworks. Reflective practice is integral to professional education and development. However, healthcare students, academics and practitioners have given limited attention to how to write reflectively. In addition, there are limited resources on the practical aspects of writing papers reflectively. The following major databases were searched: PubMed, Medline, King's Library, Excerpta Medica Database, Department of Health database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. The searches were conducted using 'free text' and 'index' terms. Only relevant papers published in English were reviewed and scrutinised. Unpublished reports, internal publications, snowballing from the reference lists and personal contacts were also included in the search. This is a review paper that critiques the frameworks used for reflective practice. Writing papers reflectively is a complex task. Healthcare professionals and researchers need to understand the meaning of reflection and make appropriate use of reflective frameworks. Demystifying the process of reflectively writing papers will help professionals develop skills and competencies. IMPLICATION FOR RESEARCH/PRACTICE: This article provides a practical guide to reflection and how nursing and allied healthcare students, academics and practitioners can practise it. The paper identifies four generic stages in frameworks: description, assessment, evaluation and action, which are illustrated by annotated 'skeletal' examples. It is hoped that this will assist the process of reflective practice, writing and learning.

Writing a journal article: guidance for novice authors.

PubMed

Price, Bob

2014-05-06

This article focuses on writing for journal publication. The purpose of writing is explored, paying particular attention to the message to be conveyed and the readership to which that message is addressed.The process of drafting and revising an article for publication is outlined, after which attention is turned to the peer-review process, what peer reviewers are looking for in an article, and what might then be required of the author in redrafting the article to meet the expectations of the journal. Prospective authors are encouraged to research the journal to which they plan to submit their work, and to then target their writing to the readership of that publication.

Using Science Journals to Encourage All Students to Write

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fingon, Joan C.; Fingon, Shallon D.

2008-01-01

It seems that everyone is using science journals or notebooks lately. As middle school science teachers, the authors use science journals as a tool to enhance students' knowledge and understanding of content and reinforce students' writing skills. Here they share how they use science journals to motivate students to write about science in middle…

Using the Literary Journal for More than Literary Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbaugh, James Christopher

1989-01-01

Describes how the school literary journal can be used to publish students' writing about public affairs to add new dimensions to the journal and transform it to a comprehensive display of students' interests and writing abilities. (MG)

Writing for publication in medical education in high impact journals.

PubMed

Azer, S A; Dupras, D M; Azer, S

2014-10-01

One of the key priorities of a scholarly teacher is to demonstrate the ability to contribute to the advancement of knowledge, and transformation of new knowledge into applications that can be of value to the profession and the teaching/learning community. However, successful contribution to a scholarly activity such as publication is challenging particularly when academics lack confidence in their writing skills. The aim of this article is to highlight keys for successful publication in medical education. We reviewed the current literature, recent medical education proceedings, and Association of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) Guides and explored the basic principles for creating a scholarly publication. We have also reflected on our collective long experience as reviewers to educational, scientific, and clinical journals as well as our roles on editorial boards of medical education and scientific journals. Using the methods described, we have developed the following twelve tips: (1) Start with the end of mind, (2) Sharpen your idea, (3) Select the right journal, (4) Discuss authorship, (5) Adhere to ethical principles, (6) Prepare the manuscript, (7) Avoid common mistakes, (8) See it from the reviewer's eyes, (9) Prepare a cover letter, (10) Respond to the editor's and reviewers' reports, (11) Don't be discouraged by rejection, and (12) Reflect on your experience. Writing for publication in medical education, particularly in journals with high impact ratings, is a challenging task. However, becoming passionate about your contention, and working on transforming your idea into a published work necessitates self-regulation, resilience, visualization of outcomes, and implementing scholarly approaches. Overcoming challenges and focusing on your goal can be reached if these tips are applied.

Making Connections for Mindful Inquiry: Using Reflective Journals to Scaffold an Autobiographical Approach to Learning in Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackshields, Daniel

2009-01-01

This research develops a narrative of incidents of intentional learning by students studying undergraduate economics as represented in their written reflective journals. The deliberate integration of learner reflection, reflective practice and reflective writing into the pedagogy may facilitate transfer learning (Sousa, 2006). Transfer has been…

Journaling and the Improvement of Writing Skills for Incoming College Freshmen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hight, Jim D.

2013-01-01

Journaling is an effective tool for the development of writing skills and creative thinking; however, research has not revealed how it improves writing skills in the college classroom. The majority of the studies related to journaling are elementary school studies, which do not provide statistics on how journaling can improve writing skills for…

A Four-Week Reflective Writing Program in the Psychiatry Clerkship: Testing Effects on Reflective Capacity.

PubMed

Whitmore, Charles A; Sakai, Joseph; Mikulich-Gilbertson, Susan K; Davies, Robert D

2018-04-27

Reflective capacity is the ability to review and reconstruct the importance, emotional impact, and outcomes of an experience to give it added meaning and context. In medicine, greater reflective capacity is associated with greater empathy and diagnostic accuracy. This project implemented a four-week reflective writing curriculum for third-year medical students during their psychiatric clerkship. A single class of medical students participated in a pilot reflective writing program during their four-week Psychiatry Care Block. Students were provided with weekly writing prompts, and the reflective capacity of their writing assignments was assessed using the REFLECT rubric. Medical students who participated in the reflective writing course demonstrated a significant increase in Wald Rubric reflective writing scores across the four-week clerkship. These results suggest a short, four-week reflective writing curriculum can enhance reflective capacity in a class of third-year medical students.

How to write a journal article for PSN.

PubMed

Hotta, Tracey

2015-01-01

Are you considering writing a journal article for Plastic Surgical Nursing? This official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses presents the latest advances in plastic and reconstructive surgical nursing practice. The journal features clinical articles covering a wide variety of surgical and nonsurgical procedures. Patient education techniques and research findings are also included, as well as articles discussing the ethical issues and trends in this expanding clinical nursing specialty. This is a perfect forum to share your knowledge with others in the plastic surgery field, resulting in improved patient care. The editorial board is established and available to assist you in the writing process. It is important to know that you do not have to be an academic scholar to write an article; instead, you have information that you would like to share. This article is intended to provide key points to follow to make sure that writing your article is a positive experience.

How to Write a Journal Article for PSN.

PubMed

Hotta, Tracey

Are you considering writing a journal article for Plastic Surgical Nursing? This official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses presents the latest advances in plastic and reconstructive surgical nursing practice. The journal features clinical articles covering a wide variety of surgical and nonsurgical procedures. Patient education techniques and research findings are also included, as well as articles discussing the ethical issues and trends in this expanding clinical nursing specialty. This is a perfect forum to share your knowledge with others in the plastic surgery field, resulting in improved patient care. The editorial board is established and available to assist you in the writing process. It is important to know that you do not have to be an academic scholar to write an article; instead, you have information that you would like to share. This article is intended to provide key points to follow to make sure that writing your article is a positive experience.

Journal Writing: Pedagogical Perspectives. [SFC Monograph #3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casanave, Christine Pearson, Ed.

Articles on the use of student journals in high school and college English-as-a-Second-Language instruction, specifically in the Japanese context, include: "Journal Writing and the Damaged Language Learner" (Alan J. McCormick); "Interested?" (Sven G. M. Puetter); "Tradition and the Student Journal" (George Deaux);…

Reflective Writing: Insights into What Lies beneath

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kathpalia, Sujata S.; Heah, Carmel

2008-01-01

Educationists and writing practitioners consider reflection to be a defining feature of student portfolios (Fink 2003; Zubizarreta 2004; Jones and Shelton 2006). A writing portfolio without reflection is merely a collection of written work which does not contribute to "real" learning. Reflection in the portfolio approach happens when…

Do writing and storytelling skill influence assessment of reflective ability in medical students' written reflections?

PubMed

Aronson, Louise; Niehaus, Brian; DeVries, Charlie D; Siegel, Jennifer R; O'Sullivan, Patricia S

2010-10-01

Increasingly, students are asked to write reflections as part of their medical education, but some question the influence of other factors on the evaluation of these reflections. In this pilot study, the investigators determined whether scores from a validated rubric to measure reflective ability were affected by irrelevant variance resulting from writing or storytelling ability. Students in clerkships wrote reflections on professionalism. All were given identical prompts, with half receiving additional structured guidelines on reflection. Sixty reflections, 30 from each group, were randomly chosen and scored for reflection, writing, and storytelling by trained raters using validated rubrics. There was no correlation between reflection and either writing (r = 0.049, P = .35) or storytelling (r = 0.14, P = .13). The guidelines increased reflection, but not writing or storytelling scores. Reflection is a distinct construct unaffected by learners' writing or storytelling skills. These findings support reflective ability as a distinct skill.

Readability and writing style analysis of selected allied health professional journals.

PubMed

Hedl, J J; Glazer-Waldman, H R; Parker, H J; Hopkins, K M

1991-01-01

Using US Department of Defense text sampling procedures, nine allied health journals were analyzed for readability and selected writing style indices via Right Writer, a commercial software program. Two indices of readability were computed for each journal as were several indices of writing style. The computed readability ranged from 13.0 to 15.4, depending upon the journal in question. Two journals showed the highest levels of readability (15.4) compared to the other seven journals. The writing style analyses indicated generally normal ranges for the descriptive and jargon indices, but seven journals showed below recommended strength indices. Sentence structure analyses indicated a need to reduce sentence structure complexity. Implications for journal editors and authors are discussed.

Assessing Student Teachers' Reflective Writing through Quantitative Content Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poldner, Eric; Van der Schaaf, Marieke; Simons, P. Robert-Jan; Van Tartwijk, Jan; Wijngaards, Guus

2014-01-01

Students' reflective essay writing can be stimulated by the formative assessments provided to them by their teachers. Such assessments contain information about the quality of students' reflective writings and offer suggestions for improvement. Despite the importance of formatively assessing students' reflective writings in teacher education…

Self-Reflection and Academic Performance: Is There a Relationship?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lew, Magdeleine D. N.; Schmidt, Henk G.

2011-01-01

The purposes of the present study were two-fold: first, to evaluate whether reflection journal writing was effective in promoting self-reflection and learning, and whether students become better at self-reflection if they engage continuously in reflection journal writing. To that end, the reflection journals of 690 first-year applied science…

Reflective Writing's Synecdochic Imperative: Process Descriptions Redescribed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Julie

2011-01-01

Scholars and teachers within the field of composition have long heralded the merits of reflective writing. Whether written intermittently throughout a course or near the end (typically in the genre of portfolio cover letter), reflective writing assignments are thought to promote cognitive development by helping students become more aware of their…

An International Experience for Social Work Students: Self-Reflection through Poetry and Journal Writing Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furman, Rich; Coyne, Ann; Negi, Nalini Junko

2008-01-01

This descriptive article explores the uses of poetry and journaling exercises as means of helping students develop their self-reflective capacities within the context of international social work. First, self-reflection and its importance to social work practice and education is discussed. Second, the importance of self-reflection in international…

Exploring Students' Reflective Writing on Facebook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annamalai, Nagaletchimee; Jaganathan, Paramaswari

2017-01-01

According to our experience, facilitating online reflective writing via Facebook motivates students to improve their writing skills and reflective thinking. Six students and a teacher from an urban school in the northern region of Malaysia were involved in this study. The qualitative data in the form of online archives were categorized as…

Writing intelligible English prose for biomedical journals.

PubMed

Ludbrook, John

2007-01-01

1. I present a combination of semi-objective and subjective evidence that the quality of English prose in biomedical scientific writing is deteriorating. 2. I consider seven possible strategies for reversing this apparent trend. These refer to a greater emphasis on good writing by students in schools and by university students, consulting books on science writing, one-on-one mentoring, using 'scientific' measures to reveal lexical poverty, making use of freelance science editors and encouraging the editors of biomedical journals to pay more attention to the problem. 3. I conclude that a fruitful, long-term, strategy would be to encourage more biomedical scientists to embark on a career in science editing. This strategy requires a complementary initiative on the part of biomedical research institutions and universities to employ qualified science editors. 4. An immediately realisable strategy is to encourage postgraduate students in the biomedical sciences to undertake the service courses provided by many universities on writing English prose in general and scientific prose in particular. This strategy would require that heads of departments and supervisors urge their postgraduate students to attend such courses. 5. Two major publishers of biomedical journals, Blackwell Publications and Elsevier Science, now provide lists of commercial editing services on their web sites. I strongly recommend that authors intending to submit manuscripts to their journals (including Blackwell's Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology) make use of these services. This recommendation applies especially to those for whom English is a second language.

Reflective Writing through the Use of Guiding Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moussa-Inaty, Jase

2015-01-01

Reflections can be seen as powerful tools for growth and intellectual development. It is no surprise that the writing of reflections is common practice at a Federal Institute in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The research presented sought to explore possible differences in reflective writing once guidelines were presented to a group of interns in…

Journal Writing as an Adult Learning Tool. Practice Application Brief No. 22.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerka, Sandra

Journals can be valuable tools for fostering adult learning and experience. Research has supported the following assumptions about learning from journals: (1) articulating connections between new and existing knowledge improves learning; (2) writing about learning is a way of demonstrating what has been learned; (3) journal writing accentuates…

Reducing Maternal Psychological Distress after the NICU Experience through Journal Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barry, Leasha M.; Singer, George H. S.

2001-01-01

A study examined the effect of a brief journal writing exercise on the depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms of 38 mothers of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit graduates. Results found that the journal writing for 30 minutes a day for 4 consecutive days reduced physiological distress for the mothers. (Contains references.) (CR)

Journal Writing in Experiential Education: Possibilities, Problems, and Recommendations. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyment, Janet E.; O'Connell, Timothy S.

This digest explores the literature related to journal writing from various disciplines, including psychology, language studies, outdoor education, and experiential education. Although journal writing has been around since ancient times, it was not until the early 1960s that it flourished as a learning tool. Instructors from a wide range of…

Towards Reflective Writing Analytics: Rationale, Methodology and Preliminary Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shum, Simon Buckingham; Sándor, Ágnes; Goldsmith, Rosalie; Bass, Randall; McWilliams, Mindy

2017-01-01

When used effectively, reflective writing tasks can deepen learners' understanding of key concepts, help them critically appraise their developing professional identity, and build qualities for lifelong learning. As such, reflective writing is attracting substantial interest from universities concerned with experiential learning, reflective…

Dialogue Journal Writing and the Mediated Development of Writing: How Do Second Language Learners Engaged in Authentic Writing Activities Develop as Writers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulanoff, Sharon

This study examined the writing development of two language minority students over 3 school years, in particular, students' writing samples in the form of dialogue journals. Analyses focus on the function of content features (pragmatics) in their writing, the development of mechanical control (surface features), and the change in content over…

Journal Writing. Learning Package No. 34.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simic, Marge, Comp.; Smith, Carl, Ed.

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on journal writing is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an…

A three-year reflective writing program as part of introductory pharmacy practice experiences.

PubMed

Nuffer, Wesley; Vaughn, Jessica; Kerr, Kevin; Zielenski, Christopher; Toppel, Brianna; Johnson, Lauren; McCauley, Patrina; Turner, Christopher J

2013-06-12

To implement and evaluate a 3-year reflective writing program incorporated into introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) in the first- through third-year of a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Reflective writing was integrated into 6 IPPE courses to develop students' lifelong learning skills. In their writing, students were required to self-assess their performance in patient care activities, identify and describe how they would incorporate learning opportunities, and then evaluate their progress. Practitioners, faculty members, and fourth-year PharmD students served as writing preceptors. The success of the writing program was assessed by reviewing class performance and surveying writing preceptor's opinions regarding the student's achievement of program objectives. Class pass rates averaged greater than 99% over the 8 years of the program and the large majority of the writing preceptors reported that student learning objectives were met. A support pool of 99 writing preceptors was created. A 3-year reflective writing program improved pharmacy students' reflection and reflective writing skills.

Reflective Writing for Medical Students on the Surgical Clerkship: Oxymoron or Antidote?

PubMed

Liu, Geoffrey Z; Jawitz, Oliver K; Zheng, Daniel; Gusberg, Richard J; Kim, Anthony W

2016-01-01

Reflective writing has emerged as a solution to declining empathy during clinical training. However, the role for reflective writing has not been studied in a surgical setting. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to assess receptivity to a reflective-writing intervention among third-year medical students on their surgical clerkship. The reflective-writing intervention was a 1-hour, peer-facilitated writing workshop. This study employed a pre-post-intervention design. Subjects were surveyed on their experience 4 weeks before participation in the intervention and immediately afterwards. Surveys assessed student receptivity to reflective writing as well as self-perceived empathy, writing habits, and communication behaviors using a Likert-response scale. Quantitative responses were analyzed using paired t tests and linear regression. Qualitative responses were analyzed using an iterative consensus model. Yale-New Haven hospital, a tertiary care academic center. All medical students of Yale School of Medicine, rotating on their surgical clerkship during a 9-month period (74 in total) were eligible. In all, 25 students completed this study. The proportion of students desiring more opportunities for reflective writing increased from 32%-64%. The proportion of students receptive to a mandatory writing workshop increased from 16%-40%. These differences were both significant (p = 0.003 and p = 0.001). In all, 88% of students also reported new insight as a result of the workshop. In total, 39% of students reported a more positive impression of the surgical profession after participation. Overall, the workshop was well-received by students and improved student attitudes toward reflective writing and the surgical profession. Larger studies are required to validate the effect of this workshop on objective empathy measures. This study demonstrates how reflective writing can be incorporated into a presurgical curriculum. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in

Reflective Writing for Medical Students on the Surgical Clerkship: Oxymoron or Antidote?

PubMed Central

Liu, Geoffrey Z; Jawitz, Oliver K; Zheng, Daniel; Gusberg, Richard J; Kim, Anthony W

2017-01-01

Objectives Reflective writing has emerged as a solution to declining empathy during clinical training. However, the role for reflective writing has not been studied in a surgical setting. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to assess receptivity to a reflective writing intervention among third-year medical students on their surgical clerkship. Study Design The reflective writing intervention was a one hour, peer-facilitated writing workshop. This study employed a pre-post-intervention design. Subjects were surveyed on their experience four weeks prior to participation in the intervention and immediately afterwards. Surveys assessed student receptivity to reflective writing as well as self-perceived empathy, writing habits and communication behaviors using a Likert response scale. Quantitative responses were analyzed using paired t-tests and linear regression. Qualitative responses were analyzed using an iterative consensus model. Setting Yale-New Haven hospital, a tertiary care academic center. Participants All Yale School of Medicine medical students rotating on their surgical clerkship during a 9 month period (74 in total) were eligible. In all, 25 students completed this study. Results The proportion of students desiring more opportunities for reflective writing increased from 32% to 64%. The proportion of students receptive to a mandatory writing workshop increased from 16% to 40%. These differences were both significant (p=0.003 and p = 0.001). 88% of students also reported new insight as a result of the workshop. 39% of students reported a more positive impression of the surgical profession after participation. Conclusion Overall, the workshop was well-received by students and improved student attitudes towards reflective writing and the surgical profession. Larger studies are required to validate the effect of this workshop on objective empathy measures. This study demonstrates how reflective writing can be incorporated into a pre-surgical curriculum

Writing Exercises from "Exercise Exchange." Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Charles R., Ed.

Reflecting current practices in the teaching of writing, the exercises in this compilation were drawn from the journal "Exercise Exchange." The articles are arranged into six sections: sources for writing; prewriting; modes for writing; writing and reading; language, mechanics, and style; and revising, responding, and evaluating. Among the topics…

Launching Family Message Journals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wollman-Bonilla, Julie

This lesson introduces Family Message Journals, a tool for encouraging family involvement and supporting writing to reflect and learn. First and second graders are led into composing through demonstration, guided writing, and finally independent writing of messages that they will bring home for family to read and write a reply. During the three…

The application of heterogeneous cluster grouping to reflective writing for medical humanities literature study to enhance students' empathy, critical thinking, and reflective writing.

PubMed

Liao, Hung-Chang; Wang, Ya-Huei

2016-09-02

To facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and to make connections between patients' diseases and their social/cultural contexts, the study examined whether the use of heterogeneous cluster grouping in reflective writing for medical humanities literature acquisition could have positive effects on medical university students in terms of empathy, critical thinking, and reflective writing. A 15-week quasi-experimental design was conducted to investigate the learning outcomes. After conducting cluster algorithms, heterogeneous learning clusters (experimental group; n = 43) and non-heterogeneous learning clusters (control group; n = 43) were derived for a medical humanities literature study. Before and after the intervention, an Empathy Scale in Patient Care (ES-PC), a critical thinking disposition assessment (CTDA-R), and a reflective writing test were administered to both groups. The findings showed that on the empathy scale, significant differences in the "behavioral empathy," "affective empathy," and overall sections existed between the post-test mean scores of the experimental group and those of the control group, but such differences did not exist in "intelligent empathy." Regarding critical thinking, there were significant differences in "systematicity and analyticity," "skepticism and well-informed," "maturity and skepticism," and overall sections. As for reflective writing, significant differences existed in "ideas," "voice and point of view," "critical thinking and representation," "depth of reflection on personal growth," and overall sections, but not in "focus and context structure" and "language and conventions." This study outlined an alternative for using heterogeneous cluster grouping in reflective writing about medical humanities literature to facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation to provide more humanizing medical care.

Reflective Journals: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindroth, James T.

2015-01-01

The use of reflective journals has been identified as an effective tool to promote reflection in preservice teachers. This review of literature provides the reader with an understanding of the various ways journals are used and assessed in teacher education programs. The findings of this review outline the use of reflective journals on topics such…

A Three-Year Reflective Writing Program as Part of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences

PubMed Central

Vaughn, Jessica; Kerr, Kevin; Zielenski, Christopher; Toppel, Brianna; Johnson, Lauren; McCauley, Patrina; Turner, Christopher J.

2013-01-01

Objectives. To implement and evaluate a 3-year reflective writing program incorporated into introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) in the first- through third-year of a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Design. Reflective writing was integrated into 6 IPPE courses to develop students’ lifelong learning skills. In their writing, students were required to self-assess their performance in patient care activities, identify and describe how they would incorporate learning opportunities, and then evaluate their progress. Practitioners, faculty members, and fourth-year PharmD students served as writing preceptors. Assessment. The success of the writing program was assessed by reviewing class performance and surveying writing preceptor’s opinions regarding the student’s achievement of program objectives. Class pass rates averaged greater than 99% over the 8 years of the program and the large majority of the writing preceptors reported that student learning objectives were met. A support pool of 99 writing preceptors was created. Conclusions. A 3-year reflective writing program improved pharmacy students’ reflection and reflective writing skills. PMID:23788811

Using Reflective Writing as a Predictor of Academic Success in Different Assessment Formats.

PubMed

Tsingos-Lucas, Cherie; Bosnic-Anticevich, Sinthia; Schneider, Carl R; Smith, Lorraine

2017-02-25

Objectives. To investigate whether reflective-writing skills are associated with academic success. Methods. Two hundred sixty-four students enrolled in a pharmacy practice course completed reflective statements. Regression procedures were conducted to determine whether reflective-writing skills were associated with academic success in different assessment formats: written, oral, and video tasks. Results. Reflective-writing skills were found to be a predictor of academic performance in some formats of assessment: written examination; oral assessment task and overall score for the Unit of Study (UoS). Reflective writing skills were not found to predict academic success in the video assessment task. Conclusions. Possessing good reflective-writing skills was associated with improved academic performance. Further research is recommended investigating the impact of reflective skill development on academic performance measures in other health education.

Word Prediction Programs with Phonetic Spelling Support: Performance Comparisons and Impact on Journal Writing for Students with Writing Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evmenova, Anna S.; Graff, Heidi J.; Jerome, Marci Kinas; Behrmann, Michael M.

2010-01-01

This investigation examined the effects of currently available word prediction software programs that support phonetic/inventive spelling on the quality of journal writing by six students with severe writing and/or spelling difficulties in grades three through six during a month-long summer writing program. A changing conditions single-subject…

Personal, Reflective Writing: A Pedagogical Strategy for Teaching Business Students to Write

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Holly

2013-01-01

The use of personal, reflective writing exercises is well documented in the disciplines of composition and management, and each discipline has been highly influential in establishing pedagogical practices in the business communication classroom. However, we see little evidence of the pedagogical practice, the use of personal reflective writing…

Journal Writing as a Way to Know Culture: Insights from a Travel Study Abroad Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Cheryl J.; Zou, Yali; Poimbeauf, Rita

2015-01-01

In this work, we explore journal writing as a way to come to know culture, particularly cultural phenomenon, vastly different from one's own firmly held and enacted beliefs. In this research, we accept the premise that writing is a way of knowing and adopt journal writing as a tool through which students can explore the knowledge they have…

Writing for professional publication. Part 8: targeting the right journal.

PubMed

Fowler, John

The previous articles in this series of writing for professional publication focused on the preparation you need to do before starting to write an article, the practicalities of writing the abstract, creating interest in the reader's mind, and how an article for publication differs from an academic essay. Recently we considered the importance of selecting the correct journal for submission. In this article, John Fowler, an experienced nursing lecturer and author, discusses how client case studies can be used within your article.

Use of a journal club and letter-writing exercise to teach critical appraisal to medical undergraduates.

PubMed

Edwards, R; White, M; Gray, J; Fischbacher, C

2001-07-01

There is growing interest in methods of teaching critical appraisal skills at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We describe an approach using a journal club and subsequent letter writing to teach critical appraisal and writing skills to medical undergraduates. The exercise occurs during a 3-week public health medicine attachment in the third year of the undergraduate curriculum. Students work in small groups to appraise a recently published research paper, present their findings to their peers in a journal club, and draft a letter to the journal editor. Evaluation took place through: informal and formal feedback from students; number of letters written, submitted and published, and a comparison of marks obtained by students submitting a literature review assignment with and without critical appraisal teaching during the public health attachment. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. In the first 3(1/2) years, 26 letters have been published or accepted for publication, and 58 letters published on the Internet. There were no significant differences in overall marks or marks for the critical appraisal component of the literature review assignments between the two student groups. We believe our approach is an innovative and enjoyable method for teaching critical appraisal and writing skills to medical students. Lack of difference in marks in the literature review between the student groups may reflect its insensitivity as an outcome measure, contamination by other critical appraisal teaching, or true ineffectiveness.

Influence of interlocutor/reader on utterance in reflective writing and interview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collyer, Vivian M.

2010-03-01

The influence of the Other on utterance is foundational to language study. This analysis contrasts this influence within two modes of communication: reflective writing and interview. The data source is derived from the reflective writings and interview transcripts of a twelfth-grade physics student. In this student's case, reflective writing includes extensive utterances, utilizing rhetorical devices to persuade and reconcile with his reader. In the interview, on-going back-and-forth utterances allow the two participants to negotiate a co-constructed meaning for religion. Implications for the classroom are briefly discussed.

Using the Technique of Journal Writing to Learn Emergency Psychiatry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhuvaneswar, Chaya; Stern, Theodore; Beresin, Eugene

2009-01-01

Objective: The authors discuss journal writing in learning emergency psychiatry. Methods: The journal of a psychiatry intern rotating through an emergency department is used as sample material for analysis that could take place in supervision or a resident support group. A range of articles are reviewed that illuminate the relevance of journal…

Considerations in the use of reflective writing for student assessment: issues of reliability and validity.

PubMed

Moniz, Tracy; Arntfield, Shannon; Miller, Kristina; Lingard, Lorelei; Watling, Chris; Regehr, Glenn

2015-09-01

Reflective writing is a popular tool to support the growth of reflective capacity in undergraduate medical learners. Its popularity stems from research suggesting that reflective capacity may lead to improvements in skills such as empathy, communication, collaboration and professionalism. This has led to assumptions that reflective writing can also serve as a tool for student assessment. However, evidence to support the reliability and validity of reflective writing as a meaningful assessment strategy is lacking. Using a published instrument for measuring 'reflective capacity' (the Reflection Evaluation for Learners' Enhanced Competencies Tool [REFLECT]), four trained raters independently scored four samples of writing from each of 107 undergraduate medical students to determine the reliability of reflective writing scores. REFLECT scores were then correlated with scores on a Year 4 objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and Year 2 multiple-choice question (MCQ) examinations to examine, respectively, convergent and divergent validity. Across four writing samples, four-rater Cronbach's α-values ranged from 0.72 to 0.82, demonstrating reasonable inter-rater reliability with four raters using the REFLECT rubric. However, inter-sample reliability was fairly low (four-sample Cronbach's α = 0.54, single-sample intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.23), which suggests that performance on one reflective writing sample was not strongly indicative of performance on the next. Approximately 14 writing samples are required to achieve reasonable inter-sample reliability. The study found weak, non-significant correlations between reflective writing scores and both OSCE global scores (r = 0.13) and MCQ examination scores (r = 0.10), demonstrating a lack of relationship between reflective writing and these measures of performance. Our findings suggest that to draw meaningful conclusions about reflective capacity as a stable construct in individuals requires 14 writing

Beyond diagnoses: family medicine core themes in student reflective writing.

PubMed

Bradner, Melissa K; Crossman, Steven H; Gary, Judy; Vanderbilt, Allison A; VanderWielen, Lynn

2015-03-01

We share qualitative study results of third-year medical student writings during their family medicine clerkship utilizing a reflective writing exercise from 2005 and 2013. For this paper, 50 student writings were randomly selected from the 2005 cohort in addition to 50 student writings completed by the 2013 cohort. Deductive thematic analysis utilizing Atlas.ti software was completed utilizing the Future of Family Medicine core attributes of family physicians as the a priori coding template. Student writings actively reflect key attributes of family physicians as described by the Future of Family Medicine Report: a deep understanding of the dynamics of the whole person, a generative impact on patients' lives, a talent for humanizing the health care experience, and a natural command of complexity and multidimensional access to care. We discuss how to lead the writing exercise and provide suggestions for facilitating the discussion to bring out these important aspects of family medicine care.

Writing and Publishing a Research Paper in a Peer-Reviewed Journal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Stephen R.

2007-01-01

Writing and publishing a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal is a complicated process. This paper tries to take some of the mystery out of that process by describing how a good research paper should be structured, and how the journal submission process works.

Minority stressors and dual identities: an analysis of lesbians' expressive writing journals.

PubMed

Braitman, Abby L; Lewis, Robin J; Derlega, Valerian J; Wilson, Stacie A

2008-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine the content of the expressive writing journals of female sexual minorities. In addition, the relationship between the content of expressive writing journals and mood and perceived stress measured two months later was examined. Journal content was also examined as a function of demographic characteristics. Thirty-nine participants each wrote a total of six journal entries about significant stressful or traumatic events or recurring problems they have experienced as lesbians. Topics that participants wrote about were differentness, leading a double life, coming out, discrimination, rejection, fears of rejection and safety, self-acceptance, and same- and opposite-sex intimate experiences. Themes of feeling different, negative coming out experiences, and negative same-sex intimate experiences were associated with more psychological distress two months after the expressive writing exercise. Occupational level was associated with themes related to leading a double life and negative same-sex and coming out experiences. These results are considered in light of the unique minority stressors experienced by lesbians as well as the difficulties inherent in lesbians having ties to both lesbian and heterosexual cultures.

Theory in/to Practice: Using Dialogic Reflection to Develop a Writing Center Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, R. Mark

2011-01-01

Michael Mattison's "Someone to Watch Over Me: Reflection and Authority in the Writing Center" explores the problem of audience for tutors' reflective writing. In Mattison's case, tutoring practices and learning are undermined because reflective writing leads consultants to feel as though they are being spied upon by the writing center director.…

Reading and Writing Journals: Balancing Skills and Humanities in the English Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pezzulich, Evelyn

Interdepartmental rivalries between literature instruction and composition instruction have contributed to viewing reading and writing as disconnected activities. One solution to this divisiveness is a course in "the journal as a literary tradition," which combines reading and writing in equal portions. Students first learn about the…

The Effect of Blogging and Electronic Journaling on Writing Skills Development in High School Freshmen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Dianne Bruce

2010-01-01

Blogging and computerized journaling are effective tools for writing skill development; however, research has not revealed which specific populations of students are aided by blogging or journaling, nor has research revealed the specific writing skills that are most likely to be improved by these practices. The purpose of the study was to discover…

Writing for Journal Publication: An Overview of NNES Challenges and Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazel, Ismaeil

2013-01-01

After a brief discussion of the importance of publishing in academic journals, this paper provides an overview of studies on writing for publication of NNES (non-native English speaking) writers. Based on the related literature, different language problems facing NNES contributors, from the perspective of both NNES writers and journal editors, as…

The Art of Reviewing Science Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepardson, Daniel P.; Britsch, Susan Jane

2004-01-01

Science journals are wonderful tools. They offer a glimpse into children's science understandings, and they are both diagnostic and pedagogically informative to teachers. Examining and reflecting on children's journal work lets teachers embed assessment in curriculum and instruction; however, effectively analyzing children's journal writing and…

Reflections on the Pedagogical Imports of Western Practices for Professionalizing ESL/ EFL Writing and Writing-Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Lawrence Jun

2016-01-01

The teaching of writing in English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) has been a challenging task for many teachers due to its multifaceted nature. This paper is a reflection on ESL/EFL writing teaching in three countries, namely China, Singapore, and New Zealand, with particular reference to professionalizing ESL/ EFL writing and ESL/EFL…

The Use of Journals To Improve Writing Skills in Commercial Spanish: State of a Research Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvarez-Ruf, Hersilia

Recent writing theory, research, and pedagogy have aided in the development of several models for improving second language writing skills. Attention is focused more on writing as a process, the importance of practice in writing improvement, and the need to learn cognitive structures contributing to writing. Daily journal writing is one method of…

A Voice of Her Own: Women and the Journal-Writing Journey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiwy, Marlene A.

Since many women writers in the past have known that keeping a journal is a powerful tool of creative expression and self-healing, this book shows that journal writing is the ideal way for an individual to find her voice, an opportunity for women to explore feelings, intuitions, perceptions, and ideas often suppressed in society, and to record the…

"I Will Write to You with My Eyes": Reflective Text and Image Journals in the Undergraduate Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyland-Russell, Tara

2014-01-01

This article reports on a case study into students' perspectives on the use of "cahiers", reflective text and image journals. Narrative interviews and document analysis reveal that "cahiers" can be used effectively to engage students in course content and learning processes. Recent work in transformative learning…

Reflective Writing in the Competency-Based Curriculum at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

PubMed Central

Isaacson, J Harry; Salas, Renee; Koch, Carl; McKenzie, Margaret

2008-01-01

The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University is a five-year medical school where the major emphasis is to train physician investigators. In this article we describe our experience with reflective writing in our competency-based medical school, which has reflective practice as one of the nine core competencies. We outline how we use reflective writing as a way to help students develop their reflective practice skills. Reflective writing opportunities, excerpts of student pieces, and faculty and student perspectives are included. We have experienced the value of reflective writing in medical school education and believe elements of our program can be adapted to other training environments. PMID:21364819

Writing for professional publication. Part 3: following journal guidelines.

PubMed

Fowler, John

Recognizing your motivation and identifying the content of your potential article are the first two steps in writing for publication. However, you will almost certainly receive a rejection letter if you do not plan and structure your article to meet the style of the specific journal you intend submitting to. In the third part of a series of articles, John Fowler, an experienced nursing lecturer and author, highlights the importance of downloading and reading carefully the author instructions which are found on the websites of nearly all professional journals.

Reflective Writing for a Better Understanding of Scientific Concepts in High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Helou, Joseph; Kalman, Calvin S.

2018-01-01

Science teachers can always benefit from efficient tools that help students to engage with the subject and understand it better without significantly adding to the teacher's workload nor requiring too much of class time to manage. Reflective writing is such a low-impact, high-return tool. What follows is an introduction to reflective writing, and…

Reflective Practice for Psychology Students: The Use of Reflective Journal Feedback in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruno, Andreina; Dell'Aversana, Giuseppina

2017-01-01

Reflective journals have emerged as an effective means of monitoring and developing reflective practice in higher education, as part of a wider metacognitive strategy to transform traditional learning approaches. In addition, assessment procedures of reflective journals appear to be an important factor in enhancing commitment to learning and…

Assessing Student Written Communications Skills: A Gateway Writing Proficiency Test for Aspiring Journalism Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brocato, Mary K.; Furr, Paula F.; Henderson, Martha V.; Horton, Steven G.

2005-01-01

This paper examines one department of journalism's efforts to identify, address, and correct basic writing deficiencies for students seeking a journalism degree with a concentration in news-editorial, broadcast, or public relations. Northwestern State University's (NSU) Department of Journalism, located in a mid-sized, open-admissions university…

Critical thinking evaluation in reflective writing: Development and testing of Carter Assessment of Critical Thinking in Midwifery (Reflection).

PubMed

Carter, Amanda G; Creedy, Debra K; Sidebotham, Mary

2017-11-01

develop and test a tool designed for use by academics to evaluate pre-registration midwifery students' critical thinking skills in reflective writing. a descriptive cohort design was used. a random sample (n = 100) of archived student reflective writings based on a clinical event or experience during 2014 and 2015. a staged model for tool development was used to develop a fifteen item scale involving item generation; mapping of draft items to critical thinking concepts and expert review to test content validity; inter-rater reliability testing; pilot testing of the tool on 100 reflective writings; and psychometric testing. Item scores were analysed for mean, range and standard deviation. Internal reliability, content and construct validity were assessed. expert review of the tool revealed a high content validity index score of 0.98. Using two independent raters to establish inter-rater reliability, good absolute agreement of 72% was achieved with a Kappa coefficient K = 0.43 (p<0.0001). Construct validity via exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors: analyses context, reasoned inquiry, and self-evaluation. The mean total score for the tool was 50.48 (SD = 12.86). Total and subscale scores correlated significantly. The scale achieved good internal reliability with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of .93. this study establishedthe reliability and validity of the CACTiM (reflection) for use by academics to evaluate midwifery students' critical thinking in reflective writing. Validation with large diverse samples is warranted. reflective practice is a key learning and teaching strategy in undergraduate Bachelor of Midwifery programmes and essential for safe, competent practice. There is the potential to enhance critical thinking development by assessingreflective writing with the CACTiM (reflection) tool to provide formative and summative feedback to students and inform teaching strategies. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How to Write a Scholarly Book Review for Publication in a Peer-Reviewed Journal

PubMed Central

Lee, Alexander D.; Green, Bart N.; Johnson, Claire D.; Nyquist, Julie

2010-01-01

Purpose: To describe and discuss the processes used to write scholarly book reviews for publication in peer-reviewed journals and to provide a recommended strategy and book appraisal worksheet to use when conducting book reviews. Methods: A literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Index to Chiropractic Literature was conducted in June 2009 using a combination of controlled vocabulary and truncated text words to capture articles relevant to writing scholarly book reviews for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Results: The initial search identified 839 citations. Following the removal of duplicates and the application of selection criteria, a total of 78 articles were included in this review including narrative commentaries (n = 26), editorials or journal announcements (n = 25), original research (n = 18), and journal correspondence pieces (n = 9). Discussion: Recommendations for planning and writing an objective and quality book review are presented based on the evidence gleaned from the articles reviewed and from the authors' experiences. A worksheet for conducting a book review is provided. Conclusions: The scholarly book review serves many purposes and has the potential to be an influential literary form. The process of publishing a successful scholarly book review requires the reviewer to appreciate the book review publication process and to be aware of the skills and strategies involved in writing a successful review. PMID:20480015

Blogging for Reflection: The Use of Online Journals to Engage Students in Reflective Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muncy, James A.

2014-01-01

Reflective learning has long been studied in many disciplines. A primary way that reflective learning has been taught is through journaling. With the advent of e-learning, journaling has moved to the Web in the form of blogs. The current paper reviews the current state of journaling and blogging research with specific recommendations for marketing…

Self-reflection and academic performance: is there a relationship?

PubMed

Lew, Magdeleine D N; Schmidt, Henk G

2011-10-01

The purposes of the present study were two-fold: first, to evaluate whether reflection journal writing was effective in promoting self-reflection and learning, and whether students become better at self-reflection if they engage continuously in reflection journal writing. To that end, the reflection journals of 690 first-year applied science students at a local polytechnic were studied by means of an automated coding procedures using software. Data was collected twice, once at the beginning and again towards the end of an academic year. Outcomes of the textual content analyses revealed that students reflected on both the process and contents of their learning: critical review of past learning experiences, learning strategies and summaries of what was learned. Correlational analyses showed weak to moderate inter-relationships between the textual categories and their classroom and knowledge acquisition test grades. Taken together, the findings suggest that self-reflection on both how and what students have learned does lead to improvements in academic performance, although to a limited extent.

Reflective Journaling: A Tool for Teacher Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dreyer, Lorna M.

2015-01-01

This qualitative study explores the introduction of postgraduate education students to reflective journaling as a tool for professional development. Students were purposefully selected to keep a weekly journal in which they reflected in and on the activities (methodologies, techniques, strategies) they engaged in while executing a workplace…

Journalling and Public Health Education: Thinking about Reflecting...

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sendall, Marguerite C.; Domocol, Michelle L.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to understand reflective journalling in a first year Public Health practice unit. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses pure phenomenography to interpret students' descriptions of reflective journalling. Data were collected from 32 students enrolled in PUB215 Public Health Practice in the School…

More than words: applying the discipline of literary creative writing to the practice of reflective writing in health care education.

PubMed

Kerr, Lisa

2010-12-01

This paper examines definitions and uses of reflective and creative writing in health care education classrooms and professional development settings. A review of articles related to writing in health care reveals that when teaching narrative competence is the goal, creative writing may produce the best outcomes. Ultimately, the paper describes the importance of defining literary creative writing as a distinct form of writing and recommends scholars interested in using literary creative writing to teach narrative competence study pedagogy of the field.

Reflections on how to write and organise a research thesis.

PubMed

Hardy, Sally; Ramjeet, Janet

2005-01-01

Writing up research projects and presenting a thesis are among the most challenging and time-consuming elements of the research process. The authors provide a structured guideline to help students, particularly those undertaking Master's degrees while still practising in clinical areas, to overcome the challenges of writing their thesis and produce a cogent, logical and reflective piece of work.

Writing a case report for the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.

PubMed

Ozçakar, Levent; Franchignoni, Franco; Negrini, Stefano; Frontera, Walter

2013-02-01

Case reports (CRs) have led to the description and discovery of new diseases, syndromes, therapeutic complications or side effects, and previously unknown potential benefits of pharmacologic agents. CRs may also be used as an effective training strategy for novice authors to develop the skills needed for medical writing. However, too often, CRs do not follow standards for excellence in scientific writing. Therefore, in this article, the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine collaborate with the purpose of providing guidance to authors in selecting CRs that might be appropriate for publication. In addition, the authors discuss different aspects of the preparation of a well written CR in accordance with the mission and editorial views of both journals.

Becoming a Professional Nudist: Writing with One's Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boswell, Bill; And Others

1995-01-01

Uses the provocative metaphor of becoming a nudist to illustrate that teachers should write, and share their writing, with their students. Describes a program in which student teachers spent six weeks in class and seven weeks in student teaching and were required to keep journals in which they reflected on what they had learned. (PA)

Medical students' reflective writing about a task-based learning experience on public health communication.

PubMed

Koh, Yang Huang; Wong, Mee Lian; Lee, Jeanette Jen-Mai

2014-02-01

Medical educators constantly face the challenge of preparing students for public health practice. This study aimed to analyze students' reflections to gain insight into their task-based experiences in the public health communication selective. We have also examined their self-reported learning outcomes and benefits with regard to application of public health communication. Each student wrote a semi-structured reflective journal about his or her experiences leading to the delivery of a public health talk by the group. Records from 41 students were content-analyzed for recurring themes and sub-themes. Students reported a wide range of personal and professional issues. Their writings were characterized by a deep sense of self-awareness and social relatedness such as increased self-worth, communications skills, and collaborative learning. The learning encounter challenged assumptions, and enhanced awareness of the complexity of behaviour change Students also wrote about learning being more enjoyable and how the selective had forced them to adopt a more thoughtful stance towards knowledge acquisition and assimilation. Task-based learning combined with a process for reflection holds promise as an educational strategy for teaching public health communication, and cultivating the habits of reflective practice.

Integrating K-W-L Prompts into Science Journal Writing: Can Simple Question Scaffolding Increase Student Content Knowledge?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Brandon Joel

Writing-to-learn strategies have been administered in the past to enrich student learning. The purpose of this study was to see if K-W-L prompts in science journal writing could benefit student content knowledge within biology. Two high school biology classes were provided with learning journals. The journals given to the students during the treatment unit were provided with K-W-L question prompts to guide student learning while during the comparison unit students were given an open ended writing assignment. Pre and posttests were administered to determine student-learning gains. Student motivations and opinions of the treatment were collected through student interviews. The combined results were used to determine to what extent could K-W-L prompts in science journal writing influence comprehension of content knowledge. This study found there to be no difference in student learning gains when utilizing the K-W-L literacy strategy versus another free-writing activity. When scored, student K-W-Ls total scores did correlate to student success on unit tests. This opens up the potential for K-W-Ls to serve as an adequate tool for formative assessment. Here the K-W-L could be expanded to enrich student question asking, potentially aid students learning English, and potentially be used by students without teacher scaffolding.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ambusaidi, Abdullah

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of prospective science teachers at Sultan Qaboos University towards and their views about using journal writing in the Methods of Teaching Science course. Twenty-six prospective science teachers were asked to write about each topic in the course in their journal to show their understanding of…

"Spinach to Chocolate": Changing Awareness and Attitudes in ESL Writing Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winer, Lise

1992-01-01

Data from student journals in an English-as-a-Second-Language writing practicum are used to trace the process by which practice of and reflection on specific activities change awareness of and attitudes toward writing and the teaching of writing. The paper demonstrates the necessity of integrating training and development in teacher education.…

Reflective Writing for a Better Understanding of Scientific Concepts in High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Helou, Joseph; Kalman, Calvin S.

2018-02-01

Science teachers can always benefit from efficient tools that help students to engage with the subject and understand it better without significantly adding to the teacher's workload nor requiring too much of class time to manage. Reflective writing is such a low-impact, high-return tool. What follows is an introduction to reflective writing, and more on its usefulness for teachers is given in the last part of this article.

Stepwise Approach to Writing Journal-Style Lab Reports in the Organic Chemistry Course Sequence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wackerly, Jay Wm.

2018-01-01

An approach is described that gradually transitions second-year organic chemistry students to writing full "The Journal of Organic Chemistry" ("JOC") style lab reports. The primary goal was to introduce students to and build rhetorical skills in scientific and technical writing. This was accomplished by focusing on four main…

"Our Zoo to You": The Link between Zoo Animals in the Classroom and Science and Literacy Concepts in First-Grade Journal Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Kathleen; Trainin, Guy; Laughridge, Virginia; Brooks, David; Wickless, Mimi

2011-01-01

This study examined first-grade students' journal writing to determine how placing live zoo animals in classrooms for science education links to students' emergent and early writing. Students were asked to write journal entries during the daily language arts period. Although no direct instruction in informational text writing was offered, teachers…

Measuring Student Self-Perceptions of Writing Skills in Programs of Journalism and Mass Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lingwall, Andrew; Kuehn, Scott

2013-01-01

This study explored student self-perceptions of writing skills in journalism and mass communication programs at thirteen public state universities in the mid-Atlantic region. Factor analysis revealed seven sets of perceptions among 860 students. A Media Writing Self-Perception Scale was constructed and found to be reliable. The authors propose…

Reflections on Writing a Biographical Account of a Woman Educator Activist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jane

2001-01-01

Reflects on the process of writing a biographical account about the female educator activist, Mary Bridges Adams. States the writing method should transpire in an analytical, linear, sociological narrative approach. Concludes that the past has been told from a masculine gendered narrative, not giving due attention to representing women. (MER)

Writing a case report for the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.

PubMed

Özçakar, L; Franchignoni, F; Frontera, W; Negrini, S

2013-04-01

Case reports (CR) have led to the description and discovery of new diseases, syndromes, therapeutic complications or side-effects, and previously unknown potential benefits of pharmacologic agents. CRs may also be used as an effective training strategy for novice authors to develop the skills needed for medical writing. Yet, too often, CRs do not follow standards for excellence in scientific writing. Therefore, in this article, the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AJPMR) and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (EJPRM) collaborate with the purpose of providing guidance to authors in selecting CRs that might be appropriate for publication. In addition, we discuss different aspects of the preparation of a well-written CR in accordance with the mission and editorial views of both journals.

Demonstration of lithography patterns using reflective e-beam direct write

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freed, Regina; Sun, Jeff; Brodie, Alan; Petric, Paul; McCord, Mark; Ronse, Kurt; Haspeslagh, Luc; Vereecke, Bart

2011-04-01

Traditionally, e-beam direct write lithography has been too slow for most lithography applications. E-beam direct write lithography has been used for mask writing rather than wafer processing since the maximum blur requirements limit column beam current - which drives e-beam throughput. To print small features and a fine pitch with an e-beam tool requires a sacrifice in processing time unless one significantly increases the total number of beams on a single writing tool. Because of the uncertainty with regards to the optical lithography roadmap beyond the 22 nm technology node, the semiconductor equipment industry is in the process of designing and testing e-beam lithography tools with the potential for high volume wafer processing. For this work, we report on the development and current status of a new maskless, direct write e-beam lithography tool which has the potential for high volume lithography at and below the 22 nm technology node. A Reflective Electron Beam Lithography (REBL) tool is being developed for high throughput electron beam direct write maskless lithography. The system is targeting critical patterning steps at the 22 nm node and beyond at a capital cost equivalent to conventional lithography. Reflective Electron Beam Lithography incorporates a number of novel technologies to generate and expose lithographic patterns with a throughput and footprint comparable to current 193 nm immersion lithography systems. A patented, reflective electron optic or Digital Pattern Generator (DPG) enables the unique approach. The Digital Pattern Generator is a CMOS ASIC chip with an array of small, independently controllable lens elements (lenslets), which act as an array of electron mirrors. In this way, the REBL system is capable of generating the pattern to be written using massively parallel exposure by ~1 million beams at extremely high data rates (~ 1Tbps). A rotary stage concept using a rotating platen carrying multiple wafers optimizes the writing strategy of

Handing the pen to the patient: reflective writing for children and families affected by genetic conditions.

PubMed

Murali, Chaya; Fernbach, Susan D; Potocki, Lorraine

2014-12-01

Genetic diagnoses impact the Quality of Life (QoL) of patients and their families. While some patients and families report a positive impact on QoL, others are affected negatively by a genetic diagnosis. No matter the impact, it is clear that social support is needed for this population. Genetic healthcare providers should be aware of the need for psychosocial support and be equipped to provide or direct patients and families to the appropriate resources. Reflective writing offers a unique opportunity for families and health care providers to engage in self-reflection and expression, activities which have the potential to enhance QoL in a positive manner. The therapeutic potential of writing has been studied in many populations, from caregivers of elderly individuals with dementia, to cancer survivors, to survivors of traumatic experiences. Some of these interventions have shown promise for improving participants' QoL. However, reflective writing has never been studied in patients and families affected by genetic conditions. We propose that reflective writing therapy is a feasible, reproducible, and enjoyable approach to providing psychosocial support for our patients. Get it Write is a reflective writing workshop pilot project for those who have a personal or family history of a genetic diagnosis. Our hypothesis is that reflective writing will help engender acceptance and alleviate feelings of isolation. Get it Write does not focus on the stressful factors in the participants' lives, rather it serves to facilitate interactions with peers facing the same struggles, and with medical students in a non-medical context. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Impact of Prompted Narrative Writing during Internship on Reflective Practice: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Rachel B.; Kern, David E.; Wright, Scott M.

2008-01-01

Narrative writing has been used to promote reflection and increased self-awareness among physicians. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of prompted narrative writing on reflection. Thirty-two interns at 9 internal medicine residency programs participated in a year-long qualitative study about personal growth beginning in July of…

The Los Altos Writing Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraft, Richard F.

The intent of this guide is to encourage teachers to have students write, both formally and informally, on a systematic basis. Three types of writing are emphasized: (1) journal writing; (2) research paper writing; and (3) essay writing. The section on journal writing includes a handout for the class explaining the purpose for journal writing and…

Emotional Disclosure Through Journal Writing: Telehealth Intervention for Maternal Stress and Mother-Child Relationships.

PubMed

Whitney, Rondalyn V; Smith, Gigi

2015-11-01

This study examines emotional disclosure through the activity of journaling as a means of coping with maternal stress associated with parenting a child with disruptive behaviors. Through a randomized control and pre-test post-test study design of an online journal writing intervention, change to maternal stress and quality of mother-child relationship for children with ASD, ADHD and SPD was addressed. Behavioral symptoms were found to be the primary source of parenting stress for mothers and a significant relationship between child characteristics and maternal stress was identified. Emotional disclosure through the online journal writing program (especially in the presence of high disclosure of negative emotions) was shown to reduce maternal stress and improve the quality of mother-child relationship. These findings suggest cost-effective telehealth interventions may support maternal health. Important clinical implications are discussed.

Journaling: identification of challenges and reflection on strategies.

PubMed

Hayman, Brenda; Wilkes, Lesley; Jackson, Debra

2012-01-01

To identify the challenges associated with using journaling as a method of data collection and to offer strategies for effectively managing those challenges. While journaling can be used for a variety of reasons, in the context of this paper, journaling refers to the process of participants sharing thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences through writing and/or other media. Journaling is used in phenomenological research studies to record participant experiences in their natural contexts. The findings are based on the experiences of the researchers during a qualitative study that explored the experiences of lesbian mothers and used journaling as one method of data collection. This is a methodological paper. Three main challenges affect journaling as a method of data collection: poor participation, feeling exposed and staying on track. Six strategies to promote participation in journaling are: coaching participants, limiting the journaling period, providing follow-up contact, promoting comfort, ensuring safety and providing clear content expectations. Each strategy is discussed and methods of implementing the strategies are offered. Journaling as a method of data collection has long been accepted as a valid method of accessing rich qualitative data. By acknowledging the common challenges associated with the process of journaling that are experienced by the participants, researchers employing this data collection method can promote constructive and valuable participation. Further research examining participants' experiences of journaling as a method of qualitative data collection would be useful in determining challenges, barriers and benefits of the method.

The Journalism Writing Course: Evaluation of Hybrid versus Online Grammar Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Jensen; Jones, Khristen

2015-01-01

This study examined introductory journalism writing courses and compared hybrid (part online/part classroom) versus online grammar instruction. The hybrid structure allowed for grammar topics to be taught online, with a pretest following, and then reviewing missed/difficult pretest concepts in class prior to a posttest. The quasi-experimental…

Emotional Disclosure through Journal Writing: Telehealth Intervention for Maternal Stress and Mother-Child Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitney, Rondalyn V.; Smith, Gigi

2015-01-01

This study examines emotional disclosure through the activity of journaling as a means of coping with maternal stress associated with parenting a child with disruptive behaviors. Through a randomized control and pre-test post-test study design of an online journal writing intervention, change to maternal stress and quality of mother-child…

Reflections on 25 Years of Journal Editorship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Michael R.

2015-01-01

These reflections range over some distinctive features of the journal "Science & Education," they acknowledge in a limited way the many individuals who over the past 25 years have contributed to the success and reputation of the journal, they chart the beginnings of the journal, and they dwell on a few central concerns--clear writing…

Change in Knowledge of Learning and Teaching through Journal Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dart, B. C.; Boulton-Lewis, G. M.; Brownlee, J. M.; McCrindle, A. R.

1998-01-01

Investigated changes in graduate teacher-education students' knowledge of teaching and learning resulting from the use of personal journals. Analysis of participants' journals found that their insights became more profound as their journals progressed, and the nature and quality of thinking and reflection, as well as their influence on practice,…

Reflective Journaling for Critical Thinking Development in Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Students.

PubMed

Raterink, Ginger

2016-02-01

Critical thinking, clinical decision making, and critical reflection have been identified as skills required of nurses in every clinical situation. The Educating Nurses: A Call for Radical Transformation report suggested that critical reflection is a key to improving the educational process. Reflective journaling is a tool that helps develop such skills. This article presents the tool of reflective journaling and the use of this process by educators working with students. It describes the use of reflective journaling in graduate nursing education, as well as a scoring process to evaluate the reflection and provide feedback. Students and faculty found the journaling to be helpful for reflection of a clinical situation focused on critical thinking skill development. The rubric scoring tool provided faculty with a method for feedback. Reflective journaling is a tool that faculty and students can use to develop critical thinking skills for the role of the advanced practice RN. A rubric scoring system offers a consistent format for feedback. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Popular Culture and the New Journalism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fishwick, Marshall W.

This paper discusses the concept of popular culture, relating it to new journalism as a phenomenon which reflects the popular images of society. Style is the essential element of popular culture so that the kind of writing presently known as new journalism is the ultimate example of the philosophy that style is supreme. But the style of the best…

Enhancing Critical Reflection and Writing Skills in the HBSE Classroom and beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiener, Diane R.

2012-01-01

Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) is an ideal location in which graduate social work students can enhance their critical reflection and writing skills while integrating social work theories with practice, research, and policy. A writing-intensive, learner-centered model using specific strategies is described via a framework of…

Assessing Reflection: Understanding Skill Development through Reflective Learning Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cathro, Virginia; O'Kane, Paula; Gilbertson, Deb

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways in which business educators can interact successfully with reflective learning journals (RLJs). Specifically, the research was interested in how students used RLJs and how educators assessed these RLJs. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 31 RLJs, submitted as part of an international…

Analysis of the Development of Academic Writing in the "FJNSc" ("Finnish Journal of Nursing Science")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanhanen-Nuutinen, Liisa; Janhonen, Sirpa; Tuomi, Jouni

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the genre of the reviewed scientific articles published in the "FJNSc" ("Finnish Journal of Nursing Science") during its history. The aim was to bring a critical approach to writing in nursing science and to discuss the dominant conventions of scientific writing in nursing. A total of 27…

Reflect and Improve: Instructional Development through a Teaching Journal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Josh; Boyd, Steve

2005-01-01

This article recommends the teaching journal as a method of instructional improvement. Drawing on teacher education literature, the article reviews the concept of reflective teaching and then describes uses of the teaching journal for college instructors in descriptive, comparative, and critical dimensions. Teaching journals can improve the…

Interpreting values conflicts experienced by obstetrics-gynecology clerkship students using reflective writing.

PubMed

Cohn, Felicia G; Shapiro, Johanna; Lie, Désirée A; Boker, John; Stephens, Frances; Leung, Lee Ann

2009-05-01

To examine students' responses to reflective practice assignments used in medical ethics and professionalism education. The study goals include an examination of what reflective writing reveals about students' personal and professional values, identification of the narrative typologies students use to tell stories of ethical dilemmas, and a determination of the usefulness of reflective writing in informing ethics/professionalism curricula assessment and development. This study employed a mixed-methods design generating both descriptive data and interpretive analysis. Students' reflective writing assignments, guided by a series of six questions designed to elicit students' perceptions of moral conflicts they have encountered and their personal and professional ethical values, were collected from three successive cohorts of third-year medical students (n = 299) from July 2002 to January 2006 during an obstetrics-gynecology clerkship at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Content, thematic, and global narrative analyses of students' reflective writing were conducted, drawing on content analysis, grounded theory, and narrative methodologies. Values conflicts usually were patient centered (181; 60.5%) and student centered (172; 57.5%), without much regard for important contextual issues such as patients' socioeconomic status, insurance coverage, or culture. Common personal values included religious beliefs (82; 27.4%), respect (72; 24.1%), and the Golden Rule (66; 22.1%); frequent professional values were respect (72; 25.1%), beneficence (71; 23.7%), nonmaleficence (69; 23.1%), and autonomy (65; 21.7%). Whereas 35.5% (106) claimed to have addressed conflicts, 23.4% (70) said they did nothing. Restitution narratives (113; 37.8%) dominated. This analytic approach facilitated assessment of student values, conflict sources, and narrative types. Findings reveal aspects of the influence of the hidden curriculum and can inform strategies for effective

Mini-Journals: Incorporating Inquiry, Quantitative Skills and Writing into Homework Assignments for Geochemistry and Planetary Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittington, A. G.; Speck, A.; Witzig, S.

2011-12-01

As part of an NSF-funded project, "CUES: Connecting Undergraduates to the Enterprise of Science," new inquiry-based homework materials were developed for two upper-level classes at the University of Missouri: Geochemistry (required for Geology majors, fulfills the computing requirement by having 50% of the grade come from five spreadsheet-based homework assignments), and Solar System Science (open to seniors and graduate students, co-taught and cross-listed between Geology and Physics & Astronomy). Inquiry involves activities where the learner engages in scientifically oriented questions, gives priority to evidence in responding to questions, formulates explanations from evidence, connects explanations to scientific knowledge, and communicates and justifies explanations. We engage students in inquiry-based learning by presenting homework exercises as "mini-journal" articles that follow the format of a scientific journal article, including a title, authors, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and citations to peer-reviewed literature. The mini-journal provides a scaffold and serves as a springboard for students to develop and carry out their own follow-up investigation. They then present their findings in the form of their own mini-journal. Mini-journals replace traditional homework problem sets with a format that more directly reflects and encourages scientific practice. Students are engaged in inquiry-based homework which encompass doing, thinking, and communicating, while the mini-journal allows the instructor to contain lines of inquiry within the limits posed by available resources. In the examples we present, research is conducted via spreadsheet modeling, where the students develop their own spreadsheets. Example assignments from Geochemistry include "Trace Element Partitioning During Mantle Melting and MORB Crystallization" and "Isotopic Investigations of Crustal Evolution in the Midcontinent US". The key differences between the old and new

Fairness and Using Reflective Journals in Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkeburn, Henriikka; Kettula, Kirsi

2012-01-01

This study looks at the fairness of assessing learning journals both as the fairness in creating a valid and robust marking process as well as how different student groups may have unfair disadvantages in performing well in reflective assessment tasks. The fairness of a marking process is discussed through reflecting on the practical process and…

Self-Reflective Journaling: A Tool for Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giguere, Miriam

2012-01-01

This article outlines suggestions for the use of self-reflective journaling as an assessment method in dance technique classes. The use of self-reflection makes assessment a part of the learning process, not an imposed evaluation of a student's final product, particularly when it is related to personal goal setting. The article provides practical…

For the Article Writer...How to Win Acceptances by Psychology Journals: 21 Tips for Better Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sternberg, Robert J.

1993-01-01

Twenty-one suggestions are offered for successful writing for psychology journals. Suggestions include tell readers why they should be interested, consider alternative interpretations of the data, give concrete examples, write for a somewhat broader and technically less skilled audience than you expect to read the article, and don't take…

English Teachers, Angels & Poverty: Writing on English Curriculum and Pedagogy (Reflections on Editing "English in Australia").

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doecke, Brenton

2002-01-01

Explores the cultural politics of writing about English curriculum and pedagogy, focusing on the author's role as the editor of this journal. Describes his role as editor as one of providing a discursive space in which English teachers and literacy educators can begin to write about their work. (SG)

The Significance of Journal Writing in Improving Listening and Reading Comprehension in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saad, Inaam; Ahmed, Magdi

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the effect of daily journal writing on enhancing the listening and reading comprehension skills in a fifty-week Modern Standard Arabic course taught at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California. In the field of foreign language (FL) teaching, writing has long been considered a supporting skill for…

Talking Grammatically: L1 Adolescent Metalinguistic Reflection on Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Annabel Mary; Newman, Ruth Malka Charlotte

2017-01-01

This study investigated the metalinguistic reflections of 12 students, aged 14-15 years, undertaking a unit of work focused on reading and writing non-fiction. The unit embedded contextualised grammar teaching into preparation for English Language examinations. Students were interviewed twice, with prompts to discuss a sample of argument text in…

Writing Down the Days: 365 Creative Journaling Ideas for Young People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dahlstrom, Lorraine M.; Espeland, Pamela, Ed.

This book offers an entire year of journaling ideas--some serious, some "silly," but all tied to the calendar year. In fact, the book's sections are the months of the year. Each idea in the book comes with a fact-filled introduction and aims to prove that writing does not have to be boring or dull. As a special feature, many entries in…

The effects of blogs versus dialogue journals on open-response writing scores and attitudes of grade eight science students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, Diane K.

Today's students have grown up surrounded by technology. They use cell phones, word processors, and the Internet with ease, talking with peers in their community and around the world through e-mails, chatrooms, instant messaging, online discussions, and weblogs ("blogs"). In the midst of this technological explosion, adolescents face a growing need for strong literacy skills in all subject areas for achievement in school and on mandated state and national high stakes tests. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of blogs as a tool for improving open-response writing in the secondary science classroom in comparison to the use of handwritten dialogue journals. The study used a mixed-method approach, gathering both quantitative and qualitative data from 94 students in four eighth-grade science classes. Two classes participated in online class blogs where they posted ideas about science and responded to the ideas of other classmates. Two classes participated in handwritten dialogue journals, writing ideas about science and exchanging journals to respond to the ideas of classmates. The study explored these research questions: Does the use of blogs, as compared to the use of handwritten dialogue journals, improve the open-response writing scores of eighth grade science students? How do students describe their experience using blogs to study science as compared to students using handwritten dialogue journals? and How do motivation, self-efficacy, and community manifest themselves in students who use blogs as compared to students who use handwritten dialogue journals? The quantitative aspect of the study used data from pre- and post-tests and from a Likert-scale post-survey. The pre- and post-writing on open-response science questions were scored using the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) open-response scoring rubric. The study found no statistically significant difference in the writing scores between the blog group and the dialogue journal

An International Journal's Attempts to Address Inequalities in Academic Publishing: Developing a Writing for Publication Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lillis, Theresa; Magyar, Anna; Robinson-Pant, Anna

2010-01-01

Scholars around the world are under increasing pressure to publish in English, in Anglophone centre journals. At the same time, research on professional academic writing indicates that scholars from outside Anglophone centre contexts face considerable obstacles in getting their academic work published in such journals, relating to material and…

The Paper Mirror: Understanding Reflective Journaling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbs, Delaura L.; Brand, Charles F.

2005-01-01

Although pervasive throughout counseling psychology and other training programs that incorporate experiential activities, reflective journals have sparse, fragmented and disparate theoretical bases to support their use. Coming from the fields of counseling and professional education, the authors use counselor education as a template to explore the…

Writing, self-reflection, and medical school performance: the Human Context of Health Care.

PubMed

Stephens, Mark B; Reamy, Brian V; Anderson, Denise; Olsen, Cara; Hemmer, Paul A; Durning, Steven J; Auster, Simon

2012-09-01

Finding ways to improve communication and self-reflection skills is an important element of medical education and continuing professional development. This study examines the relationship between self-reflection and educational outcomes. We correlate performance in a preclinical course that focuses on self-reflection as it relates to contextual elements of patient care (Human Context of Health Care), with educational measures such as overall grade point average, clinical clerkship scores, and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores. Student performance in Human Context of Health Care correlated with MCAT-Verbal scores, MCAT-writing sample scores, clerkship grades, and overall medical school grade point average (R = 0.3; p < 0.001). Writing and self-reflection skills are often neglected in undergraduate medical curricula. Our findings suggest that these skills are important and correlate with recognized long-term educational outcomes.

Expressive electronic journal writing: freedom of communication for survivors of acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Fraas, Michael; Balz, Magdalen A

2008-03-01

In addition to the impaired ability to effectively communicate, adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) also experience high incidences of depression, social isolation, and decreased quality of life. Expressive writing programs have been shown to be effective in alleviating these concomitant impairments in other populations including incarcerated inmates (Lane, Writing as a road to self-discovery, F & W, Cincinnati 1993). In addition, computer applications such as email have been suggested as an effective means of improving communication and social isolation in adults with brain injury (Sohlberg et al. [2003]. Brain Injury, 17(7), 609-629). This investigation examines the effects of on-line expressive journal writing on the communication, emotional status, social integration and quality of life of individuals with brain injury.

A word-count approach to analyze linguistic patterns in the reflective writings of medical students.

PubMed

Lin, Chi-Wei; Lin, Meei-Ju; Wen, Chin-Chen; Chu, Shao-Yin

2016-01-01

Teaching reflection and administering reflective writing assignments to students are widely practiced and discussed in medical education and health professional education. However, little is known about how medical students use language to construct their narratives. Exploring students' linguistic patterns in their reflective writings can facilitate understanding the scope and facets of their reflections and their representational or communication approaches to share their experiences. Moreover, research findings regarding gender differences in language use are inconsistent. Therefore, we attempted to examine how females and males differ in their use of words in reflective writing within our research circumstance to detect the unique and gender-specific approaches to learning and their applications. We analyzed the linguistic profiles of psychological process categories in the reflective writings of medical students and examined the difference in word usage between male and female medical students. During the first year of a clinical rotation, 60 fifth-year medical students wrote reflective narratives regarding pediatric patients and the psychosocial challenges faced by the patients and their family members. The narratives were analyzed using the Chinese version of Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (CLIWC), a text analysis software program. Multivariate procedures were applied for statistical analysis. Cognitive words were most pervasive, averaging 22.16%, whereas perceptual words (2.86%) were least pervasive. Female students used more words related to positive emotions and sadness than did male students. The male students exceeded the female students only in the space category. The major limitation of this study is that CLIWC cannot directly acquire contextual text meanings; therefore, depending on the research topic, further qualitative study of the given texts might be necessary. To enhance students' empathy toward the psychosocial issues faced by patients and

A word-count approach to analyze linguistic patterns in the reflective writings of medical students.

PubMed

Lin, Chi-Wei; Lin, Meei-Ju; Wen, Chin-Chen; Chu, Shao-Yin

2016-01-01

Background Teaching reflection and administering reflective writing assignments to students are widely practiced and discussed in medical education and health professional education. However, little is known about how medical students use language to construct their narratives. Exploring students' linguistic patterns in their reflective writings can facilitate understanding the scope and facets of their reflections and their representational or communication approaches to share their experiences. Moreover, research findings regarding gender differences in language use are inconsistent. Therefore, we attempted to examine how females and males differ in their use of words in reflective writing within our research circumstance to detect the unique and gender-specific approaches to learning and their applications. Methods We analyzed the linguistic profiles of psychological process categories in the reflective writings of medical students and examined the difference in word usage between male and female medical students. During the first year of a clinical rotation, 60 fifth-year medical students wrote reflective narratives regarding pediatric patients and the psychosocial challenges faced by the patients and their family members. The narratives were analyzed using the Chinese version of Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (CLIWC), a text analysis software program. Multivariate procedures were applied for statistical analysis. Results Cognitive words were most pervasive, averaging 22.16%, whereas perceptual words (2.86%) were least pervasive. Female students used more words related to positive emotions and sadness than did male students. The male students exceeded the female students only in the space category. The major limitation of this study is that CLIWC cannot directly acquire contextual text meanings; therefore, depending on the research topic, further qualitative study of the given texts might be necessary. Conclusions To enhance students' empathy toward the

Writing on the Bus: Using Athletic Team Notebooks and Journals to Advance Learning and Performance in Sports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kent, Richard

2012-01-01

"Writing on the Bus" showcases the what, how, and why of using athletic team notebooks and journals. The book guides coaches and athletes, from elementary school through college, in analyzing games while thinking deeply about motivation, goal setting, and communication in order to optimize performance. Filled with lesson plans, writing activities,…

Thinking Statistically in Writing: Journals and Discussion Boards in an Introductory Statistics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theoret, Julie M.; Luna, Andrea

2009-01-01

This action research combined qualitative and quantitative techniques to investigate two different types of writing assignments in an introductory undergraduate statistics course. The assignments were written in response to the same set of prompts but in two different ways: homework journal assignments or initial posts to a computer discussion…

Using Reflective Journals in a Sustainable Design Studio

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulwadi, Gowri Betrabet

2009-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to introduce a pedagogical method used in a design studio as part of a curriculum-greening process to encourage reflection on the complexity of sustainability and sustainable design. Online reflective journals were used in two semesters of a sustainable design studio to develop students' awareness and understanding of…

Using Reflective Journals in a Sustainable Design Studio

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulwadi, Gowri Betrabet

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce a pedagogical method used in a design studio as part of a curriculum-greening process to encourage reflection on the complexity of sustainability and sustainable design. Online reflective journals were used in two semesters of a sustainable design studio to develop students' awareness and…

The Development of Reflective Practice through Student Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavlovich, Kathryn

2007-01-01

This paper explores the design and assessment of reflective journals in a course on spirituality and management in a tertiary institution. The purpose of reflection in education is to develop students' self-awareness and inner leadership. Yet, such assessment poses challenges in terms of design, content and grading. This paper explores the…

Reflecting on Malaysian Teacher Trainees' Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaacob, Aizan; Walters, Lynne Masel; Ali, Ruzlan Md; Abdullah, Sarimah Shaik; Walters, Timothy

2014-01-01

Purpose: In this study, 37 English Language Teaching (ELT) teacher trainees from a Malaysian university conducted an action-research project to determine whether journals kept during their fieldwork in primary schools located in an area close to the university allowed them to reflect on their beliefs and behaviors in the classroom. Methodology:…

'The Loss of My Elderly Patient:' Interactive reflective writing to support medical students' rites of passage.

PubMed

Wald, Hedy S; Reis, Shmuel P; Monroe, Alicia D; Borkan, Jeffrey M

2010-01-01

The fostering of reflective capacity within medical education helps develop critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills and enhances professionalism. Use of reflective narratives to augment reflective practice instruction is well documented. At Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (Alpert Med), a narrative medicine curriculum innovation of students' reflective writing (field notes) with individualized feedback from an interdisciplinary faculty team (in pre-clinical years) has been implemented in a Doctoring course to cultivate reflective capacity, empathy, and humanism. Interactive reflective writing (student writer/faculty feedback provider dyad), we propose, can additionally support students with rites of passage at critical educational junctures. At Alpert Med, we have devised a tool to guide faculty in crafting quality feedback, i.e. the Brown Educational Guide to Analysis of Narrative (BEGAN) which includes identifying students' salient quotes, utilizing reflection-inviting questions and close reading, highlighting derived lessons/key concepts, extracting clinical patterns, and providing concrete recommendations as relevant. We provide an example of a student's narrative describing an emotionally powerful and meaningful event - the loss of his first patient - and faculty responses using BEGAN. The provision of quality feedback to students' reflective writing - supported by BEGAN - can facilitate the transformation of student to professional through reflection within medical education.

A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BioMed Central Research Notes

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Case reports are a time-honored, important, integral, and accepted part of the medical literature. Both the Journal of Medical Case Reports and the Case Report section of BioMed Central Research Notes are committed to case report publication, and each have different criteria. Journal of Medical Case Reports was the world’s first international, PubMed-listed medical journal devoted to publishing case reports from all clinical disciplines and was launched in 2007. The Case Report section of BioMed Central Research Notes was created and began publishing case reports in 2012. Between the two of them, thousands of peer-reviewed case reports have now been published with a worldwide audience. Authors now also have Cases Database, a continually updated, freely accessible database of thousands of medical case reports from multiple publishers. This informal editorial outlines the process and mechanics of how and when to write a case report, and provides a brief look into the editorial process behind each of these complementary journals along with the author’s anecdotes in the hope of inspiring all authors (both novice and experienced) to write and continue writing case reports of all specialties. Useful hyperlinks are embedded throughout for easy and quick reference to style guidelines for both journals. PMID:24283456

Why Do You Write? Creative Writing and the Reflective Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hains-Wesson, Rachael

2013-01-01

In this article, the author asserts that whether we write creatively or academically (or both) it takes time to understand the reasons why we "want" to write, and the more we write, the more we fully begin to appreciate why we have to write in the ?rst place. From an early age, nearly every day, Rachel Hains-Wesson actively participated in…

“A memorable consultation”: Writing reflective accounts articulates students’ learning in general practice

PubMed Central

Svenberg, Kristian; Wahlqvist, Mats; Mattsson, Bengt

2007-01-01

Objectives To explore and analyse students’ learning experiences of a memorable consultation during a final-year attachment in general practice. Setting After a two-week primary care attachment in the undergraduate curriculum, students were invited to write a reflective account of a memorable consultation. Design A total of 52 reflective accounts were read and processed according to qualitative content analysis. Credibility of the analysis was validated by two co-authors reading the descriptions separately and trustworthiness was tested at local seminars. Results Three main themes emerged. In “The person beyond symptoms” the students recognize the individual properties of a consultation. “Facing complexity” mirrors awareness of changing tracks in problem-solving and strategies of handling unclear conditions. “In search of a professional role” reflects the interest in role modelling and the relation to the supervisor. Conclusion Involving students in writing reflective accounts appears to stimulate them to articulate practice experiences of the consultation. PMID:17497483

What Can You Learn about Writing in School?: A Case Study in an Elementary Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florio, Susan; And Others

A two-year study investigated writing in the elementary school. Data collected included field notes from observation of a second/third grade classroom, videotapes of selected classroom activities, weekly journals kept by the teacher reflecting her thoughts on teaching in general and on writing in particular, interviews with the teacher about the…

Recommendations for Writing Case Study Articles for Publication in the "Journal of College Counseling"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholl, Mark B.

2017-01-01

The author presents recommendations for writing case studies for publication in the "Journal of College Counseling." Recommendations fall into 2 categories: (a) ethical considerations and (b) criteria essential to methodological rigor (e.g., Hyett, Kenny, & Dickson-Swift, 2014). The article is intended to guide and encourage…

Effect of Dialogue Journal Writing through the Use of Conventional Tools and E-Mail on Writing Anxiety in the ESL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foroutan, Maryam; Noordin, Nooreen

2012-01-01

ESL/EFL Anxiety has been reported as one of the foremost factors affecting ESL learners' performance. Hence, identifying methods to assist language learners to alleviate their ESL anxiety deserve to be considered by the educators. This study compared the effect of dialogue journal writing (DJW) through two different modes of learning and teaching:…

The Effect of Journal Writing on Students' Cognitive Critical Thinking Skills: "A Quasi-Experimental Research on an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Undergraduate Classroom in Egypt"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaarawy, Hanaa Youssef

2014-01-01

Based on writing weekly academic journals and on Bloom's (1984) taxonomy of cognitive critical thinking skills, this article reports on a quasi-experiment where journal writing was an additional task to an academic writing course. The experiment was carried out with first year university students (semester two) in one of the Egyptian private…

Reflective Dialog Journals: A Tool for Developing Professional Competence in Novice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gut, Dianne M.; Wan, Guofang; Beam, Pamela C.; Burgess, Lawrence

2016-01-01

This study focuses on the use of a mentoring protocol, the reflective dialogue journal, to develop professional competencies for pre-service teachers within a school-university partnership. To examine the effectiveness of the reflective dialogue journal protocol and the processes employed by mentor teachers to assist pre-service teachers with…

Assessing Teaching Practicum Reflections: Distinguishing Discourse Features of the "High" and "Low" Grade Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luk, Jasmine

2008-01-01

Using reflective journals to promote learning has been a common practice in the teaching profession. How learners present reflections in what are judged to be high-quality reflective writing remains under-researched. This paper explores the discourse features of teaching practicum reflective reports written by six pre-service student teachers of…

Arts, literature and reflective writing as educational strategies to promote narrative reasoning capabilities among physiotherapy students.

PubMed

Caeiro, Carmen; Cruz, Eduardo Brazete; Pereira, Carla Mendes

2014-11-01

The use of arts, literature and reflective writing has becoming increasingly popular in health professionals education. However, research examining its contribution as an educational strategy to promote narrative reasoning capabilities is limited, particularly from the students' perspective. This study aimed to explore the final year physiotherapy students' perspectives about the contribution of arts, literature and reflective writing in facilitating narrative reasoning capabilities. Three focus group meetings using a semi-structured interview schedule were carried out to collect data. Focus group sessions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to conduct the study and analyze the transcripts. Three themes emerged: (1) developmental understanding of the patients' experiences; (2) developmental understanding about the self; and (3) embedding reflection in clinical practice. Students emphasized an increasing capability to be sensitive and vicariously experience the patient's experience. Through reflective writing, students reported they became more capable of thinking critically about their practice and learning needs for continuous professional development. Finally, students highlighted the contribution of these strategies in making reflection part of their practice. Final year physiotherapy students reported enhanced skills of narrative reasoning. The findings support the inclusion of these strategies within the undergraduate physiotherapy curricula.

The Effect of Electronic Dialogue Journaling on Jordanian Basic Stage EFL Students' Writing Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Koumy, Abdel Salam Abdel Khalek; Mirjan, Zahra' Imad

2008-01-01

This study aimed at investigating the effect of electronic dialogue journaling on Jordanian upper basic stage EFL students' writing performance. The study utilized a pretest-posttest control group experimental design. The subjects of the study consisted of fifty students enrolled in the Islamic Educational School during the first semester of the…

Studying Intrapersonal Communication through Memoirs and Journals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Marvin D.

One theoretical approach to self-awareness is the study of introspective writing. Among the characteristics of intrapersonal communication that can be explored through memoirs and journals are selective memory and chronology revision. From the reflections of writers like Lillian Hellman, Dag Hammarskjold, and May Sarton comes confirmation that…

Reflective Writing in Pre-Service Teachers' Teaching: What Does It Promote?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen-Sayag, Etty; Fischl, Dita

2012-01-01

In this study, we examined changes in levels of pre service teachers' reflective writing and tried to identify links between these changes and pre service teachers' success in teaching. Participants were two groups of pre-service special education teachers that taught in two different special education settings: learning difficulties classes and…

Improving Intelligibility: Guided Reflective Journals in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lear, Emmaline L.

2014-01-01

This study explores the effectiveness of guided reflective journals to improve intelligibility in a Japanese higher educational context. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, the paper evaluates changes in speech over the duration of one semester. In particular, this study focuses on changes in prosodic features such as stress, intonation…

Academic reflective writing: a study to examine its usefulness.

PubMed

Bowman, Marion; Addyman, Berni

Reflection is widely regarded as important for learning from practice in Nursing. Academic reflective writing (ARW) is increasingly being used to assess reflective practice. However, there is currently scant literature on ARW, which is extremely complex, requiring students to link their own experiences to published literature. There are also concerns in the literature about the validity of ARW as a medium of assessment. In this paper, an exploratory discussion on ARW is illustrated with reference to the views of 8 self-selected students on a course for post-registered nurses. These students found ARW extremely challenging, and highlighted a range of difficulties associated with it. In conclusion, it is argued that the student experience of ARW warrants further investigation. In addition, it is suggested that either scaffolding should be put in place to facilitate the production of successful ARW, or alternatives should be explored.

Journal writing as a mode of thinking for RN-BSN students: a leveled approach to learning to listen to self and others.

PubMed

Hodges, H F

1996-03-01

Returning to academe, RNs are conceptualized as adult learners, as gendered authors, and as developing students. For most RNs prior learning has evolved from the rational-technical model from which they have learned to look at the world from a distance, relying on empirical evidence and negating or denying personal knowledge. Carefully constructed assignments in journal writing based on educational and developmental theory can be an effective means to assist RN-BSN students in social, cognitive, and professional development. Journal writing in response to assigned readings and clinical experiences provides a safe environment for RN-BSN students to explore critically the ideas of others, to look seriously at authorial intention and point of argument, and to articulate their own views of the world. Conceptually supported by student development and learning theories of Perry (1970) and Knowles (1984), and qualitative research with women's ways of knowing (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1986), a leveled model of journal writing for RN-BSN students is described as a vehicle for the development of writing and thinking critically.

Critical Reflection of an Iranian EFL Classroom: Effective Ploys in Narrative Paragraph Writing Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jafari, Fatemeh Mohammad; Ameri, Alireza

2015-01-01

This article describes a qualitative study that investigated critical reflection in the hope that effective learning is objectified. It is the fruit of rumination on how critical reflection approach would affect learners' performance in narrative writing. The idea for this paper arose when the researchers consistently utilized ploys effective for…

"Xchanges Journal"--Web Journal as the Writing Classroom: On Building an Academic Web Journal in a Collaborative Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boles, Jacoby; Newmark, Julianne

2011-01-01

This website is the creation of one of Julianne Newmark's students, Jacoby Boles, the Editorial Assistant for the e-journal "Xchanges." Jacoby reflects, via this site, on his experiences as a member of the Technical Communication 371 "Publications Management" course at New Mexico Tech. This course was explicitly designed to…

Critical Reflections in the Second Language Classroom through Audiotaped Journals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dantas-Whitney, Maria

2002-01-01

Focuses on the use of reflective audiotaped journals within a university content-based English-as-a-Second-Language course. Data came from 54 audiotaped journal entries made by 18 students and an unstructured ethnographic group interview. Results support the adoption of constructivist learning approaches that encourage students to take a more…

Impact of Guided-Inquiry-Based Instruction with a Writing and Reflection Emphasis on Chemistry Students' Critical Thinking Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupta, Tanya; Burke, K. A.; Mehta, Akash; Greenbowe, Thomas J.

2015-01-01

The Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) laboratory instruction approach has been used successfully over a decade to engage students in laboratory activities. SWH-based instruction emphasizes knowledge construction through individual writing and reflection, and collaborative learning as a group. In the SWH approach, writing is a core component of…

Awareness of “Predatory” Open-Access Journals among Prospective Veterinary and Medical Authors Attending Scientific Writing Workshops

PubMed Central

Christopher, Mary M.; Young, Karen M.

2015-01-01

Authors face many choices when selecting a journal for publication. Prospective authors, especially trainees, may be unaware of “predatory” online journals or how to differentiate them from legitimate journals. In this study, we assessed awareness of open-access and predatory journals among prospective authors attending scientific writing workshops; our long-term goal was to inform educational goals for the workshops. We surveyed participants of writing workshops at veterinary and medical schools and an international conference over a 1-year period. The survey included 14 statements for respondents to indicate agreement level on a Likert-like scale and four questions on awareness of resources about predatory journals; respondents also defined “predatory journal.” A total of 145 participants completed the survey: 106 (73.1%) from veterinary schools and 86 (59.3%) graduate students or residents. Fewer faculty (vs trainees) agreed that open access was an important factor in deciding where to publish; faculty and postdoctoral researchers were more likely to expect to pay more to publish in an open-access journal. Most respondents (120/145, 82.7%) agreed/strongly agreed that the decision to accept a manuscript should not be influenced by publication charges, but 50% (56/112) indicated that they “didn’t know” how publishing costs were supported. Of the 142 respondents who answered, 33 (23.0%) indicated awareness of the term “predatory journal”; 34 (23.9%) were aware of the Directory of Open Access Journals; 24 (16.9%) were aware of the Science “sting” article about predatory journals; and 7 (4.8%) were aware of Beall’s list. Most (93/144, 64.5%) definitions of predatory journals described poor but not predatory journal practices, and some respondents misunderstood the term completely. Mentors should help novice authors to be aware of predatory journals and to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate open-access journals, thus selecting the

Charting the Routes to Revision: An Interplay of Writing Goals, Peer Comments, and Self-Reflections from Peer Reviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Fuhui; Schunn, Christian D.; Baikadi, Alok

2017-01-01

Building upon self-regulated learning theories, we examined the nature of student writing goals and the relationship of these writing goals to revision alone and in combination with two other important sources of students' self-regulated revision--peer comments on their writing, and reflections for their own writing obtained from reviewing others'…

Moving beyond Journaling to Dialogues in Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hail, Cindy; George, Sue; Hail, John

2013-01-01

The last two decades have produced theoretical-based methodology models emphasizing student-centered and learner-controlled writing experiences. During the 1990s, writing evolved into a function of learning. As more was learned about the writing process, it became evident that writing led to clarifying thinking and served as a forum for revealing…

Journalogue: Voicing Student Challenges in Writing through a Classroom Blog

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Suneeta

2017-01-01

This study qualitatively analyzes the challenges presented by international undergraduate students in a freshman composition course at a large Midwestern university in the US. 15 students were divided into five groups, of three members each, with varying proficiency levels in writing. They were asked to submit reflections as journal/blog posts, on…

A Program Based on English Digital Stories to Develop the Writing Performance and Reflective Thinking of Preparatory School Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassan Seifeddin, Ahmed; Zakareya Ahmed, Samah; Yahia Mohammed Ebrahim, Eman

2015-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a program based on English digital stories on second-year preparatory pupils' writing performance and reflective thinking. Two writing performance tests (pretest and posttest) as well as a reflective thinking test were prepared by the researchers. Two 2nd-year intact classes from El Sadat Prep School…

"...Separated by a Common Language": Reflections on Reading Tony Harland and Stephen Rowland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harland, Janice

2011-01-01

When the author writes, her intention is to inform readers and to invite debate and discussion (or at least individual reflection) that continues after the work has been read and put aside. As a scientist with an interest in education, the author now feels able to submit some writings to a non-science educational journal, such as "Teaching in…

Write Now! Using Reflective Writing beyond the Humanities and Social Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannady, Rachel E.; Gallo, Kasia Z.

2016-01-01

Writing is an important teaching and learning tool that fosters active and critical thinking. There are multiple pressures for disciplines outside the humanities and social sciences to integrate writing in their courses. The shift from teaching solely discipline-specific skills to including writing in a meaningful way can be a daunting process. An…

Student Perceptions of a Form-Based Approach to Reflective Journaling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mabrouk, Patricia Ann

2015-01-01

The author describes the principal findings of a survey study looking at student perceptions of a new form-based approach to reflective journaling. A form-based journal assignment was developed for use in introductory lecture courses and tested over a two-year period in an Honors General Chemistry course for engineers with a total of 157…

Engaging Boys through Self-Reflection Using an Online Journaling Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Chris; Deed, Craig

2009-01-01

The study reported here investigated whether Year 6 boys were engaged through the use of an online journaling tool. This journaling tool allowed the students to self reflect on their behaviour and affective reaction in an online environment. Case study methodology was used with twelve boys from a regional primary school in Victoria, during the one…

Learning to care: medical students' reported value and evaluation of palliative care teaching involving meeting patients and reflective writing.

PubMed

Borgstrom, Erica; Morris, Rachel; Wood, Diana; Cohn, Simon; Barclay, Stephen

2016-11-25

Over recent years there has been an increase in teaching of both palliative care and reflective practice in UK medical schools. The palliative care teaching at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine is multi-faceted and involves students writing reflective essays after individually meeting patients approaching the end of life during their final year general practice and hospital medicine placements. This paper draws on two studies examining this teaching element to analyse what the students found valuable about it and to comment on the practice of meeting patients and subsequent reflective writing. Two studies have explored students' perceptions of these course components. The first was a thematic analysis of 234 reflective essays from 123 students written in 2007-2008, including examining what students wrote about the exercise itself. The second project involved a semi-structured questionnaire that students completed anonymously; this paper reports on the free text elements of that study [sample size =107]. Since similar themes were found in both studies, the coding structures from each project were compared and combined, enabling triangulation of the findings around what the students found valuable from the palliative care teaching involving meeting patients and reflective writing. Overall, students reported that these components of the palliative care teaching are valuable. Four main themes were identified as aspects that students valued: (1) dedicated time with patients, (2) learning about wider elements of treatment and holistic care, (3) practicing communication skills, and (4) learning about themselves through reflective writing. Some students expressed a dislike for having to formally write a reflective essay. It is possible to arrange for all of the medical students to individually meet at least two patients receiving palliative or end of life care. Students found these encounters valuable and many wrote about the benefit of formally

Teaching Critical Thinking Using Reflective Journaling in a Nursing Fellowship Program.

PubMed

Zori, Susan

2016-07-01

Critical thinking (CT) is considered to be foundational for the development of RN clinical reasoning. Reflective journaling has been used as an educational strategy to support the development of CT. This project's purpose was to explore how using reflective journaling about CT dispositions with RNs in a fellowship program might influence RN's use of CT dispositions. This descriptive, qualitative study used content analysis as the method to analyze journal entries focused on seven CT dispositions: inquisitiveness, systematicity, open mindedness, analyticity, truth seeking, CT maturity, and CT confidence written by RNs in the first 7 weeks of their fellowship program. Based on the content analysis of journal entries, two major descriptive themes emerged: Development of Critical Thinking Is a Process That Develops During a Period of Time, and Purposefully Engaging Critical Thinking Dispositions May Help Prevent Negative Patient Outcomes. The purposeful use of CT dispositions as described in the journal entries also helped to guide the RN's individual learning. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(7):321-329. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

SwampLog: A Structured Journal for Reflection-in-Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicassio, Frank

1992-01-01

Describes "SwampLog," an action-research journal process useful for recording and reflecting upon ongoing experience, exploring and creating innovative approaches to education, and gauging the resultant effects upon organizational, instructional, and individual renewal. (PRA)

Teaching Perspectives and Usage of Journal Writing by Clinical Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alschuler, Mari L.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between teaching perspectives (TPs), faculty usage and perceptions of reflective journaling (RJ), and demographic characteristics among clinical faculty in nursing, social work, and counseling. A combination of causal-comparative and correlational designs was utilized, with stratified…

How I Have Improved My English Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kosaka, Megumi

2016-01-01

Writing a journal is a good way to improve one's English skills. The author, although she did not feel good at writing in English at all, discovered that, once she began keeping a journal in English, she progressively became able to write longer, more accurate, and more detailed sentences. Through keeping a journal she became aware of errors she…

The Effect of Self Reflections through Electronic Journals (E-Journals) on the Self Efficacy of Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tavýl, Zekiye Müge

2014-01-01

This study aims both to provide information about the self-reflections of pre-service teachers keeping self-reflective e-journals during the practicum period and to determine the relationship between their self-reflection and self-efficacy levels. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed in integration to gain deeper insight into the…

The effect of reflective writing interventions on the critical thinking skills and dispositions of baccalaureate nursing students.

PubMed

Naber, Jessica; Wyatt, Tami H

2014-01-01

The importance of critical thinking is well-documented by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the National League for Nursing. Reflective writing is often used to increase understanding and analytical ability. The lack of empirical evidence about the effect of reflective writing interventions on critical thinking supports the examination of this concept. Study objectives were: This study used an experimental, pretest-posttest design. The setting was two schools of nursing at universities in the southern United States. The convenience sample included 70 fourth-semester students in baccalaureate nursing programs. Randomly assigned control and experimental groups completed the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory Test (CCTDI). The experimental group completed six reflective writing assignments. Both groups completed the two tests again. Results showed that the experimental group had a significant increase (p=0.03) on the truthseeking subscale of the CCTDI when compared to the control group. The experimental group's scores increased on four CCTST subscales and were higher than the control group's on three CCTST subscales. The results of this study make it imperative for nursing schools to consider including reflective writing-especially assignments based on Paul's (1993) model-in nursing courses. If future studies, testing over longer periods of time, show significant increases in critical thinking, those interventions could be incorporated into nursing curriculum and change the way nurse educators evaluate students. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Practitioner Action Research on Writing Center Tutor Training: Critical Discourse Analysis of Reflections on Video-Recorded Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pigliacelli, Mary

2017-01-01

Training writing center tutors to work collaboratively with students on their writing is a complex and challenging process. This practitioner action research uses critical discourse analysis (Gee, 2014a) to interrogate tutors' understandings of their work, as expressed in their written reflections on video-recorded tutoring sessions, to facilitate…

How Role Play Addresses the Difficulties Students Perceive when Writing Reflectively about the Concepts They are Learning in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millar, Susan

A fundamental problem which confronts Science teachers is the difficulty many students experience in the construction, understanding and remembering of concepts. This is more likely to occur when teachers adhere to a Transmission model of teaching and learning, and fail to provide students with opportunities to construct their own learning. Social construction, followed by individual reflective writing, enables students to construct their own understanding of concepts and effectively promotes deep learning. This method of constructing knowledge in the classroom is often overlooked by teachers as they either have no knowledge of it, or do not know how to appropriate it for successful teaching in Science. This study identifies the difficulties which students often experience when writing reflectively and offers solutions which are likely to reduce these difficulties. These solutions, and the use of reflective writing itself, challenge the ideology of the Sydney Genre School, which forms the basis of the attempt to deal with literacy in the NSW Science Syllabus. The findings of this investigation support the concept of literacy as the ability to use oral and written language, reading and listening to construct meaning. The investigation demonstrates how structured discussion, role play and reflective writing can be used to this end. While the Sydney Genre School methodology focuses on the structure of genre as a prerequisite for understanding concepts in Science, the findings of this study demonstrate that students can use their own words to discuss and write reflectively as they construct scientific concepts for themselves. Social construction and reflective writing can contribute to the construction of concepts and the development of metacognition in Science. However, students often experience difficulties when writing reflectively about scientific concepts they are learning. In this investigation, students identified these difficulties as an inability to understand

The Utility of Reflective Writing after a Palliative Care Experience: Can We Assess Medical Students' Professionalism?

PubMed Central

Gill, Anne C.; Teal, Cayla R.; Morrison, Laura J.

2013-01-01

Abstract Background Medical education leaders have called for a curriculum that proactively teaches knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for professional practice and have identified professionalism as a competency domain for medical students. Exposure to palliative care (PC), an often deeply moving clinical experience, is an optimal trigger for rich student reflection, and students' reflective writings can be explored for professional attitudes. Objective Our aim was to evaluate the merit of using student reflective writing about a PC clinical experience to teach and assess professionalism. Methods After a PC patient visit, students wrote a brief reflective essay. We explored qualitatively if/how evidence of students' professionalism was reflected in their writing. Five essays were randomly chosen to develop a preliminary thematic structure, which then guided analysis of 30 additional, randomly chosen essays. Analysts coded transcripts independently, then collaboratively, developed thematic categories, and selected illustrative quotes for each theme and subtheme. Results Essays revealed content reflecting more rich information about students' progress toward achieving two professionalism competencies (demonstrating awareness of one's own perspectives and biases; demonstrating caring, compassion, empathy, and respect) than two others (displaying self-awareness of performance; recognizing and taking actions to correct deficiencies in one's own behavior, knowledge, and skill). Conclusions Professional attitudes were evident in all essays. The essays had limited use for formal summative assessment of professionalism competencies. However, given the increasing presence of PC clinical experiences at medical schools nationwide, we believe this assessment strategy for professionalism has merit and deserves further investigation. PMID:23937062

Reflections on the GUN CONTROL Simulation: Pedagogical Implications for EAP Writing Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salies, Tania Gastao

2007-01-01

This article critically reflects on the GUN CONTROL simulation (Salies, 1994a) by retaking ideas advanced by Salies (2002) and applying them to the context of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing classes in Brazil. It examines how controlled practice relates to learners' performance on the first draft in a simulation-based content unit…

Reading and Writing in the Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ediger, Marlow

There are many kinds of writing activities for pupils. Pupils need to develop proficiency for a variety of types of writing, such as creative writing and poetry, writing in journals, writing about personal experiences, writing an outline, writing an opinion, writing on how something should be done, writing and problem solving, writing to inform,…

How to Search, Write, Prepare and Publish the Scientific Papers in the Biomedical Journals

PubMed Central

Masic, Izet

2011-01-01

This article describes the methodology of preparation, writing and publishing scientific papers in biomedical journals. given is a concise overview of the concept and structure of the System of biomedical scientific and technical information and the way of biomedical literature retreival from worldwide biomedical databases. Described are the scientific and professional medical journals that are currently published in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, given is the comparative review on the number and structure of papers published in indexed journals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are listed in the Medline database. Analyzed are three B&H journals indexed in MEDLINE database: Medical Archives (Medicinski Arhiv), Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences and Medical Gazette (Medicinki Glasnik) in 2010. The largest number of original papers was published in the Medical Archives. There is a statistically significant difference in the number of papers published by local authors in relation to international journals in favor of the Medical Archives. True, the Journal Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences does not categorize the articles and we could not make comparisons. Journal Medical Archives and Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences by percentage published the largest number of articles by authors from Sarajevo and Tuzla, the two oldest and largest university medical centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The author believes that it is necessary to make qualitative changes in the reception and reviewing of papers for publication in biomedical journals published in Bosnia and Herzegovina which should be the responsibility of the separate scientific authority/ committee composed of experts in the field of medicine at the state level. PMID:23572850

The Effect of Peer Feedback for Blogging on College Students' Reflective Learning Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Ying; Ke, Fengfeng; Sharma, Priya

2008-01-01

Reflection is an important prerequisite to making meaning of new information, and to advance from surface to deep learning. Strategies such as journal writing and peer feedback have been found to promote reflection as well as deep thinking and learning. This study used an empirical design to investigate the interaction effects of peer feedback and…

"Distance Education: An International Journal"-- Reflections on How It All Began

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Ian McD.

2009-01-01

In this article, the author reflects on the historical context of the Australian distance education environment that led to the establishment of the journal "Distance Education." He deals with the dynamics of and the decisions made about the journal, in the light of that environment. He also asks readers to share their stance on the…

Reflective Thinking on Communicative Teaching in Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xin, Zhuang

2007-01-01

For second language learners, English writing as one of the forms of communication is particularly tough. In order to help learners to write correctly and fluently, teachers could guide learners to integrate genre and content reasonably to meet their communicative needs, to motivate their interest and to improve their writing skills. The paper…

Improving Design Understandings and Skills through Enhanced Metacognition: Reflective Design Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurt, Mustafa; Kurt, Sevinc

2017-01-01

The main aim of this study was to investigate and discover whether going through the process of reflection by keeping reflective design journals (RDJ) enhances architecture students' metacognition and whether this enhanced metacognition improves their design understandings and skills. The study was a mixed-methods design and utilised content…

Writing Editorials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pappas, Marjorie L.

2003-01-01

Presents a thematic unit for middle schools on editorial writing, or persuasive writing, based on the Pathways Model for information skills lessons. Includes assessing other editorials; student research process journals; information literacy and process skills; and two lesson plans that involve library media specialists as well as teachers. (LRW)

The Role of Teachers' Guided Reflection in Effecting Positive Program Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogt, Lynn Allington; Au, Kathryn H. P.

1995-01-01

Examines the evolution of teacher support and development in the Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP) and Rough Rock Community School collaboration. Ongoing teacher development featured regular classroom observation and feedback with mentors and peers and self-reflection through videotaping and journal writing. (two references) (MDM)

Some Reflections about Writing "A History of Thought and Practice in Educational Administration."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Roald F.

A coauthor of a book on the history of thought and practice in educational administration reflects on issues raised during the writing of the book as follows: (1) Categories of administrative thought are difficult to establish. Two categories were derived from Richard Scott's rational systems approach--scientific management and bureaucracy. The…

Fostering Reflective Writing and Interactive Exchange through Blogging in an Advanced Language Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lina

2010-01-01

Blog technology is a potential medium for encouraging reflective writing through self-expression and interactive exchange through social networking. This paper reports on a study using blogs as out-of-class assignments for the development of learners' language competence. The study involved seventeen university students at advanced level who kept…

Examining the Effects of Science Manipulatives on Achievement, Attitudes, and Journal Writing of Elementary Science Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frederick, Lynda R.; Shaw, Edward L., Jr.

This study examined several aspects of elementary science students' achievement, attitudes, and journal writing in conjunction with an Alabama Hands-on Activity Science Program (HASP) grant utilizing the Full Option Science System (FOSS) kit. The sample of 56 fourth grade students in two classes was administered a 15-item pretest and post-test.…

Approaches Reflected in Academic Writing MOOCs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwak, Subeom

2017-01-01

Since it was first introduced in 2008, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been attracting a lot of interest. Since then, MOOCs have emerged as powerful platforms for teaching and learning academic writing. However, there has been no detailed investigation of academic writing MOOCs. As a result, much uncertainty still exists about the…

Write Soon!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasinski, Timothy; Padak, Nancy

2009-01-01

This article explores the possibilities of using natural writing opportunities that occur in family life to nurture children's literacy development. From notes to lists to journals to parodies, families can use writing to nurture personal relationships and simultaneously improve literacy. Specific tips for teachers to share with parents in making…

When the Ink Runs Dry: Implications for Theory and Practice When Educators Stop Keeping Reflective Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyment, Janet E.; O'Connell, Timothy S.

2014-01-01

In this article we report on a study that explored educators' past and current use of reflective journals and if and how these practices influence their pedagogical use of such journals with their own students. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 8 educators who had kept reflective journals in the past but were no longer doing so;…

Mobile and Online Learning Journal: Effects on Apprentices' Reflection in Vocational Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauroux, Laetitia; Könings, Karen D.; Zufferey, Jessica Dehler; Gurtner, Jean-Luc

2014-01-01

While learning journals (LJs) have been shown to support self-regulated learning strategies, reflection and learning outcomes in academic contexts, few studies have investigated their relevance in vocational education. A mobile and online learning journal (MOLJ) was developed to support reflection on workplace experiences. However, acceptance of…

Reflective Journaling as a Flipped Classroom Technique to Increase Reading and Participation With Social Work Students

PubMed Central

Sage, Melanie; Sele, Patti

2016-01-01

Students in undergraduate social work practice courses come to the class with varying levels of educational, life, and practice experience. Students require an introduction to the material through textbook reading before they are able to engage in critical discussions, yet reading adherence varies widely among students. This research explores the use of reflective journals as a Flipped Classroom technique to increase reflective thinking and reading adherence. This study surveys 27 students in two practice courses about the use of weekly reflective journaling as a flipped classroom assignment. Findings support that reflective reading journals increase student preparation and engagement, but require more work for students and instructors. Implications are discussed. PMID:27672301

An analysis of reflective writing early in the medical curriculum: The relationship between reflective capacity and academic achievement.

PubMed

Ottenberg, Abigale L; Pasalic, Dario; Bui, Gloria T; Pawlina, Wojciech

2016-07-01

To examine the relationship between reflection, gender, residency choice, word count, and academic achievement among medical students. A modified version of the Reflection Evaluation for Learners' Enhanced Competencies Tool (REFLECT) was developed and used for this study (Cronbach's alpha of 0.86 with an intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] of 0.68). This was applied to writing samples about professionalism in gross anatomy from first-year medical students between 2005 and 2011. Four analysts reviewed and scored written reflections independently. Composite reflection scores were compared with gender, residency choice, length of written reflection, NBME® Gross Anatomy and Embryology Subject Examination scores, and final gross anatomy course. Total of 319 written reflections were evaluated. Female students who pursued medicine specialties had the highest composite reflection scores (87 [27.2%]). Word count frequently correlated with reflection score (p < 0.0001). Students who performed well on the NBME® Gross Anatomy and Embryology Subject Examination tended to achieve high anatomy course grades (p < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant relationship between composite reflection scores and NBME® Gross Anatomy and Embryology Subject Examination scores (p = 0.16) or anatomy course grades (p = 0.90). This study suggests there are likely no correlations between reflective capacity and academic performance on tests of medical knowledge administered early in the medical curriculum.

Fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning skills among medical students through a research protocol writing activity in the curriculum.

PubMed

Sahoo, Soumendra; Mohammed, Ciraj Ali

2018-06-01

This intervention was aimed to analyse the effect of academic writing and journal critiquing as educational approaches in improving critical thinking and collaborative learning among undergraduate medical students. A research proposal writing format was created for the 4th year medical students of Melaka Manipal Medical College, Malaysia during their ophthalmology clinical postings. The students worked in small groups and developed research protocols through an evidence based approach. This was followed by writing reflective summaries in academic portfolios about the activity undertaken. A mixed methods study was designed to explore the possible role of collaborative research proposal writing in enhancing critical thinking and collaborative learning. Analysis of reflections submitted by 188 medical students after the intervention indicate that majority of them found an improvement in their skills of critical thinking and collaborative learning as a result of research protocol writing. All participants agreed that the model helped in applying concepts to new situations in the form of designing their own study, which reflected in enhanced higher order cognitive skills. This study shows that the introduction of a structured module in the core medical curriculum that focuses on research writing skills embedded with collaborative and reflective practices can enhance collaborative learning, critical thinking, and reasoning among medical students.

Fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning skills among medical students through a research protocol writing activity in the curriculum

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Purpose This intervention was aimed to analyse the effect of academic writing and journal critiquing as educational approaches in improving critical thinking and collaborative learning among undergraduate medical students. Methods A research proposal writing format was created for the 4th year medical students of Melaka Manipal Medical College, Malaysia during their ophthalmology clinical postings. The students worked in small groups and developed research protocols through an evidence based approach. This was followed by writing reflective summaries in academic portfolios about the activity undertaken.A mixed methods study was designed to explore the possible role of collaborative research proposal writing in enhancing critical thinking and collaborative learning. Results Analysis of reflections submitted by 188 medical students after the intervention indicate that majority of them found an improvement in their skills of critical thinking and collaborative learning as a result of research protocol writing. All participants agreed that the model helped in applying concepts to new situations in the form of designing their own study, which reflected in enhanced higher order cognitive skills. Conclusion This study shows that the introduction of a structured module in the core medical curriculum that focuses on research writing skills embedded with collaborative and reflective practices can enhance collaborative learning, critical thinking, and reasoning among medical students. PMID:29860777

Hey! Guess What I Did in School Today: Using Family Message Journals to Improve Student Writing and Strengthen the School-Home Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valerie, Lynda M.; Foss-Swanson, Sheila

2012-01-01

This article presents the rationale for and implementation of the family message journal as a writing tool. The family message journal provides multiple opportunities for students to develop as writers while strengthening the school-home connection. This article provides examples of rhetorical moves that indicate young writers are aware of their…

Eight questions to ask before writing an article.

PubMed

Albert, Tim

2017-06-02

Health professionals often have to write articles for publication in academic journals. Many of them find this difficult and suffer from one or more variations of writer's block. A good way of avoiding these setbacks is to prepare thoroughly for the writing project, and this article proposes eight different questions writers can ask before they start. The first is whether they are in a good position to complete the task, and if not whether they should try to negotiate their way out of the project. If they commit to going ahead, writers should work out where they will find the necessary time, and set deadlines for ensuring that they do. They should also decide on their co-authors, because getting them involved early should make the rewriting more straightforward as well as reducing the danger of ghost authors emerging once the work has been done. Writers should put their research away and reflect on the most appropriate message - a simple sentence that sums up the main implication of the paper. Armed with this message, they can identify a suitable journal for publication - and thereafter can use articles in this journal to guide them on matters of substance and style. If the article is published in that target journal authors can consider that they have written a successful paper.

What Is on Our Children's Minds? An Analysis of Children's Writings as Reflections of Group-Specific Socialisation Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denessen, Eddie; Hornstra, Lisette; van den Bergh, Linda

2010-01-01

In the present study it has been examined how children's creative writing tasks may contribute to teachers' understanding of children's values. Writings of 300 elementary school children about what they would do if they were the boss of The Netherlands were obtained and seemed to reflect different types of values. Most children were concerned with…

Looking Back to Move Forward: First-Year Medical Students' Meta-Reflections on Their Narrative Portfolio Writings.

PubMed

Cunningham, Hetty; Taylor, Delphine; Desai, Urmi A; Quiah, Samuel C; Kaplan, Benjamin; Fei, Lorraine; Catallozzi, Marina; Richards, Boyd; Balmer, Dorene F; Charon, Rita

2018-06-01

The day-to-day rigors of medical education often preclude learners from gaining a longitudinal perspective on who they are becoming. Furthermore, the current focus on competencies, coupled with concerning rates of trainee burnout and a decline in empathy, have fueled the search for pedagogic tools to foster students' reflective capacity. In response, many scholars have looked to the tradition of narrative medicine to foster "reflective spaces" wherein holistic professional identity construction can be supported. This article focuses on the rationale, content, and early analysis of the reflective space created by the narrative medicine-centered portfolio at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. In January 2015, the authors investigated learning outcomes derived from students' "Signature Reflections," end-of-semester meta-reflections on their previous portfolio work. The authors analyzed the Signature Reflections of 97 (of 132) first-year medical students using a constant comparative process. This iterative approach allowed researchers to identify themes within students' writings and interpret the data. The authors identified two overarching interpretive themes-recognition and grappling-and six subthemes. Recognition included comments about self-awareness and empathy. Grappling encompassed the subthemes of internal change, dichotomies, wonder and questioning, and anxiety. Based on the authors' analyses, the Signature Reflection seems to provide a structured framework that encourages students' reflective capacity and the construction of holistic professional identity. Other medical educators may adopt meta-reflection, within the reflective space of a writing portfolio, to encourage students' acquisition of a longitudinal perspective on who they are becoming and how they are constructing their professional identity.

Student-Teachers across the Curriculum Learn to Write Feedback: Does It Reflect on Their Writing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen-sayag, Esther

2016-01-01

The study examined the connection between writing competency and writing feedback experiences through academic writing course for student-teachers across the curriculum. The aims of the course were to prepare student-teachers to their role as writing facilitators and to improve their writing. Experimental and control group differed in course plan…

Using Blogs as a Means of Enhancing Reflective Teaching Practice in Open Distance Learning Ecologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Wyk, Micheal M.

2013-01-01

Reflection is an important concept or principle that is fundamental in the interpretation of new information, and is also required if learning is to advance from surface to deep learning. The purpose of this article is to explore the use of blogs as an e-learning journal writing tool for reflection and peer-feedback during Teaching Practice…

Does Using E-Portfolios for Reflective Writing Enhance High School Students' Self-Regulated Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chi-Cheng; Liang, Chaoyun; Shu, Kuen-Ming; Tseng, Kuo-Hung; Lin, Chun-Yu

2016-01-01

The study aims to examine whether reflective writing using e-portfolios enhances high school students' self-regulated learning. Participants included two classes of eighth-graders majoring in Information Processing and taking a course called "Website Design" at a vocational high school in Taiwan. There were 41 students, with 18 males and…

The Use of Technology in Group-Work: A Situational Analysis of Students' Reflective Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinney, Pamela; Sen, Barbara

2016-01-01

Group work is a powerful constructivist pedagogy for facilitating students' personal and professional development, but it can be difficult for students to work together in an academic context. The assessed reflective writings of undergraduate students studying Information Management are used as data in this exploration of the group work situation…

The Effects of Experiential Learning with an Emphasis on Reflective Writing on Deep-Level Processing of Leadership Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Copie; Boyd, Barry L.; Dooley, Kim E.

2010-01-01

Experiential learning and reflective writing are important components of college instructors' repertoires. Learning is not complete without proper reflection. The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate students' perceptions of learning in a leadership course that emphasized experiential learning methods. The respondents included the…

Use of Reflective Journals in Development of Teachers' Leadership and Teaching Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Göker, Suleyman Davut

2016-01-01

Focusing on the contribution of reflective practice to teaching practice amongst student teachers, this study examines the impact of reflective journal entries of 16 student teachers from Faculty of Education at the Artvin Coruh University in Turkey. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches were employed for this study including open-ended…

Journalism: The Whole Story.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egan, Christine

Knowing what a journalist does and what opportunities are available to graduates in this field is necessary to anyone interested in a journalism career. This reprint discusses five major categories of journalism careers: writing and editing the news for print and electronic media, commercial and professional writing, advertising, public relations,…

Enhancing EFL Learners' Writing Skill via Journal Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuan, Luu Trong

2010-01-01

"Frequently accepted as being the last language skill to be acquired for native speakers of the language as well as for foreign/second language learners" (Hamp-Lyons and Heasly, 2006: 2), English writing, for a number of EFL learners, appears to be challenging. This paper sought to investigate if learners can grow out of the writing…

Broadcast Journalism; An Introduction to News Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Mark W.

The important features of writing news for radio and television are covered in this book. Ways to write colorful, accurate, and timely stories are explained with the emphasis on the differences between broadcast and newspaper stories. Other subjects treated are sources of news (including explanations of how the Associated Press copy works and how…

Reflective Writing about the Utility Value of Science as a Tool for Increasing STEM Motivation and Retention -- Can AI Help Scale Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beigman Klebanov, Beata; Burstein, Jill; Harackiewicz, Judith M.; Priniski, Stacy J.; Mulholland, Matthew

2017-01-01

The integration of subject matter learning with reading and writing skills takes place in multiple ways. Students learn to read, interpret, and write texts in the discipline-relevant genres. However, writing can be used not only for the purposes of practice in professional communication, but also as an opportunity to reflect on the learned…

Faculty Processes Used to Evaluate Self-Reflective Journals in an Online RN-BSN Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polley-Payne, Kathleen E.

2017-01-01

Evaluation of student learning activities is part of the fabric of higher education. Expected by accrediting agencies within the health professions disciplines in curricula aimed at the development of reflective practitioners. Student self-reflecting journaling is a strategy frequently employed as a tool to develop reflective practitioners and…

Making Sense of Undergraduate Students' Reflections as They Learn through Writing an Action Research Proposal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maoto, S.

2011-01-01

This article explores learning opportunities offered by students' written reflections as they learn through writing an action research proposal. From tapping into students' reported struggles, I analysed data using three stages of qualitative data analysis: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing (Miles and Huberman 1994). It emerged…

In Search of the "Write" Way.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irwin, Glenn, Ed.

1981-01-01

The 17 articles in this journal issue focus on writing and writing instruction. The articles discuss the following: (1) the NorthEast Texas, Texas Hill Country, and University of Arizona writing projects; (2) the necessity of dealing with truth in the writing class, not as a concept to be defined, but as an act that creates and recreates…

A faculty development workshop in narrative-based reflective writing.

PubMed

Boudreau, J Donald; Liben, Stephen; Fuks, Abraham

2012-08-01

Narrative approaches are used increasingly in the health professions with a range of objectives. We must acquaint educators with this burgeoning field and prepare them for the incorporation of story-telling in their pedagogical practices. The authors describe a template for a faculty development workshop designed to foster self-reflection through the use of narrative techniques and prepare clinical teachers to deploy such approaches. The design is based on a six-year experience in delivering introductory workshops in narrative approaches to medical teachers. The workshops, which served as a model for the template, have been offered to a total of 92 clinicians being trained to mentor medical students. A generic template is described. It includes a table of core concepts from narrative theory, a set of probing questions useful in a basic technical analysis of texts and a list of initiating prompts for exercises in reflective writing. A workshop organized and deployed using this template is deliverable over a half-day. The model has proven to be feasible and highly valued by participants. It can be adapted for other contexts by educators across the continuum of health professional education.

Simulation With Debriefing and Guided Reflective Journaling to Stimulate Critical Thinking in Prelicensure Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Students.

PubMed

Padden-Denmead, Mary L; Scaffidi, Rose M; Kerley, Regina M; Farside, Amy Lee

2016-11-01

Simulation and guided reflective journaling have been identified as effective teaching and learning methods to develop critical thinking (CT) and clinical reasoning skills in nursing students. A descriptive correlational design was used to determine the relationship between CT and level of reflection using the Holistic Critical Thinking Skills Rubric (HCTSR) and the level of reflection on action assessment (LORAA), respectively, to evaluate 23 baccalaureate student-guided reflective journal entries after a simulation exercise with guided debriefing and after two subsequent clinical experiences. A statistically significant positive relationship (p < .01) was found between mean HCTSR and LORAA scores on all three journal entries, but no relationship to CT during simulation or on standardized test scores. The results also indicated support for use of the guided reflection after significant learning experiences. The LORAA and the HCTSR are effective measures of level of reflection and CT to evaluate learning from simulation and clinical experiences. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(11):645-650.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

The Write Stuff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruffins, Paul

2011-01-01

Black journalism professors live and breathe writing and research, yet there is very little information about their experiences. Virtually everyone interviewed for this article thinks that Black journalism professors are confronting more challenges than almost any other group of educators. They have to deal with many students who have very poor…

Writing Activities Embedded in Bioscience Laboratory Courses to Change Students' Attitudes and Enhance Their Scientific Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Susan E.; Woods, Kyra J.; Tonissen, Kathryn F.

2011-01-01

We introduced writing activities into a project style third year undergraduate biomolecular science laboratory to assist the students to produce a final report in the form of a journal article. To encourage writing while the experimental work was proceeding, the embedded writing activities required ongoing analysis of experimental data. After…

Improving Written Expression of Seventh Grade Mildly Intellectually Disabled Students Utilizing a Basal Reading Program, Journal Writing and Computer Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wimberly, Sabrenai R.

A practicum was designed to increase mildly intellectually disabled students' written communication skills by demonstrating functional written expression skills in daily assignments and in social communication. A sequenced reading and language program with the integration of journal writing and computer applications was utilized. Seventh- and…

Writing for Real Audiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shugert, Diane P., Ed.

1983-01-01

The focus of the articles in this journal issue is helping students write for real audiences. The document contains the following articles: "Real Audiences: The Only Kind We Write For" (Margaret Queenan); "A Literary Magazine for Middle Grades" (Anthony R. Angelo and Marie-Jeanne Laurent); "Rewarding Understanding and…

First Graders Can Write: Focus on Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milz, Vera E.

1980-01-01

Among the various methods used by a classroom teacher to encourage writing in her first grade class are letter writing, writing a book, writing notes to each other, and keeping journals. The desire to communicate is the primary motivating factor in the development of both oral and written language. (JN)

Teaching Process Writing in an Online Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carolan, Fergal; Kyppö, Anna

2015-01-01

This reflective practice paper offers some insights into teaching an interdisciplinary academic writing course aimed at promoting process writing. The study reflects on students' acquisition of writing skills and the teacher's support practices in a digital writing environment. It presents writers' experiences related to various stages of process…

Medical Ghost-Writing

PubMed Central

Langdon-Neuner, Elise

2008-01-01

Any assistance an author receives with writing a scientific article that is not acknowledged in the article is described as ghost-writing. Articles ghost-written by medical writers engaged by pharmaceutical companies who have a vested interest in the content have caused concern after scandals revealed misleading content in some articles. A key criterion of authorship in medical journals is final approval of the article submitted for publication. Authors are responsible for the content of their articles and for acknowledging any assistance they receive. Action taken by some journals and medical writer associations to encourage acknowledgement is an uphill task in the light of disinterest from the pharmaceutical industry and ignorance or similar lack of interest by those who agree to be named authors. However, acknowledgment alone is not sufficient to resolve medical ghost-writing; issues of how the acknowledgement is formulated, permission to acknowledge and access to raw data also need to be tackled. PMID:22013363

Students' Perceptions of Group Journal Writing as a Tool for Enhancing Sense of Community on Wilderness Educational Expeditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asfeldt, Morten; Purc-Stephenson, Rebecca; Hvenegaard, Glen

2017-01-01

Journal writing is a common practice in outdoor education (OE) and there is a long-standing claim that OE programs enhance sense of community (SOC). However, there remains a call for additional evidence to support the relationship between participation in outdoor programs and SOC. This study examines students' perceptions of the role of a group…

Transformation and Text: Journal Pedagogy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Carol

One intention that an instructor had for her new course called "Writing and Healing: Women's Journal Writing" was to make apparent the power of self-written text to transform the writer. She asked her students--women studying women writing their lives and women writing their own lives--to write three pages a day and to focus on change.…

Learning psychology as a challenging process towards development as well as "studies as usual": a thematic analysis of medical students' reflective writing.

PubMed

Semb, Olof; Kaiser, Niclas; Andersson, Sven-Olof; Sundbom, Elisabet

2014-01-01

Reflective writing in medical training has been shown to be most effective when combined with some form of personal meeting or dialog. During a course in medical psychology for medical students, reflective texts were followed up by an individual personal talk with a teacher from the course. Thematic analysis of the texts revealed four separate sub-themes: 1) the course has enabled me and the class to develop, which is good albeit arduous; 2) understanding myself is a resource in understanding people as well as knowing psychology; 3) the course provided me with new, purely intellectual skills as well as eye-openers; and 4) the receiving teacher is an integral part of my reflective writing. The main theme, capturing the students' writing process, concluded that students perceive the course as "Learning psychology as a challenging process towards development" as well as "studies as usual". Ethical, psychological, and pedagogical aspects are discussed in the paper.

"Thinking-for-Writing": A Prolegomenon on Writing Signed Languages.

PubMed

Rosen, Russell S; Hartman, Maria C; Wang, Ye

2017-01-01

In his article in this American Annals of the Deaf special issue that also includes the present article, Grushkin argues that the writing difficulties of many deaf and hard of hearing children result primarily from the orthographic nature of the writing system; he proposes a new system based on features found in signed languages. In response, the present authors review the literature on D/HH children's writing difficulties, outline the main percepts of and assumptions about writing signed languages, discuss "thinking-for-writing" as a process in developing writing skills, offer research designs to test the effectiveness of writing signed language systems, and provide strategies for adopting "thinking-for-writing" in education. They conclude that until empirical studies show that writing signed languages effectively reflects writers' "thinking-for-writing," the alphabetic orthographic system of English should still be used, and ways should be found to teach D/HH children to use English writing to express their thoughts.

Language Supports for Journal Abstract Writing across Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liou, H.-C.; Yang, P.-C.; Chang, J. S.

2012-01-01

Various writing assistance tools have been developed through efforts in the areas of natural language processing with different degrees of success of curriculum integration depending on their functional rigor and pedagogical designs. In this paper, we developed a system, WriteAhead, that provides six types of suggestions when non-native graduate…

Getting published: reflections of a collaborative writing group.

PubMed

Ness, Valerie; Duffy, Kathleen; McCallum, Jacqueline; Price, Lesley

2014-01-01

Writing for publication, in the nursing profession, is considered essential for the development of the profession and individual career advancement. In education there is also the increasing pressure to produce University research output. To develop a collaborative writing group to develop and write articles relating to our teaching practice. The idea of forming a writing group was discussed at a module team meeting where five academics expressed an interest. The process of forming the group involved an initial meeting to discuss and agree to the aims, interests, expertise and areas of responsibility for each member. Regular meetings are held and each member takes on responsibility for an aspect of work towards completing the articles. Three articles and one editorial have been published and another is under peer review. We have endeavoured to develop and maintain a theme, this being supporting nursing students' development with an emphasis on an aspect of their decision making skills. Also, importantly, we have created a supportive environment and friendships. The demands made upon the nurse educator to be clinically, educationally and research active can be difficult to meet. Collaborative writing groups may be one way to fulfil the scholarly activity element. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reflections on the Need for Continued Research on Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Brett; McCardle, Peggy

2011-01-01

A focused scientific research effort on writing research and its relationship to language development and reading is needed to address the writing and broader literacy needs of today's and tomorrow's learners and workers. In the United States, as well as in many other nations, research on writing has been neglected in relation to the emphasis on…

The Writing on the Wall: Activist Rhetorics, Public Writing, and Responsible Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sundvall, Scott; Fredlund, Katherine

2017-01-01

Drawing from their experiences teaching two different activism-focused writing courses, the authors consider the benefits, pitfalls, and potential dangers of activist writing pedagogy. Scott provides a retrospective on a rhetoric and writing course focused on the employment of digital rhetoric, while Katherine reflects on an activist-rhetoric…

Reflections on Contemporary Currents in Writing Center Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lunsford, Andrea A.; Ede, Lisa

2011-01-01

This article presents the text of a speech presented at The International Writing Centers Association and the National Conference on Peer Tutoring (IWCA-NCPTW) joint conference in Baltimore, Maryland, in November 2010. It stemmed from a larger project--a collection of previously published and new essays titled "Writing Together: Collaboration in…

Feedback Providing Improvement Strategies and Reflection on Feedback Use: Effects on Students' Writing Motivation, Process, and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duijnhouwer, Hendrien; Prins, Frans J.; Stokking, Karel M.

2012-01-01

This study investigated the effects of feedback providing improvement strategies and a reflection assignment on students' writing motivation, process, and performance. Students in the experimental feedback condition (n = 41) received feedback including improvement strategies, whereas students in the control feedback condition (n = 41) received…

Guided Portfolio Writing as a Scaffold for Reflective Learning in In-Service Contexts: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pires Pereira, Íris Susana; Cristo Parente, Maria Cristina; Vieira da Silva, Cristina

2016-01-01

Language is widely recognized as an inescapable mediating tool for professional learning, and with this text we want to contribute to a better understanding of the particular role that guided writing can play in in-service professional reflective learning. We analysed one pre-school teacher's written portfolio, the construction of which was guided…

How to Write an Article for Publication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berger, Allen

The suggestions for writing for publication given in this paper include writing with honesty, thinking clearly, considering the potential audience, sharing the article with friends, revising the article, and sending the article to the appropriate journal. Empathy for the difficulty of writing is given and illustrated with examples from Eric…

Learning psychology as a challenging process towards development as well as “studies as usual”: a thematic analysis of medical students’ reflective writing

PubMed Central

Semb, Olof; Kaiser, Niclas; Andersson, Sven-Olof; Sundbom, Elisabet

2014-01-01

Reflective writing in medical training has been shown to be most effective when combined with some form of personal meeting or dialog. During a course in medical psychology for medical students, reflective texts were followed up by an individual personal talk with a teacher from the course. Thematic analysis of the texts revealed four separate sub-themes: 1) the course has enabled me and the class to develop, which is good albeit arduous; 2) understanding myself is a resource in understanding people as well as knowing psychology; 3) the course provided me with new, purely intellectual skills as well as eye-openers; and 4) the receiving teacher is an integral part of my reflective writing. The main theme, capturing the students’ writing process, concluded that students perceive the course as “Learning psychology as a challenging process towards development” as well as “studies as usual”. Ethical, psychological, and pedagogical aspects are discussed in the paper. PMID:25540601

Integrating Reading, Writing, and Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Philip M., Ed.

1983-01-01

The eight articles in this focused journal issue are concerned with integrating reading, writing, and thinking, with varying attention to other language processes such as listening and speaking. The titles and authors of the articles are (1) "Does What You Read Influence How You Write?" by Dennis Adams; (2) "Dictation: Building…

Writing toward a Scientific Identity: Shifting from Prescriptive to Reflective Writing in Undergraduate Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otfinowski, Rafael; Silva-Opps, Marina

2015-01-01

Analytical writing enhances retention of science learning and is integral to student-centered classrooms. Despite this, scientific writing in undergraduate programs is often presented as a series of sentence-level conventions of grammar, syntax, and citation formats, reinforcing students' perceptions of its highly prescriptive nature. The authors…

Conversations on Collaboration: Graduate Students as Writing Program Administrators in the Writing Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewerdine, Jennifer M.

2017-01-01

This research sought to ascertain through a phenomenological approach whether and how collaboration occurs in writing center administration. The reflections and perceptions of former writing center gWPAs provided insight into a variety of institutional contexts and experiences present in writing center collaboration. The participants perceived…

Engaged Journalism: Using Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) for In-Class Journaling Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, J. Jacob; Clarke, Tracylee

2017-01-01

Educators have long recognized the value and import of class journaling. Traditional approaches to journaling, however, only engage students in one mode of communicative expression while allowing them to procrastinate in writing their entries. Typical journals are also read exclusively by the instructor, which overlooks the opportunity for…

What If They Just Want To Write?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilmar, Sybil

1979-01-01

Writing workshops are held for gifted students (7 to 15 years old) and include journalism, guidebook, and fiction work with critical analysis of each other's writing. Sample exercises and brainstorming techniques are discussed. (CL)

“Blogging” About Course Concepts: Using Technology for Reflective Journaling in a Communications Class

PubMed Central

Bouldin, Alicia S.; Holmes, Erin R.; Fortenberry, Michael L.

2006-01-01

Objective Web log technology was applied to a reflective journaling exercise in a communication course during the second-professional year at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, to encourage students to reflect on course concepts and apply them to the environment outside the classroom, and to assess their communication performance. Design Two Web log entries per week were required for full credit. Web logs were evaluated at three points during the term. At the end of the course, students evaluated the assignment using a 2-page survey instrument. Assessment The assignment contributed to student learning and increased awareness level for approximately 40% of the class. Students had few complaints about the logistics of the assignment. Conclusion The Web log technology was a useful tool for reflective journaling in this communications course. Future versions of the assignment will benefit from student feedback from this initial experience. PMID:17136203

Creative writing and dementia care: 'making it real'.

PubMed

Bailey, Catherine; Jones, Romi; Tiplady, Sue; Quinn, Isabel; Wilcockson, Jane; Clarke, Amanda

2016-12-01

Health professionals continue to seek ways to promote positive communication and self-worth when supporting people living with dementia. The value of creative writing techniques as part of reflective practice in nursing and caring for older people with dementia needs further exploration. To introduce creative writing techniques to health professionals as part of dementia-related reflective practice. A local experienced author facilitated creative writing workshops with nine preregistration nursing students (general and mental health), one family carer and five care professionals working with people with dementia. The student nurses reported that the creative writing exercises felt more 'real' than the reflective practice models they had used in their academic and practical studies. Workshop participants also reported they had learnt some creative writing techniques to reduce work-related stress and anxiety. They also saw the impact of writing activities with people living with dementia, which can enable creativity and 'alleviate the common symptoms of depression and anxiety'. Creative writing techniques can support insightful, reflective dementia focused practice. Creative writing, as a tool in reflective practice, may enable health professionals and family carers to become confident and creative partners in older people's care. The added value, time and investment needed to introduce creative writing need to be articulated and acknowledged from within supervision and staffing teams. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On Reviewing and Writing a Scholarly Article

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bettis, Jerry L., Sr.

2012-01-01

This article provides guidelines for reviewing and writing scholarly articles for the professional who reads and writes them for his/her own work and/or for publication in scientific journals. It outlines the purpose and contents of each section of a research article and provides a checklist for reviewing and writing a research article. This…

How to Write Articles that Get Published

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Publications are essential for sharing knowledge, and career advancement. Writing a research paper is a challenge. Most graduate programmes in medicine do not offer hands-on training in writing and publishing in scientific journals. Beginners find the art and science of scientific writing a daunting task. ‘How to write a scientific paper?, Is there a sure way to successful publication ?’ are the frequently asked questions. This paper aims to answer these questions and guide a beginner through the process of planning, writing, and correction of manuscripts that attract the readers and satisfies the peer reviewers. A well-structured paper in lucid and correct language that is easy to read and edit, and strictly follows the instruction to the authors from the editors finds favour from the readers and avoids outright rejection. Making right choice of journal is a decision critical to acceptance. Perseverance through the peer review process is the road to successful publication. PMID:25386508

Evaluating Writing Instruction through an Investigation of Students' Experiences of Learning through Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Robert A.; Taylor, Charlotte E.; Drury, Helen

2005-01-01

Learning through writing is a way of learning not only the appropriate written expression of disciplinary knowledge, but also the knowledge itself through reflection and revision. This study investigates the quality of a writing experience provided to university students in a first-year biology subject. The writing instruction methodology used is…

How to Write About a Bumblebee--John Burroughs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stock, Tom

1981-01-01

The personal comments of literary naturalist, John Burroughs, whose 60-year writing career began in the 1860s, can guide writing teachers today. Recommended techniques include literary walks, a fermentation process between contact with nature and writing about it, emphasis on clarity and truth, and keeping a journal. (NEC)

Nursing Scholars, Writing Dimensions, and Productivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Megel, Mary Erickson

1987-01-01

A study to describe cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions associated with writing among doctorally prepared nurses and to determine relationships between writing dimensions and journal article publication is discussed. Multiple regression analysis showed that five variables accounted for 18 percent of the variance in research article…

Conflicting Views of Realistic Professionalism: Preservice Educators' Concerns Arising from Analysis of Themes in Their Reflective Writings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Wanda A. R.

2004-01-01

Current demands for professionalism from society are great, and future educators are concerned that they do not have the stamina and resources to fulfill their personal roles. This research examines 453 reflective writings of 151 preservice teachers, child and youth care providers, and counselors who, despite being asked to identify how their…

The writing approaches of secondary students.

PubMed

Lavelle, Ellen; Smith, Jennifer; O'Ryan, Leslie

2002-09-01

Research with college students has supported a model of writing approaches that defines the relationship between a writer and writing task along a deep and surface process continuum (Biggs, 1988). Based on that model, Lavelle (1993) developed the Inventory of Processes in College Composition which reflects students' motives and strategies as related to writing outcomes. It is also important to define the approaches of secondary students to better understand writing processes at that level, and development in written composition. This study was designed to define the writing approaches of secondary students by factor analysing students' responses to items regarding writing beliefs and writing strategies, and to compare the secondary approaches to those of college students. A related goal was to explore the relationships of the secondary writing approaches to perceived self-regulatory efficacy for writing (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994), writing preferences, and writing outcomes. The initial, factor analytic phase involved 398 junior level high school students (11th grade) enrolled in a mandatory language arts class at each of three large Midwestern high schools (USA). Then, 49 junior level students enrolled in two language arts classes participated as subjects in the second phase. Classroom teachers administered the Inventory of Processes in College Composition (Lavelle, 1993), which contained 72 true-or-false items regarding writing beliefs and strategies, during regular class periods. Data were factor analysed and the structure compared to that of college students. In the second phase, the new inventory, Inventory of Processes in Secondary Composition, was administered in conjunction with the Perceived Self-Regulatory Efficacy for Writing Inventory (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994), and a writing preferences survey. A writing sample and grade in Language Arts classes were obtained and served as outcome variables. The factor structure of secondary writing reflected three

Examining the Effects of Reflective Journals on Pre-Service Science Teachers' General Chemistry Laboratory Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cengiz, Canan; Karatas, Faik Özgür

2015-01-01

The general chemistry laboratory is an appropriate place for learning chemistry well. It is also effective for stimulating higher-order thinking skills, including reflective thinking, a skill that is crucial for science teaching as well as learning. This study aims to examine the effects of feedback-supported reflective journal-keeping activities…

Queering College Writing: Writing Students' Learning of LGB Issues Using the Internet as an Instructional Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burnes, Theodore R.

2007-01-01

How do writing teachers use technology to help students learn about lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) issues? What is the nature of writing students' learning about LGB sexual orientations and academic writing when the Internet is used as a learning tool? Participants completed a questionnaire in which they reflected on a writing assignment…

Exploring science and mathematics teaching experiences in Thailand using reflective journals of an internship program between Vietnamese and Thai students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pruekpramool, Chaninan; Kanyaprasith, Kamonwan; Phonphok, Nason; Diem, Huynh Thi Thuy

2018-01-01

An internship program between Vietnamese student teachers from Cantho University and Thai graduate students from Srinakharinwirot University has occurred in June 2016. There were six Vietnamese student teachers and four Thai graduate students participated in this program with the help of science teachers from two schools in Sa Kaeo and Chachoengsao Provinces of Thailand. To explore Vietnamese and Thai students' life experiences and their perceptions in science and Mathematics teaching, reflective journals were used to record their progress as team teaching in primary and lower secondary classrooms in the form of the online format via social media in English language. The data were collected from 54 reflective journals from their eight days experiences at the schools. The data were analyzed qualitatively using Van Manen's level of reflectivity which composed of three levels; 1) Technical Rationality (TR), 2) Practical Action (PA) and 3) Critical Reflection (CR). The results explicitly revealed that the three levels of reflectivity have appeared in the reflective journals. Besides, Vietnamese and Thai students have learned more from each other and can exchange their educational experiences and culture. Certainly, this was the first time for them to teach science and mathematics in English to Thai students. Moreover, they have shared their impressions toward schools, teachers and also students in the schools in their reflective journal as well.

Writing across the Curriculum: A Hermeneutic Study of Students' Experiences in Writing in Food Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dzurec, David J.; Dzurec, Laura Cox

2005-01-01

Writing can enhance learning by helping students put words to their thinking about course material. The purposes of this study were to assess the influence of a structured academic journal writing exercise on student learning in a food science class and to examine student responses to the experience. Hermeneutics, a philosophy of science and…

Using clinical journaling to capture critical thinking across the curriculum.

PubMed

Ruthman, Jacklyn; Jackson, Janet; Cluskey, Maureen; Flannigan, Peggy; Folse, Victoria N; Bunten, Jo

2004-01-01

Clinical journaling is used as an integrated teaching methodology throughout the practicum component of a baccalaureate nursing curriculum. Two disciplines, Nursing and English, collaborated to develop clinical journaling guidelines to provide a consistent framework for student learning and evaluation in a variety of clinical settings. Students complete a weekly log for each clinical rotation. They identify learning goals, analyze events and relate them to nursing practice, use critical thinking to connect theory and practice, and reflect on the experience.A collegiate standard of writing is used. As the student advances through the program, a pattern of accomplishments and a cumulative integration of skills is evidenced to provide consistent standards for student evaluation.

Using Observational Journals in an Introductory Astronomy Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadler, P.

2000-05-01

The might of science is in its power to predict. Yet, students rarely are exposed to anything but others' stories concerning how nature behaves. Students do not experience the frustration and elation that discovery brings. For ten years, our introductory astronomy course has used observational journals as a key component in the learning process. Every night, as the planets, stars, and moon dance by, astronomy students use the opportunity to collect and analyze their own data describing heavenly motions. For most, finding the patterns in original data provides an opportunity to fashion and test their own predictive models for the first time in their lives. Such efforts provide an alternative to lecture and laboratory for mastering key scientific concepts and modifying student misconceptions. Students have learned how to represent visual information through a variety of graphs, built and improved their own measurement instruments, and drawn on artistic and writing skills. We will examine the steps required to make observational journals a productive learning activity: careful recordkeeping, classroom discussion, instructor feedback, and reflective writing. I will show examples of how students' work progress through increasing levels of cognitive sophistication that match well with learning theories.

The Intersection of Community-Based Writing and Computer-Based Writing: A Cyberliteracy Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabor, Catherine

The learning goals that inform service learning as a whole can contribute to the computers and writing field significantly. This paper demonstrates how two lines of inquiry can be furthered, community-based writing and computers and writing, through new data and critical reflection on learning goals and communication tools. The paper presents a…

Teaching the Use of Metaphor in Science Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Philip M.; Sunstein, Bonnie S.

A freshman writing assignment sequence encouraged students to use metaphors to think their way through scientific topics, improving their writing skills in the process. The students were all women, aged 18 to 48 years, who had been journal writing for several months but who did not consider themselves competent readers or writers. Reading material…

Fourth year medical students’ reflective writing on “death of Ivan Ilych: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

ZOHOURI, MAHSHID; AMINI, MITRA; SAGHEB, MOHAMMAD MEHDI

2017-01-01

Introduction: Medical students should be familiar with the end of life ethical issues and its considerations. For teaching end of life care to medical students, literature is a source of excellent narratives of patients with experiences of terminally ill condition in their journey through suffering and one of the most favourite bioethics literature readings has been the death of Ivan Ilych by Tolstoy. We used this novel to show medical students end of life events and suffering and asked them to write a reflective essay on it. We aimed to find what students think about terminally ill patients and their journey to death. Methods: In an inductive qualitative content analysis model, 350 essays, collected by homogenous sampling, were analyzed. The fourth year medical students were provided with the Death of Ivan Ilych novel to read. They were asked to write a reflection essay based on the reflective stages defined by Sandars. These essays served as the unit of analysis, each being read several times and a coding model was formed according to main topics. The related concepts in each unit were named as themes and each theme was abstracted to a code and the related codes were compared and developed as categories. Results: Qualitative content analysis of 350 essays of fourth year medical students revealed three major categories in students’ reflection on reading Death of Ivan Ilych as an end of life human body. These included: 1) Emotional experience, 2) Empathy and effective communication, 3) Spirituality and dignity. Analysis of essays showed that this reflection activity may help medical students have a deeper idea of the end of life situation and feelings. Conclusion: This project suggests that literature can be used as an example to introduce new ethical concepts to less experienced medical trainees. The students acquired the concept of the story and reflected the major aspects of the suffering of a human being in their essays. Having used and evaluated the effect

Encounters with Wisdom: A Case Study of Community Worker Reflection Circles in San Antonio, TX

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arispe, Don D.

2013-01-01

This case study focuses upon the transformational experiences of 28 social service and pastoral workers engaged in a Reflection Circle Process (RCP) in San Antonio, TX. The RCP involves the writing of a holistic journal entry, known as a process note, coupled with an in-depth exploration of the note with the help of a group of trusted peers, known…

Contextualize Technical Writing Assessment to Better Prepare Students for Workplace Writing: Student-Centered Assessment Instruments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Han

2008-01-01

To teach students how to write for the workplace and other professional contexts, technical writing teachers often assign writing tasks that reflect real-life communication contexts, a teaching approach that is grounded in the field's contextualized understanding of genre. This article argues to fully embrace contextualized literacy and better…

[How to write an article: formal aspects].

PubMed

Corral de la Calle, M A; Encinas de la Iglesia, J

2013-06-01

Scientific research and the publication of the results of the studies go hand in hand. Exquisite research methods can only be adequately reflected in formal publication with the optimum structure. To ensure the success of this process, it is necessary to follow orderly steps, including selecting the journal in which to publish and following the instructions to authors strictly as well as the guidelines elaborated by diverse societies of editors and other institutions. It is also necessary to structure the contents of the article in a logical and attractive way and to use an accurate, clear, and concise style of language. Although not all the authors are directly involved in the actual writing, elaborating a scientific article is a collective undertaking that does not finish until the article is published. This article provides practical advice about formal and not-so-formal details to take into account when writing a scientific article as well as references that will help readers find more information in greater detail. Copyright © 2012 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Redefining "Mature Writing."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odell, Lee

Although certain features have been identified as most indicative of "syntactic maturity," these only partially answer the question, "What is mature writing?" Mature thought on the part of the author is reflected in writing in the following ways: recognizing that the audience is different from himself or herself; providing an appropriate context…

The Journal Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulwiler, Toby, Ed.

Essays on the use of journal writing in the classroom are presented in four sections: the language of speculation, journals in the teaching of English, the arts and humanities, and the quantitative disciplines. Titles and authors are as follows: (1) "Dialectical Notebooks and the Audit of Meaning" (A. E. Berthoff); (2) "Desert…

Examining Dimensions of Self-Efficacy for Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruning, Roger; Dempsey, Michael; Kauffman, Douglas F.; McKim, Courtney; Zumbrunn, Sharon

2013-01-01

A multifactor perspective on writing self-efficacy was examined in 2 studies. Three factors were proposed--self-efficacy for writing ideation, writing conventions, and writing self-regulation--and a scale constructed to reflect these factors. In Study 1, middle school students (N = 697) completed the Self-Efficacy for Writing Scale (SEWS), along…

Keeping a Journal: A Path to Uncovering Identity (and Keeping Your Sanity)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Joanne E.

2013-01-01

A journal can help keep a person more organized, clarify their identity, and help them grapple with them own sense of belonging in the often bewildering world of academe. In this article, the author discusses: (1) the benefits and uses of keeping a journal; (2) Techniques for writing in a journal; and (3) Drawbacks of journal writing.

Towards High-Quality Reflective Learning amongst Law Undergraduate Students: Analysing Students' Reflective Journals during a Problem-Based Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rué, Joan; Font, Antoni; Cebrián, Gisela

2013-01-01

There is wide agreement that problem-based learning is a key strategy to promote individual abilities for "learning how to learn". This paper presents the main contributions that reflective journals and the problem-based learning approach can make to foster professional knowledge and quality learning in higher education. Thirty-six…

Undergraduate Reflective Journaling in Work Integrated Learning: Is It Relevant to Professional Practice?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edgar, Susan; Francis-Coad, Jacqueline; Connaughton, Joanne

2013-01-01

This paper presents the research findings from a study reviewing graduates' opinions on completing online reflective journaling tasks during work integrated learning as an undergraduate. The study was divided into two parts with an initial focus group conducted with six physiotherapy graduates seven months following graduation. Findings from the…

The Dialogue Journal: A Tool for Building Better Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denne-Bolton, Sara

2013-01-01

Using dialogue journals gives English language learners valuable writing practice. This article explores topics such as audience, fluency, teacher-student relationships, empowerment, and making the connection to academic writing. And the author gives practical advice on how teachers can institute dialogue journals in their classrooms and how best…

Student Naturalists Reflecting through Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, Jamie P.

1999-01-01

Discusses the personal science journal as an educational tool able to provide teachers with a means of assessment, and students with an opportunity to synthesize the awareness of being ecologically conscious with knowledge of the environment. (WRM)

Who's Expressing in "Expressive Writing"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Janine

In an attempt to understand what expressive writing means to themselves and to their students, teachers should explore and reflect on various questions regarding expressive writing theories and practices. For many, self-expression is the basis of all serious writing and an important stage in any act of learning, so it is essential to uncover the…

Writing, Teaching, Learning: A Sourcebook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graves, Richard L., Ed.

More than a sourcebook, this fourth (and retitled) edition of "Rhetoric and Composition" celebrates the writing-teaching process, reflecting the best writing about the teaching of writing published during the 1990s. Of the 32 essays in the book, only 7 appeared in the earlier editions; 25 of the essays are new to this sourcebook. All essays were…

Engaged Pedagogy: A Study of the Use of Reflective Journals in Accounting Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bisman, Jayne

2011-01-01

This paper provides a report on a study of innovation in postgraduate education in which a reflective learning journal was used for formal assessment purposes in a management accounting course. Prompted by the discourse on the shortcomings of accounting education in terms of learning processes, learning experiences and learning outcomes, the…

The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rocco, Tonette S.; Hatcher, Tim; Creswell, John W.

2011-01-01

"The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing" is a groundbreaking resource that offers emerging and experienced scholars from all disciplines a comprehensive review of the essential elements needed to craft scholarly papers and other writing suitable for submission to academic journals. The authors discuss the components of different types of…

To be or not to be a facilitator of reflective learning for medical students? a case study of medical teachers' perceptions of introducing a reflective writing exercise to an undergraduate curriculum.

PubMed

Sukhato, Kanokporn; Sumrithe, Sutida; Wongrathanandha, Chathaya; Hathirat, Saipin; Leelapattana, Wajana; Dellow, Alan

2016-04-04

Introducing reflective writing to a medical curriculum requires the acceptance and participation of teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore medical teachers' views on the benefits of introducing a reflective writing exercise into an undergraduate medical curriculum, including their levels of satisfaction and their concerns. We also investigated effects on the teachers' personal and professional development arising from their roles as novice facilitators. A qualitative approach was employed using semi-structured interviews. During an attachment to Primary Care Medicine course, fourth-year medical students (n = 180) in the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand were assigned to write a reflective essay titled, "A Significant Event in My First Clinical Year". After reading the essays and facilitating between one to three small group discussions based on these, each of the 18 teachers enrolled in our study completed an in-depth face to face interview. Transcripts of these were studied, using thematic content analysis to identify emerging themes. The novice facilitators felt that facilitated reflection was both valuable and appropriate for students. They also perceived that it had a positive impact on their own personal and professional lives. In the early phase of implementing this activity, teachers expressed concerns about 1) their ability and confidence as facilitators in small group discussion 2) their ability to deal with emotions raised within their groups 3) the effectiveness of the activity 4) poor presentation and possible fabrication of student work. Most teachers regarded this activity as being beneficial to them, to student learning, and to the curriculum. Their insights, including concerns about the level of skill needed for facilitation, provide valuable material for planning a comprehensive faculty development programme.

Journals of Discovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livingston, Cathy

2005-01-01

In this article, the author shares her experiences with science journaling, and finds it a valuable resource in discovering how well students have grasped the concepts of each lesson. The journal has also been a valuable tool in helping students to evaluate themselves, and write their comments on their own strengths and "weaknesses" or areas of…

Connecting Mathematics and Writing Workshop: It's Kinda like Ice Skating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Susan

2009-01-01

Second-grade students struggle with writing about mathematical topics during math class, so the teacher begins to integrate mathematical topics into their Writing Workshop. Content journals are used during math, and students are encouraged to write about personal connections to mathematical situations, as well as incorporate mathematical concepts…

Medical Students' Empathy for Vulnerable Groups: Results From a Survey and Reflective Writing Assignment.

PubMed

Wellbery, Caroline; Saunders, Pamela A; Kureshi, Sarah; Visconti, Adam

2017-12-01

As medical education curricula increasingly acknowledge the contributions of the social determinants of health to individual health, new methods of engaging students in the care of vulnerable groups are needed. Empathy is one way to connect students with patients, but little is known about how to nurture students' empathy on behalf of populations. This study examined the relationship between individual and social empathy as groundwork for cultivating students' empathy for vulnerable groups. In 2014-2015, first-year medical students completed the Social Empathy Index at the start and end of a two-semester population health course, and they completed a reflective writing assignment exploring the challenges of caring for vulnerable patients. Pre- and posttest mean survey scores were compared, and reflective writing assignments were analyzed for themes concerning social empathy. Data from 130 students were analyzed. Scores for the contextual understanding of systemic barriers domain increased significantly. There was a trend toward increased cumulative social empathy scores that did not reach statistical significance. Students' essays revealed three themes relating to individual empathy as the foundation for social empathy; civic and moral obligations; and the role of institutional practices in caring for vulnerable groups. This study extends understanding of empathy beyond care for the individual to include care for vulnerable groups. Thus, social empathy may function as a valuable concept in developing curricula to support students' commitment to care for the underserved. Educators first need to address the many barriers students cited that impede both individual and social empathy.

Incorporating the Use of Writing-to-Learn Strategy in Grade 10 Mathematics Lessons: The Students' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suhaimi, Zuhairina; Shahrill, Masitah; Tengah, Khairul Amilin; Abbas, Nor'Arifahwati Haji

2016-01-01

This study incorporated the use of writing-to-learn strategy, particularly journal writing, in Grade 10 mathematics lessons. Although part of a study conducted to investigate the effects of journal writing on academically lower-achieving learners with English as their second language, this paper will focus only on the students' perceptions of…

Responding to Emotion in Practice-Based Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rai, Lucy

2012-01-01

This paper will consider the significance of emotion in assessment through reflective or experiential writing in the context of professional practice-based learning. It is based on a 12 month study conducted with undergraduate social work students undertaking what are referred to as "reflective writing" assessments. This form of assessment is a…

Examining Fourth-Grade Mathematics Writing: Features of Organization, Mathematics Vocabulary, and Mathematical Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hebert, Michael A.; Powell, Sarah R.

2016-01-01

Increasingly, students are expected to write about mathematics. Mathematics writing may be informal (e.g., journals, exit slips) or formal (e.g., writing prompts on high-stakes mathematics assessments). In order to develop an effective mathematics-writing intervention, research needs to be conducted on how students organize mathematics writing and…

Writing for professional publication. Part 2: Subject matter.

PubMed

Fowler, John

Motivation is the first step in writing for professional publication: the next question is, what should you write about? Whatever your area of practice or level of experience, your writing will be suitable for one of the wealth of journals covering all aspects of healthcare and nursing. In this second part of a series of articles, John Fowler, an experienced nursing lecturer and author, presents some tips and suggestions to inspire you as you take your first steps on the road to writing for professional publication.

Connecting Reading and Writing: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Zhanfang

2015-01-01

Connecting reading and writing, proposed by many scholars, is realized in this case study. The 30 participants in this study are the English majors of the third year in one School of Foreign Languages in Beijing. They are encouraged to write journals every week, based on the source text materials in their Intensive Reading class, with the final…

Drawing, Talking, and Writing: Rethinking Writing Development. Occasional Paper No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyson, Anne Haas

A study investigated one way in which teachers can focus on more than children's products and writing processes by examining their social processes as well, specifically the health of the classroom communities and the individual children's comfort within those communities. Under the supervision of the same teacher, "journal time" in…

Online Reflective Writing Mechanisms and Its Effects on Self-Regulated Learning: A Case of Web-Based Portfolio Assessment System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Chaoyun; Chang, Chi-Cheng; Shu, Kuen-Ming; Tseng, Ju-Shih; Lin, Chun-Yu

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to design reflective writing mechanisms in a web-based portfolio assessment system and evaluate its effects on self-regulated learning. Participants were two classes of juniors majoring in data processing and taking a course called "Website design" at a vocational high school in Taiwan. One class was…

Expertise Reversal Effects in Writing-to-Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuckles, Matthias; Hubner, Sandra; Dumer, Sandra; Renkl, Alexander

2010-01-01

This article presents two longitudinal studies that investigated expertise reversal effects in journal writing. In Experiment 1, students wrote regular journal entries over a whole term. The experimental group received a combination of cognitive and metacognitive prompts. The control group received no prompts. In the first half of the term, the…

Top 10 "Secret Writing Tips" to Boost Your Productivity: Part 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berk, Ronald A.

2011-01-01

This is the sequel and companion piece to the first five tips published in this journal's winter 2010 issue. To recap, the first five tips are: (1) Write Everyday; (2) Write Everywhere; (3) Conquer Distractions and Interruptions; (4) Write for a Niche; and (5) Write with a Purpose. Now, in this article, the other five tips are discussed: (6) Write…

Read, Write, Touch: Co-Construction and Multiliteracies in a Third-Grade Digital Writing Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cordero, Kristina; Nussbaum, Miguel; Ibaseta, Valentina; Otaíza, María José; Chiuminatto, Pablo

2018-01-01

Many researchers and educators believe that reading and writing instruction needs to change in order to reflect the multimodal, technological, interactive nature of communication today. To date, few studies have examined how touchscreen devices may influence primary school students' reading and writing practices. Guided by Vygotsky's notion of…

Impact of reflective writing assignments on dental students' views of cultural competence and diversity.

PubMed

Isaac, Carol; Behar-Horenstein, Linda; Lee, Barbara; Catalanotto, Frank

2015-03-01

To respond to widespread disparities in access to oral health care, the Institute of Medicine, the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), and the U.S. surgeon general have stressed that prospective dentists should become culturally competent, socially responsible practitioners. The aim of this study was to examine linguistic differences in dental students' reflective writing assignments before and after interviewing an individual who was culturally different from themselves. The authors analyzed 160 documents from 80 first-year dental students at the University of Florida in 2012. This cohort consisted of 36 male (45%) and 44 female (55%) students; 26 (32%) were from underrepresented minority (URM) groups and 54 (68%) were identified as white non-minority. Text analysis software identified word counts, categories, frequencies, and contexts. Significantly positive differences occurred for interviews between assignments 1 and 2 (p=0.005 to p<0.001) in five areas of cultural diversity. Differences were observed for Factor 1 ("important others' influence") between assignments (p<0.001), assignments by interview categories (p=0.033), and URM/majority participants by assignments by interview category (p=0.018). Factor 4 ("my social world in relation to others") was statistically different between assignments for URM/majority participants (p=0.019). Factor 5 ("wrong because") was statistically different for gender (p=0.041), suggesting that males may have experienced a rebound effect from stereotype suppression. The findings suggest that the use of reflective writing and interviews affected the students' awareness of how important others had influenced their lives and attitudes and facilitated their questioning preconceived assumptions. Reactions to coursework focusing on social and personal domains warrant further investigation.

The Center Can Hold: Reflections on Teaching Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smelstor, Marjorie

1980-01-01

Attributes the decline in student writing ability to the conflict between society's demand for standardization, caution, and escapism and a writer's need to be subjective, adventurous, and self-centered. (HOD)

See, reflect, learn more: qualitative analysis of breaking bad news reflective narratives.

PubMed

Karnieli-Miller, Orit; Palombo, Michal; Meitar, Dafna

2018-05-01

Breaking bad news (BBN) is a challenge that requires multiple professional competencies. BBN teaching often includes didactic and group role-playing sessions. Both are useful and important, but exclude another critical component of students' learning: day-to-day role-model observation in the clinics. Given the importance of observation and the potential benefit of reflective writing in teaching, we have incorporated reflective writing into our BBN course. The aim of this study was to enhance our understanding of the learning potential in reflective writing about BBN encounters and the ability to identify components that inhibit this learning. This was a systematic qualitative immersion/crystallization analysis of 166 randomly selected BBN narratives written by 83 senior medical students. We analysed the narratives in an iterative consensus-building process to identify the issues discussed, the lessons learned and the enhanced understanding of BBN. Having previously been unaware of, not invited to or having avoided BBN encounters, the mandatory assignment led students to search for or ask their mentors to join them in BBN encounters. Observation and reflective writing enhanced students' awareness that 'bad news' is relative and subjective, while shedding light on patients', families', physicians' and their own experiences and needs, revealing the importance of the different components of the BBN protocol. We identified diversity among the narratives and the extent of students' learning. Narrative writing provided students with an opportunity for a deliberative learning process. This led to deeper understanding of BBN encounters, of how to apply the newly taught protocol, or of the need for it. This process connected the formal and informal or hidden curricula. To maximise learning through reflective writing, students should be encouraged to write in detail about a recent observed encounter, analyse it according to the protocol, address different participants

Reading and Abstracting Journal Articles in Sedimentology and Stratigraphy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conrad, Susan Howes

1991-01-01

An assignment centered on reading journal articles and writing abstracts is an effective way to improve student reading and writing skills in sedimentology and stratigraphy laboratories. Each student reads two articles and writes informative abstracts from the author's point of view. (PR)

Publish or perish: Scientists must write or How do I climb the paper mountain?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This will be an interactive workshop for scientists discussing strategies for improving writing efficiency. Topics covered include database search engines, reference managing software, authorship, journal determination, writing tips and good writing habits....

Meditation, Twilight Imagery, and Individuation in Creative Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Richard D.

A study explored the relationship between meditation, meditative journal writing, and the Jungian-archetypal notions of creative formulation and individuation or self-integration in student and non-student writing. A case study method was used to examine data from four subjects: an undergraduate, a social services worker, a doctoral student, and a…

Writing in Jail: A Chance for Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowser, Robert

2003-01-01

The author describes his experience teaching a writing group in Martin Tennessee jail. The faces of most of the inmates showed curiosity. Each was saying not in words, but by gesture, "help make better this boring existence." The first essays the inmates wrote were about themselves and other members of their family. Some have written…

Reconsiderations: After "The Idea of a Writing Center"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boquet, Elizabeth H.; Lerner, Neal

2008-01-01

Originally published in a 1984 issue of "College English," Stephen North's article "The Idea of a Writing Center" has over the years been much cited in writing center scholarship. Even so, this scholarship as a whole did not proceed to gain much presence in "CE" and other broadly-oriented composition journals. Reconsidering North's piece, the…

Lessons Learned from the Collaborative Writing Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhavsar, Victoria; Ahn, Ruth

2013-01-01

We reflect on how to implement the instrumental aspect of collaborative writing in such a way that the developmental aspect of collaborative writing is maximally fostered, based on conditions necessary for socially constructed learning. We discuss four instrumental strategies that bolster mutual ownership of the writing and protect the social…

Computer Support for the Rhythms of Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharples, Mike

1994-01-01

Suggests that writing is a rhythmic activity. Claims that the combined effect of rapidly switching between composing and revising is to set up complex cycles of engagement and reflection that may disrupt the flow of composition. Describes "Writer's Assistant," a writing environment designed to study computer support for writing processes. Proposes…

Reflective education for professional practice: discovering knowledge from experience.

PubMed

Lyons, J

1999-01-01

To continually develop as a discipline, a profession needs to generate a knowledge base that can evolve from education and practice. Midwifery reflective practitioners have the potential to develop clinical expertise directed towards achieving desirable, safe and effective practice. Midwives are 'with woman', providing the family with supportive and helpful relationships as they share the deep and profound experiences of childbirth. To become skilled helpers students need to develop reflective skills and valid midwifery knowledge grounded in their personal experiences and practice. Midwife educators and practitioners can assist students and enhance their learning by expanding the scope of practice, encouraging self-assessment and the development of reflective and professional skills. This paper explores journal writing as a learning strategy for the development of reflective skills within midwifery and explores its value for midwifery education. It also examines, through the use of critical social theory and adult learning principles, how midwives can assist and thus enhance students learning through the development of professional and reflective skills for midwifery practice.

Perspectives on Science Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krieghbaum, Hillier

Science journalism in the United States can be traced back to at least 1690 when a newspaper called "Publick Occurrences" included two paragraphs of medical writing in one issue. In 1752, the "Pennsylvania Gazette" carried an account by Benjamin Franklin of his "electric kite" experiment. Since then, inventions and…

"I'm Just Not That Comfortable with Technology": Student Perceptions of and Preferences for Web 2.0 Technologies in Reflective Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Timothy S.; Dyment, Janet E.

2016-01-01

Encouraging reflective practice and developing reflective practitioners is a goal of many disciplines in higher education. A variety of pedagogical techniques have been used to promote critical reflection including portfolios, narratives and reflective journals. Over the past decade, the use of Web 2.0 technologies with students has been…

Examining Collaborative Writing through the Lens of a Pentad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballard, Glenda; Ballard, Marlena

2013-01-01

On two separate occasions, once in 2009 and again in 2010, Tom Buttery authored articles that appeared in the "SRATE Journal" which focused on the importance of writing for professional publication. In the first, "Organizational Paradigm," Buttery focused on the motivation for writing, organizing a manuscript, and conducting…

Attitudes toward text recycling in academic writing across disciplines.

PubMed

Hall, Susanne; Moskovitz, Cary; Pemberton, Michael A

2018-01-01

Text recycling, the reuse of material from one's own previously published writing in a new text without attribution, is a common academic writing practice that is not yet well understood. While some studies of text recycling in academic writing have been published, no previous study has focused on scholars' attitudes toward text recycling. This article presents results from a survey of over 300 journal editors and editorial board members from 86 top English-language journals in 16 different academic fields regarding text recycling in scholarly articles. Responses indicate that a large majority of academic gatekeepers believe text recycling is allowable in some circumstances; however, there is a lack of clear consensus about when text recycling is or is not appropriate. Opinions varied according to the source of the recycled material, its structural location and rhetorical purpose, and conditions of authorship conditions-as well as by the level of experience as a journal editor. Our study suggests the need for further research on text recycling utilizing focus groups and interviews.

Contributions of Emergent Literacy Skills to Name Writing, Letter Writing, and Spelling in Preschool Children

PubMed Central

Puranik, Cynthia S.; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Kim, Young-Suk

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine which emergent literacy skills contribute to preschool children’s emergent writing (name-writing, letter-writing, and spelling) skills. Emergent reading and writing tasks were administered to 296 preschool children aged 4–5 years. Print knowledge and letter-writing skills made positive contributions to name writing; whereas alphabet knowledge, print knowledge, and name writing made positive contributions to letter writing. Both name-writing and letter-writing skills made significant contributions to the prediction of spelling after controlling for age, parental education, print knowledge, phonological awareness, and letter-name and letter-sound knowledge; however, only letter-writing abilities made a significant unique contribution to the prediction of spelling when both letter-writing and name-writing skills were considered together. Name writing reflects knowledge of some letters rather than a broader knowledge of letters that may be needed to support early spelling. Children’s letter-writing skills may be a better indicator of children’s emergent literacy and developing spelling skills than are their name-writing skills at the end of the preschool year. Spelling is a developmentally complex skill beginning in preschool and includes letter writing and blending skills, print knowledge, and letter-name and letter-sound knowledge. PMID:21927537

Writing a book review.

PubMed

Bryson, David; Hudson, Robert

2017-04-01

Book reviews are a good way to get started with writing for a journal and this Learning and CPD activity takes you through the process of understanding the aims of book review, undertaking practice pieces through to reviewing a book and advice on the dos and don'ts of book reviewing.

Persuasive Writing, A Curriculum Design: K-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Susan G., Ed.

In the spirit of the Texas Hill Country Writing Project and in response to the requirements of the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills, this guide presents writing assignments reflecting a commitment to a unified writing program for kindergarten through grade twelve. The framework for the assignments is adopted from the discourse theory of James…

Looking for a Focus: Transformations in Journal Entries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nemoianu, Anca M.

Journal writing on literary topics is an ideal activity in a classroom that emphasizes the transformational role of education, bringing together the creation of meaning between the reader and the text on the one hand, and on the other hand, the creation of expressive or reflexive writing. An activity, in a freshman literature and writing class for…

Reflection on internationalization of Chinese surgery journals.

PubMed

Wang, Jin; Lu, Yuan-qiang

2009-08-01

Chinese surgery journals are of small international impact which does not measure up to the state of development of surgery in China and they can not adequately publish Chinese researches to the world. To improve the visibility of Chinese surgery journals, this article suggests developing more English surgery journals, extending a co-operation with famous publishers, employing overseas experts as editorial committee and making more use of the Internet.

The interface of language proficiency and identity: a profile analysis of bilingual adolescents and their writing.

PubMed

Danzak, Robin L

2011-10-01

The purpose of this study was to explore how adolescent English language learners' (ELLs') language and literacy experiences impacted their identities as bilingual writers. Six students were randomly selected from a group of 20 Spanish-speaking ELLs, ages 11-14, who participated in a larger, mixed-methods study on bilingual writing (see Danzak, 2011). The participants produced 10 written journal entries in their language of choice (English, Spanish, or both) and were interviewed. Qualitative analyses were applied to the participants' writing and interviews, both individually and cross-case. Findings were integrated to some extent with the outcomes of quantitative measures applied to the students' writing. Three patterns emerged: ethnic differences, language discrimination, and language preference. Also, the students' self-identification as monolingual or bilingual was reflected in their attitudes toward language learning and their outcomes on writing measures. Three portraits of emerging bilingual writers are discussed: struggling emerging, dominant emerging, and balanced emerging. Language and literacy learning strategies are recommended for each. Qualitative profiles of adolescent ELLs offer an understanding of students' experiences and identities that augments information provided by quantitative writing measures. Additionally, a mixed-methods profile analysis may aid in the identification of adolescent ELLs who may be struggling with undiagnosed language learning disabilities.

Write from the Start: Writing to Learn Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rillero, Peter; And Others

1996-01-01

Describes the Write Now approach that allows teachers to transform the first few minutes of class into a powerful learning experience by helping students reflect on the previous day's lessons and encouraging them to construct their own knowledge of the concepts being studied. Discusses Quasar questions, reviewing responses, constructing…

Augmenting Literacy: The Role of Expertise in Digital Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Ittersum, Derek

2011-01-01

This essay presents a model of reflective use of writing technologies, one that provides a means of more fully exploiting the possibilities of these tools for transforming writing activity. Derived from the work of computer designer Douglas Engelbart, the "bootstrapping" model of reflective use extends current arguments in the field…

The Development of E-Mail Literacy: From Writing to Peers to Writing to Authority Figures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chi-Fen Emily

2006-01-01

Though e-mail has become a common interpersonal communication medium, it does not mean that this medium is used without difficulty. While people can write e-mails to peers in any manner they like, writing e-mails to authority figures requires higher pragmatic competence and critical language awareness of how discourse shapes and reflects power…

Shaping the Landscape: A Journal of Writing by Alaskan Teachers 1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longenbaugh, Betsy, Ed.

Intended to encourage Alaska teachers to write, to provide an honest sounding board for those submitting work, and to be a pleasure to read, this booklet presents a collection of 20 pieces of writing (short stories, poems, and life experiences) by Alaskan teachers. The pieces and their authors are as follows: "The First Haiku" (Dan…

High School Journalism Research: Community College Program Implications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dvorak, Jack

1987-01-01

Reviews findings from a Journalism Education Association study comparing the American College Testing (ACT) Program standardized scores, writing samples, and Language Arts Survey responses of students who were involved in high school journalism programs with students who were not. Urges community college journalism educators to support high school…

Reflective Journals as a Research Tool: The Case of Student Teachers' Development of Teamwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bashan, Bilha; Holsblat, Rachel

2017-01-01

The study explores the development of teamwork among a group of Israeli student teachers enrolled in a practicum, in order to help teacher educators to understand better the processes student teachers experience in becoming a collaborative team. The student teachers' reflective journals provide qualitative evidence of the stages in the development…

From Journals to Journalism: Tracing Trajectories of Literate Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roozen, Kevin

2009-01-01

Drawn from a longitudinal ethnographic study, this article elaborates the trajectories linking one undergraduate's extracurricular journaling to her school writing and her emerging identity as a journalist. This portrait of literate development highlights how our sense of ourselves as literate persons is forged in the interplay of multiple…

Writing and Resistance: Reflections on the Practice of Embedding Writing in the Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clughen, Lisa; Connell, Matt

2012-01-01

Support for writing instruction amongst lecturers in UK Universities is high, but they often prefer it to be provided by dedicated study skills specialists operating outside subject curricula. Yet because of the well-documented problems with the skills approach (where literacy support frequently becomes a generic add-on), American models such as…

Building Intercultural Empathy through Writing: Reflections on Teaching Alternatives to Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peirce, Karen P.

2007-01-01

Writing assignments that focus on nonargumentative discourse can take many forms. Such assignments can prompt students to produce individually constructed writing, or they can be more collaborative in nature. They can focus on traditional formats, following MLA citation guidelines, using Times New Roman 12-point font, maintaining one-inch margins,…

Literature as a Network: Creative-Writing Scholarship in Literary Magazines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Harriett E.

2014-01-01

With the increase in undergraduate and graduate programs for creative writing at institutions of higher education in North America, literary journals and magazines now serve as leading scholarly publishing outlets and research resources for creative-writing faculty and students. This study analyzes ten years of citations from nineteen leading…

Student Performance across the Domain of School Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Hilary

Students in New Zealand and several other countries were tested in writing skills near the end of their formal (secondary) education, as part of the International Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) tests. Among the categories tested were functional letter writing and narrative, persuasive, and reflective essay writing. New Zealand student…

Keeping Pace . . . A Journalism Update for the Teacher/Adviser.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burdette, Elizabeth; And Others

Intended as a resource book for journalism instructors or school publication advisers, this booklet encompasses the basics that apply to all scholastic journalism endeavors. The first section, "Teaching Journalism--The Total Program," covers official guidelines and editorial policies, interviewing, gathering news, feature writing, editorial…

Relevance in Basic Composition: Writing Assignments for Technical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tichenor, Stuart

Generally, students in vocational and technical colleges are in writing classes because they must be, not because they want to be. As a rule, students in basic composition classes have been more or less continually exposed to writing classes since middle school where they been asked to keep journals, read articles and short stories, and write…

HOW TO WRITE A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE

PubMed Central

Manske, Robert C.

2012-01-01

Successful production of a written product for submission to a peer‐reviewed scientific journal requires substantial effort. Such an effort can be maximized by following a few simple suggestions when composing/creating the product for submission. By following some suggested guidelines and avoiding common errors, the process can be streamlined and success realized for even beginning/novice authors as they negotiate the publication process. The purpose of this invited commentary is to offer practical suggestions for achieving success when writing and submitting manuscripts to The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy and other professional journals. PMID:23091783

Supporting Pre-Service Dance Teachers' Reflection with Different Reflection Procedures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leijen, Äli; Sööt, Anu

2016-01-01

This article discusses the results of a study that investigated the use of different procedures to support the reflection processes of university-level dance students. As a procedure of unguided reflection, the students were asked to write a free-form essay and, as a form of guided reflection, a semi-structured interview and written reflection…

Writing a Relationship: Home-School Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Amy M.; Neher, Andrea; Lush, Lindsey Hall

2010-01-01

Three elementary teachers share how they engaged in active listening with the families of children in their classrooms by using home-school journals. Their use spans pre-Kindergarten to fifth grade, and the techniques and responses by each teacher vary based on need and intended purpose. The authors share explanations of process, findings, and…

Reflective writing: a user-friendly guide.

PubMed

Hamilton, Stephen

2016-09-08

Stephen Hamilton, Nurse Education Consultant, Business Services Organisation. In this piece, he outlines the nature of the process of reflection to allay concerns that registered nurses may have about the process, as well as dispel any myths surrounding the purpose of reflection.

Reflecting on Writing Autobiography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Begg, Andy

2011-01-01

The following reflections relate to the reasons for and an approach to an autobiographic task, the notions that underpin it, and some thoughts about the quality and value of such a project. The focus was on the ways one views curriculum change over time; and the intention was to provide an example that others may sense as either familiar or at…

A Doctoral Student of Physics Writing for Publication: A Sociopolitically-Oriented Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yongyan

2006-01-01

This is a sociopolitically-oriented qualitative case study [Casanave, C. P. (2003). Looking ahead to more sociopolitically-oriented case study research in L2 writing scholarship (But should it be called "post-process"?). "Journal of Second Language Writing," 12, 85-102.] of the writing-for-publication experience of an NNSE (nonnative speaker of…

Creative writing in recovery from severe mental illness.

PubMed

King, Robert; Neilsen, Philip; White, Emma

2013-10-01

There is evidence that creative writing forms an important part of the recovery experience of people affected by severe mental illness. In this paper, we consider theoretical models that explain how creative writing might contribute to recovery, and we discuss the potential for creative writing in psychosocial rehabilitation. We argue that the rehabilitation benefits of creative writing might be optimized through focus on process and technique in writing, rather than content, and that consequently, the involvement of professional writers might be important. We describe a pilot workshop that deployed these principles and was well-received by participants. Finally, we make recommendations regarding the role of creative writing in psychosocial rehabilitation for people recovering from severe mental illness and suggest that the development of an evidence base regarding the effectiveness of creative writing is a priority. © 2012 The Authors; International Journal of Mental Health Nursing © 2012 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Building a scholar in writing (BSW): A model for developing students' critical writing skills.

PubMed

Bailey, Annette; Zanchetta, Margareth; Velasco, Divine; Pon, Gordon; Hassan, Aafreen

2015-11-01

Several authors have highlighted the importance of writing in developing reflective thinking skills, transforming knowledge, communicating expressions, and filling knowledge gaps. However, difficulties with higher order processing and critical analysis affect students' ability to write critical and thoughtful essays. The Building a Scholar in Writing (BSW) model is a 6-step process of increasing intricacies in critical writing development. Development of critical writing is proposed to occur in a processed manner that transitions from presenting simple ideas (just bones) in writing, to connecting ideas (connecting bones), to formulating a thesis and connecting key components (constructing a skeleton), to supporting ideas with evidence (adding muscle), to building creativity and originality (adding essential organs), and finally, developing strong, integrated, critical arguments (adding brain). This process symbolically represents the building of a scholar. The idea of building a scholar equates to progressively giving life and meaning to a piece of writing with unique scholarly characteristics. This progression involves a transformation in awareness, thinking, and understanding, as well as advancement in students' level of critical appraisal skills. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technical Writing 1987: Galloping Off in at Least Two Directions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stohrer, Freda F.

Technical writing instructors generally agree about the absolute need for communication skills throughout the technological work place, but a survey of technical writing journal articles shows a lack of focus on ways to address business's needs for on-the-job literacy. One major advance within the profession in recent years has been the…

Reflective Journal Writing and the First-Year Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everett, Michele C.

2013-01-01

In recent years, great emphasis has been placed on student success and retention in higher education. To address this issue, many universities' strategic retention programs include first-year seminars. A variety of pedagogical strategies have been employed in these seminars to help students succeed personally, socially and academically. This…

Young science journalism: writing popular scientific articles may contribute to an increase of high-school students' interest in the natural sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Uwe K.; Steindl, Hanna; Larcher, Nicole; Kulac, Helga; Hotter, Annelies

2016-03-01

Far too few high-school students choose subjects from the natural sciences (NaSc) for their majors in many countries. Even fewer study biology, chemistry or physics at university. Those, that do, often lack training to present and discuss scientific results and ideas in texts. To meet these challenges the center for didactics of biology of Graz University has set up the program Young Science Journalism. This new workshop-based interdisciplinary concept was tested in an exploratory study with grade 10 students of one Austrian high school, engaging both the biology and the German teacher of the class. It was our aim to raise students' interest in the NaSc by encouraging them to write popular scientific articles about self-chosen topics, and to help them improve their writing competence. In this paper we focus on interest development through writing. Results from this pilot study were promising. Using a mixed-method approach (comparing pre- and post-test questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from different time points analyzed qualitatively), we found that almost all students valued the project-related work highly. Most of them showed higher interest in the NaSc at project end with girls, in average, seeming to profit more from project participation. We thus recommend integrating such writing tasks into school curricula to increase students' interest in NaSc or to even create new interest. Additionally, we introduce a network presentation of questionnaire data as a powerful tool to visualize the effect of an intervention on individual students and student profile groups.

The effect of positive writing on emotional intelligence and life satisfaction.

PubMed

Wing, Joanna F; Schutte, Nicola S; Byrne, Brian

2006-10-01

This study explored the effect of writing about positive emotional experiences on emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. One hundred and seventy-five adults wrote about one of the following three topics: positive experiences with a cue for emotion regulation reflection, positive experiences without this cue, or a control writing topic. Multivariate analysis showed a significant time (pretest, posttest, and follow-up) by group effect. Writing about positive emotional experiences with an emotion regulation cue led to significant increases in emotional intelligence and life satisfaction at posttest and the increase in life satisfaction was maintained at 2-week follow-up. Further, participants who were cued to reflect on emotional regulation while writing about positive experiences rated their emotional intelligence significantly higher than the participants in the control writing group both at posttest and at follow-up. There were no significant differences in emotional intelligence or life satisfaction between those who were cued to reflect on emotional regulation while writing about positive experiences and those who wrote about positive experiences without such a cue. 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

How to Write News for Broadcast and Print Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dary, David

This book is a primer on the techniques of news writing and the application of those principles to print and broadcast journalism. Chapters include: "The News Media," which presents a brief history of journalism and the foundations on which it is based; "What Is News?"; "Gathering News," which discusses news beats, reporters' qualifications, and…

A student guide to proofreading and writing in science.

PubMed

Hyatt, Jon-Philippe K; Bienenstock, Elisa Jayne; Tilan, Jason U

2017-09-01

Scientific writing requires a distinct style and tone, whether the writing is intended for an undergraduate assignment or publication in a peer-reviewed journal. From the first to the final draft, scientific writing is an iterative process requiring practice, substantial feedback from peers and instructors, and comprehensive proofreading on the part of the writer. Teaching writing or proofreading is not common in university settings. Here, we present a collection of common undergraduate student writing mistakes and put forth suggestions for corrections as a first step toward proofreading and enhancing readability in subsequent draft versions. Additionally, we propose specific strategies pertaining to word choice, structure, and approach to make products more fluid and focused for an appropriate target audience. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Public Journalism Challenges to Curriculum and Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Tanni

2000-01-01

Considers some challenges of teaching public journalism. Discusses how journalism educators can help students prepare for a career in the service of public life by teaching them how to actively involve citizens in the journalistic processes of gathering information, writing stories, and evaluating performance. Offers teaching applications and…

Emotion Instruction in Journalism Courses: An Analysis of Introductory News Writing Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopper, K. Megan; Huxford, John

2017-01-01

This study explores how introductory news writing textbooks address issues surrounding emotional labor and its consequences, both for journalists and for those they interview. Eighteen of the highest-selling introductory news-writing textbooks were selected for qualitative analysis. Results showed the term and concept of emotional labor--the…

Reading, Writing, and Publishing Digital Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boone, Randall; Higgins, Kyle

2003-01-01

This article explores current state-of-the-art technologies available for reading, writing, and publishing, including electronic books (ebooks), electronic libraries, and electronic journals. Instructional design, best practices for improving reading skills using ebooks, and copyright issues are discussed. Vignettes offer a positive scenario for…

Academic Writing, Genres and Philosophy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Michael A.

2008-01-01

This paper examines the underlying genres of philosophy focusing especially on their pedagogical forms to emphasize the materiality and historicity of genres, texts and writing. It focuses briefly on the history of the essay and its relation to the journal within the wider history of scientific communication, and comments on the standardized forms…

Mentored residential writing retreats: a leadership strategy to develop skills and generate outcomes in writing for publication.

PubMed

Jackson, Debra

2009-01-01

There is an increasing expectation that academic and clinical nurses will contribute to disciplinary and professional discourses through scholarly writing. However, the difficulties and challenges associated with writing for publication mean that many papers will never be written. This current paper describes an innovative approach developed to support skill development and outcomes in writing for publication. Intensive residential writing retreats informed by the principles of servant leadership and incorporating strategies such as mentoring and peer learning were conducted in 2005 and 2007. Positive outcomes and benefits included publications submitted to peer-reviewed journals, as well as positive effects on collegial relationships, and team building. Novice writers benefited from intensive and sustained support and coaching by experienced writers. Organisational benefits included increased participation by staff and research higher degree students in publication activities, enhanced collegial relationships and opportunities for senior established writers to work with inexperienced writers.

Writing academic papers: lost in translation?

PubMed

Grant, Maria J

2011-12-01

The process of writing for publication is a challenging one. It moves us from the spoken and written word into a realm that requires us to provide supporting evidence to develop an argument in a logical and progressive way. In English language journals, as elsewhere, the quality of the written word is a determining factor in the likelihood of a paper being accepted for publication. By reading past issues of a targeted journal, drawing on the expertise of colleagues and responding positively to feedback, it is possible to significantly enhance your prospects of publication. © 2011 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2011 Health Libraries Group.

Direct laser writing of microstructures on optically opaque and reflective surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rekštytė, S.; Jonavičius, T.; Malinauskas, M.

2014-02-01

Direct laser writing (DLW) based on ultra-localized polymerization is an efficient way to produce three-dimensional (3D) micro/nano-structures for diverse applications in science and industry. It is attractive for its flexibility to materialize CAD models out of wide spectrum of materials on the desired substrates. In case of direct laser lithography, photo-crosslinking can be achieved by tightly focusing ultrashort laser pulses to a photo- or thermo-polymers. Selectively exposing material to laser radiation allows creating fully 3D structures with submicrometer spatial resolution. In this paper we present DLW results of hybrid organic-inorganic material SZ2080 on optically opaque and reflective surfaces, such as silicon and various metals (Cr, Ti, Au). Our studies prove that one can precisely fabricate 2D and 3D structures with lower than 1 μm spatial resolution even on glossy or rough surfaces (surface roughness rms 0.068-0.670 μm) using sample translation velocities of up to 1 mm/s. Using femtosecond high pulse repetition rate laser, sample translation velocity can reach over 1 mm/s ensuring repeatable submicrometer structuring resolution.

Writing toward Published Selves: Teacher-Writers and a Practice of Revision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark-Oates, Angela

2013-01-01

This qualitative, action research study examines how teacher-writers' identities are constructed through the practice of revision in an extra-curriculum writing group. The writing group was designed to support the teacher-writers as they revised classroom research projects for submission for a scholarly journal. Using discourse analysis, the…

Writing for professional publication. Part 9: using client case studies.

PubMed

Fowler, John

The previous articles in this series of writing for professional publication focused on the preparation you need to do before starting to write an article, the practicalities of writing the abstract, creating interest in the reader's mind, and how an article for publication differs from an academic essay. Recently we considered the importance of selecting the correct journal for submission. In this article, John Fowler, an experienced nursing lecturer and author, discusses how client case studies can be used within your article.

Collaborative Problem Writing in the Multicultural Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padula, Janice; Nin, Lucy; Lam, Sucy

1998-01-01

Suggests that teachers could write problems to suit student populations in their schools and in the process of doing so encourage discussion, reflection, and writing by their students on mathematical language. Presents a series of games for the creation of equations for Year 7 students. (Contains 13 references.) (ASK)

Writing to Like Writing: A Longitudinal First-Person Education Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iran-Nejad, Asghar; Xu, Yuejin; Mansouri, Behzad

2013-01-01

Reported in this article was an experiment in which 143 undergraduates in an educational psychology course were encouraged to engage in the performance learning activity (PLA) of "seeking their own revelations (or insights) and reflecting on them in writing." The hypothesis, grounded in the biofunctionally-based, first-person…

Guiding Students through the Writing Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Margaret, Ed.

1982-01-01

A variety of process-oriented writing instruction strategies are presented in this focused journal issue. Article titles and authors are as follows: (1) "Central Reference to the Rescue" (Rod Kessler); (2)"Brainstorming: A Heuristic that Works" (Frank C. Cronin); (3) "Brainstorming: A Valuable Supplemental Technique for…

Barriers and Facilitators to Scientific Writing Among Applied Epidemiologists.

PubMed

Pittman, Jessica; Stahre, Mandy; Tomedi, Laura; Wurster, Jessica

Communication in the form of written and oral reports and presentations is a core competency for epidemiologists at governmental public health agencies. Many applied epidemiologists do not publish peer-reviewed articles, limiting the scientific literature of best practices in evidence-based public health. To describe the writing and publishing experiences of applied epidemiologists and identify barriers and facilitators to publishing. Telephone focus groups and an 18-question multiple-choice and short-answer Web-based assessment were fielded in 2014. Six focus groups composed of 26 applied epidemiologists and an online assessment answered by 396 applied epidemiologists. Sample selection was stratified by years of experience. Past publishing experience, current job duties as related to publishing, barriers and facilitators to writing and publishing, and desired training in writing and publishing were assessed through focus groups and the online assessment. Focus groups identified 4 themes: job expectations, barriers to publishing, organizational culture, and the understanding of public health practice among reviewers as issues related to writing and publishing. Most respondents (80%) expressed a desire to publish; however, only 59% had published in a peer-reviewed journal. An academic appointment (among doctoral educated respondents) was identified as a facilitator to publishing as was access to peer-reviewed literature. Time (68%) was identified as the greatest barrier to writing and publishing. Other major barriers included lack of encouragement or support (33%) within the public health agency and agency clearance processes (32%). Assistance with journal selection (62%), technical writing skills (60%), and manuscript formatting (57%) were listed as the most needed trainings. Public health agencies can be facilitators for epidemiologists to contribute to the scientific literature through increasing access to the peer-reviewed literature, creating a supportive

Doing Academic Writing in Education: Connecting the Personal and the Professional

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Janet C.; Miller, Sharon K.

2005-01-01

This clear, reader-friendly book is carefully designed to help readers gain confidence and acquire competence in their academic writing abilities. It focuses on real people as they write and actively involves readers in the writing process. The authors' innovative approach encourages reflection on how professional writing initiatives connect to…

Diary Time: The Life History of an Occasion for Writing. Research Series No. 106.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Christopher M.; Florio, Susan

Opportunities for and limits upon diary writing in one second/third-grade classroom are examined with the purpose of stimulating critical thinking about two issues: (1) the diary's potential within the school writing curriculum, and (2) the classroom as an environment for the teaching and learning of writing. Field notes, teacher journal entries,…

L1 vs L2 Writing: ESL Graduate Students' Perceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva, Tony

1992-01-01

A classroom-based study is reported that explored English-as-a-Second Language graduate students' perceptions about (1) differences between writing in their native language and writing in English, and (2) how these difference should be reflected in ESL writing teachers' practices. (19 references) (Author/LB)

Developing Technical Writing Skills in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory: A Progressive Approach Employing Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gragson, Derek E.; Hagen, John P.

2010-01-01

Writing formal "journal-style" lab reports is often one of the requirements chemistry and biochemistry students encounter in the physical chemistry laboratory. Helping students improve their technical writing skills is the primary reason this type of writing is a requirement in the physical chemistry laboratory. Developing these skills is an…

Blue laser inorganic write-once media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Bing-Mau; Yeh, Ru-Lin

2004-09-01

With the advantages of low cost, portability and compliance with ROM disc, write once disk has become the most popular storage media for computer and audio/video application. In addition, write once media, like CD-R and DVD-/+ R, are used to store permanent or nonalterable information, such as financial data transitions, legal documentation, and medical data. Several write once recording materials, such as TeO[1], TeOPd[2] and Si/Cu [3] have been proposed to realize inorganic write once media. Moreover, we propose AlSi alloy [4] to be used for recording layer of write once media. It had good recording properties in DVD system although the reflectivity is too low to be used for DVD-R disk. In this paper, we report the further results in blue laser system, such as the static and dynamic characteristics of write once media.

Writing and Computing across the USM Chemistry Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, Nancy R.; Newton, Thomas A.; Rhodes, Gale; Ricci, John S.; Stebbins, Richard G.; Tracy, Henry J.

2001-01-01

The faculty of the University of Southern Maine believes the ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills required of successful chemists. To help students achieve that goal, the faculty has developed a Writing and Computer Program consisting of writing and computer assignments of gradually increasing sophistication for all our laboratory courses. The assignments build in complexity until, at the junior level, students are writing full journal-quality laboratory reports. Computer assignments also increase in difficulty as students attack more complicated subjects. We have found the program easy to initiate and our part-time faculty concurs as well. The Writing and Computing across the Curriculum Program also serves to unite the entire chemistry curriculum. We believe the program is helping to reverse what the USM chemistry faculty and other educators have found to be a steady deterioration in the writing skills of many of today's students.

Case Study: Writing a Journal Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prud'homme-Genereux, Annie

2016-01-01

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month's issue describes incorporating a journal article into the classroom by first converting it into a case study.

Television, Dialogue Journals, and Feedback in the EFL Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ennis, Mark

1997-01-01

An approach used to teach English as a foreign language (EFL) and American culture that addresses the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading writing) in a complementary, non-contrived way is described. Classroom activities combine television viewing, discussion, writing, and reading journal entries. Students watch small segments of…

Capturing the Experience: Reflections of Women With Breast Cancer Engaged in an Expressive Writing Intervention.

PubMed

Gripsrud, Birgitta Haga; Brassil, Kelly J; Summers, Barbara; Søiland, Håvard; Kronowitz, Steven; Lode, Kirsten

2016-01-01

Expressive writing has been shown to improve quality of life, fatigue, and posttraumatic stress among breast cancer patients across cultures. Understanding how and why the method may be beneficial to patients can increase awareness of the psychosocial impact of breast cancer and enhance interventional work within this population. Qualitative research on experiential aspects of interventions may inform the theoretical understanding and generate hypotheses for future studies. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experience and feasibility of expressive writing among women with breast cancer following mastectomy and immediate or delayed reconstructive surgery. Seven participants enrolled to undertake 4 episodes of expressive writing at home, with semistructured interviews conducted afterward and analyzed using experiential thematic analysis. Three themes emerged through analysis: writing as process, writing as therapeutic, and writing as a means to help others. Findings illuminate experiential variations in expressive writing and how storytelling encourages a release of cognitive and emotional strains, surrendering these to reside in the text. The method was said to process feelings and capture experiences tied to a new and overwhelming illness situation, as impressions became expressions through writing. Expressive writing, therefore, is a valuable tool for healthcare providers to introduce into the plan of care for patients with breast cancer and potentially other cancer patient groups. This study augments existing evidence to support the appropriateness of expressive writing as an intervention after a breast cancer diagnosis. Further studies should evaluate its feasibility at different time points in survivorship.

Close Reading and Creative Writing in Clinical Education: Teaching Attention, Representation, and Affiliation

PubMed Central

Charon, Rita; Hermann, Nellie; Devlin, Michael J.

2015-01-01

Medical educators increasingly have embraced literary and narrative means of pedagogy, such as the use of learning portfolios, reading works of literature, reflective writing, and creative writing, to teach interpersonal and reflective aspects of medicine. Outcomes studies of such pedagogies support the hypotheses that narrative training can deepen the clinician's attention to a patient and can help to establish the clinician's affiliation with patients, colleagues, teachers, and the self. In this article, the authors propose that creative writing in particular is useful in the making of the physician. Of the conceptual frameworks that explain why narrative training is helpful for clinicians, the authors focus on aesthetic theories to articulate the mechanisms through which creative and reflective writing may have dividends in medical training. These theories propose that accurate perception requires representation and that representation requires reception, providing a rationale for teaching clinicians and trainees how to represent what they perceive in their clinical work and how to read one another's writings. The authors then describe the narrative pedagogy used at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. Since faculty must read what their students write, they receive robust training in close reading. From this training emerged the Reading Guide for Reflective Writing, which has been useful to clinicians as they develop their skills as close readers. This institution-wide effort to teach close reading and creative writing aims to equip students and faculty with the pre-requisites to provide attentive, empathic clinical care. PMID:26200577

Close Reading and Creative Writing in Clinical Education: Teaching Attention, Representation, and Affiliation.

PubMed

Charon, Rita; Hermann, Nellie; Devlin, Michael J

2016-03-01

Medical educators increasingly have embraced literary and narrative means of pedagogy, such as the use of learning portfolios, reading works of literature, reflective writing, and creative writing, to teach interpersonal and reflective aspects of medicine. Outcomes studies of such pedagogies support the hypotheses that narrative training can deepen the clinician's attention to a patient and can help to establish the clinician's affiliation with patients, colleagues, teachers, and the self. In this article, the authors propose that creative writing in particular is useful in the making of the physician. Of the conceptual frameworks that explain why narrative training is helpful for clinicians, the authors focus on aesthetic theories to articulate the mechanisms through which creative and reflective writing may have dividends in medical training. These theories propose that accurate perception requires representation and that representation requires reception, providing a rationale for teaching clinicians and trainees how to represent what they perceive in their clinical work and how to read one another's writings. The authors then describe the narrative pedagogy used at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. Because faculty must read what their students write, they receive robust training in close reading. From this training emerged the Reading Guide for Reflective Writing, which has been useful to clinicians as they develop their skills as close readers. This institution-wide effort to teach close reading and creative writing aims to equip students and faculty with the prerequisites to provide attentive, empathic clinical care.

Determinants of journal choice among Nigerian medics

PubMed Central

Olusegun, Nwhator Solomon; Olayinka, Agbaje Maarufah; Modupe, Soroye; Ikenna, Isiekwe Gerald

2015-01-01

Introduction Despite the well-known maxim "publish or perish" among academicians, productivity remains low in Nigeria. There are barriers to academic writing which must be identified and addressed. Even after addressing those barriers, authors are faced with another dilemma-where to publish. It was the concern of the authors to evaluate perceived barriers to academic writing and the determinants of journal choice among Nigerian academics. They also attempted to evaluate the determinants of journal choice and perceived barriers to academic writing among Nigerian academicians. Respondents were academicians used in the context of this study to mean anyone involved in academic writing. Such persons must have written and published at least one paper in a peer-reviewed journal in the preceding year to be included in the survey. An online-based self-administered questionnaire. Methods An online structured and self-administered questionnaire-based cross sectional survey of Nigerian medical academicians was conducted over a period of one year using a Google-powered questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the determinants of journal choice, perceived barriers to publications, number of publications in the preceding year as a measure of academic productivity and the highest publication fee authors were willing to pay. Results Of the over 500 email request sent, a total of 200 academicians responded (response rate of 40%). The male and female distribution was 120 and 80 respectively. The highest number of respondents were lecturer 1 and senior lecturers (or junior faculty) (69.5%) however the senior faculty had the higher number of publications in the preceding year. Indexing (35.5%) was the most important determinant of journal choice whilst ease of submission (2.1%) was the least. Unfriendly environment (46%) was the most perceived barrier to publication. Though, majority (88.5%) of the respondents were willing to pay up $300 as publication fees, twice as many junior

Determinants of journal choice among Nigerian medics.

PubMed

Olusegun, Nwhator Solomon; Olayinka, Agbaje Maarufah; Modupe, Soroye; Ikenna, Isiekwe Gerald

2015-01-01

Despite the well-known maxim "publish or perish" among academicians, productivity remains low in Nigeria. There are barriers to academic writing which must be identified and addressed. Even after addressing those barriers, authors are faced with another dilemma-where to publish. It was the concern of the authors to evaluate perceived barriers to academic writing and the determinants of journal choice among Nigerian academics. They also attempted to evaluate the determinants of journal choice and perceived barriers to academic writing among Nigerian academicians. Respondents were academicians used in the context of this study to mean anyone involved in academic writing. Such persons must have written and published at least one paper in a peer-reviewed journal in the preceding year to be included in the survey. An online-based self-administered questionnaire. An online structured and self-administered questionnaire-based cross sectional survey of Nigerian medical academicians was conducted over a period of one year using a Google-powered questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the determinants of journal choice, perceived barriers to publications, number of publications in the preceding year as a measure of academic productivity and the highest publication fee authors were willing to pay. Of the over 500 email request sent, a total of 200 academicians responded (response rate of 40%). The male and female distribution was 120 and 80 respectively. The highest number of respondents were lecturer 1 and senior lecturers (or junior faculty) (69.5%) however the senior faculty had the higher number of publications in the preceding year. Indexing (35.5%) was the most important determinant of journal choice whilst ease of submission (2.1%) was the least. Unfriendly environment (46%) was the most perceived barrier to publication. Though, majority (88.5%) of the respondents were willing to pay up $300 as publication fees, twice as many junior faculty members (28%) were willing

The Journal of Accelerated Learning and Teaching, 1998.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boy, Nancy Omaha, Ed.

1998-01-01

This document comprises the entire output for the journal for 1998. The first article is in the form of a modified excerpt from an article by Donna I. Ali of the University of Calgary on "Multiple Intelligences and the Writing Process: Some Implications for Teaching." The article investigates why writing is difficult for some and easy for others,…

'GETTING' THE POX: Reflections by an Historian on How to Write the History of Early Modern Disease.

PubMed

Stein, Claudia

This article reflects upon the recent return to linear history writing in medical history. It takes as its starting point a critique of the current return to constructivist ideas, suggesting the use of other methodological choices and interpretations to the surviving archival and textural sources of the sixteenth century pox. My investigation analyses the diagnostic act as an effort to bring together a study of medical semiotics. Medical semiotics considers how signs speak through the physical body, coached within a particular epistemology. There are no hidden meanings behind the visible sign or symptom - it is tranparent to the calculative and authoritative gaze and language of the doctor. It concerns how diseases came into being, the relationships they have constituted, the power they have secured and the actual knowledge/power they have eclipsed or are eclipsing. From such a perspective, "getting the pox" is not a bad thing. A methodological turn to medical semiotics reminds us that the history of disease should be an inquiry both into the grounds of our current knowledge and beliefs about disease and how they inspire our writing, as well as the analytical categories that establish their inevitability.

Capturing the Experience: Reflections of Women with Breast Cancer Engaged in an Expressive Writing Intervention

PubMed Central

Gripsrud, Birgitta Haga; Brassil, Kelly J; Summers, Barbara; Søiland, Håvard; Kronowitz, Steven; Lode, Kirsten

2015-01-01

Background Expressive writing has been shown to improve quality of life, fatigue, and post-traumatic stress among breast cancer patients across cultures. Understanding how and why the method may be beneficial to patients can increase awareness of the psychosocial impact of breast cancer and enhance interventional work within this population. Qualitative research on experiential aspects of interventions may inform the theoretical understanding, and generate hypotheses for future studies. Aim To explore and describe the experience and feasibility of expressive writing among women with breast cancer following mastectomy and immediate or delayed reconstructive surgery. Methods Seven participants enrolled to undertake 4 episodes of expressive writing at home, with semi-structured interviews conducted afterwards and analyzed using experiential thematic analysis. Results Three themes emerged through analysis: writing as process, writing as therapeutic, and writing as a means to help others. Implications for practice This study augments existing evidence to support the appropriateness of expressive writing as an intervention after a breast cancer diagnosis. Further studies should evaluate its feasibility at different time points in survivorship. Conclusions Findings illuminate experiential variations in expressive writing and how storytelling encourages a release of cognitive and emotional strains, surrendering these to reside in the text. The method was said to process feelings and capture experiences tied to a new and overwhelming illness situation, as impressions became expressions through writing. Expressive writing, therefore, is a valuable tool for health care providers to introduce into the plan of care for patients with breast cancer, and potentially other cancer patient groups. PMID:26390074

"Advice to Writers": Students Discuss the Craft of Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aversa, Nicholas J.; Tritt, Michael

1988-01-01

Asserts that the "Advice to Writers" project, encouraging students to articulate what they do when they write and to share those perceptions with fellow student writers, is an effective way for students to reflect on the writing process. (MM)

Choosing the Right Journal for a Scientific Paper.

PubMed

Bavdekar, Sandeep B; Save, Sushma

2015-06-01

Authors need to take the crucial decision of choosing the journal for their prospective manuscript before even starting to write it. Although, this choice is influenced by many factors, matching the intended recipients of the main message of the manuscript with a journal's readership should override all other consideration in journal selection. That done, availability of time-bound review process,journal's visibility, indexation in databases, regularity of publication, acceptance rate and expenses involved are some other factors that will help decide the choice.

Scientific writing: strategies and tools for students and advisors.

PubMed

Singh, Vikash; Mayer, Philipp

2014-01-01

Scientific writing is a demanding task and many students need more time than expected to finish their research articles. To speed up the process, we highlight some tools, strategies as well as writing guides. We recommend starting early in the research process with writing and to prepare research articles, not after but in parallel to the lab or field work. We suggest considering scientific writing as a team enterprise, which needs proper organization and regular feedback. In addition, it is helpful to select potential target journals early and to consider not only scope and reputation, but also decision times and rejection rates. Before submission, instructions to authors and writing guides should be considered, and drafts should be extensively revised. Later in the process editor's and reviewer's comments should be followed. Our tips and tools help students and advisors to structure the writing and publishing process, thereby stimulating them to develop their own strategies to success. Copyright © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The Woven Body: Embodying Text in Performance Art and the Writing Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rifenburg, J. Michael; Allgood, Lindsey

2015-01-01

Drawing on Lindsey Allgood's scripts, journal entries, and images of a specific participatory performance piece she executed, we argue for seeing performance art as a form of embodied text. Such an assertion is particularly pertinent for postsecondary writing center praxis as it allows for the mindful intersections of the body and writing during…

Writing Assignments Based on Literary Works.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Dorothy, Ed.

1985-01-01

The literature selections serving as the basis for writing assignments in the articles in this journal issue range from time-honored English classics ("Beowulf,""Sir Gawain and the Green Knight") and American standards ("A Farewell to Arms,""The Scarlet Letter") to contemporary fiction. The articles deal with works by women writers (Shirley…

Reflective writing as a tool for assessing teamwork in bioscience: insights into student performance and understanding of teamwork.

PubMed

Mayne, Lynne

2012-07-01

To ensure a modern bioscience curriculum that responds to the current needs of stakeholders, there is a need to embed a range of generic capabilities that enables graduates to succeed in and contribute to a rapidly changing world, as well as building strong bioscience skills and knowledge. The curriculum must also prepare students for a rapidly evolving competitive work place and align with the needs of industry. This creates a challenge, how do we develop generic capabilities without losing discipline content. This report analyses teamwork projects embedded in an undergraduate Biotechnology degree designed to promote teamwork skills along with a deeper understanding of the underpinning biochemistry. Student reflective writing was used to capture students' understanding and experience of teamwork as well as provide insight into their metacognition. The analysis demonstrates that 73% of Year 3 and 93% of Year 4 students were capable of learning about teamwork through reflective writing. While the importance of frequent high quality communication was a common theme, evidence suggests that many students were unsophisticated in their use of communication software. The analysis also highlighted the depth of metacognition that underpins successful team function and the significant weaknesses in self-insight some students possess. These findings challenge assumptions regarding student capacity for leadership and the ability of some students to contribute to successful team outcomes. It is essential for the design of teamwork experiences to fully understand the competencies that underlie teamwork, the metacognitive processes required, and ensure that assessments are fair and measure individual academic performance. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bodies in Composition: Teaching Writing through Kinesthetic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Janine

2017-01-01

This article calls on composition instructors to reflect consciously on how we can use our bodies kinesthetically to perform multimodal writing processes through gestural, visual, and spatial modes. Teaching writing through kinesthetic performance can show students that our bodies are being constructed via interaction with audiences, akin to the…

Exploring Students' Learning Journals with Web-Based Interactive Report Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taniguchi, Yuta; Okubo, Fumiya; Shimada, Atsushi; Konomi, Shin'ichi

2017-01-01

Students' journal writings could be useful resources for teachers to grasp their understandings and to see their own teaching objectively. However, reading a large number of journals thoroughly is not always realistic for teachers. Although various automatic analysis methods have been proposed to understand learning journals, they does not…

Reflections on the Journal of Applied Psychology for 2009 to 2014: Infrastructure, operations, innovations, impact, evolution, and desirable directions.

PubMed

Kozlowski, Steve W J

2017-03-01

In this reflection on my experiences as editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology , I consider 6 foci including (a) information on the background, infrastructure, and mechanics of running this top-tier journal; (b) statistics on journal operations across the 7 years of editorial activity (i.e., incoming plus 6 years on the masthead); (c) innovations that my senior editorial team introduced (i.e., transparency via supplemental materials, revival of monographs, initiation of integrative conceptual reviews); (d) impact and influence with respect to articles, authors, and institutions; (e) latent sematic analysis findings to illustrate the evolution and change of journal content over a 33-year comparison period (i.e., it has evolved substantially); and desirable directions for future evolution of the journal (i.e., strengthen our scientific foundation, increase multidisciplinary linkages, focus on multilevel system dynamics as core capabilities, and improve the translation of industrial and organizational science to evidence-based practice and vice versa). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Promoting Children's Healthy Social-Emotional Growth: Dialogue Journal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konishi, Chiaki; Park, Sol

2017-01-01

Dialogue journals are a form of writing in which a student and a teacher carry on a conversation over time. This paper addresses the benefits of using dialogue journals for promoting a positive social-emotional learning (SEL) environment for children in school settings. Educators and researchers have increasingly acknowledged the importance of SEL…

Do Scaffolding Tools Improve Reflective Writing in Professional Portfolios? A Content Analysis of Reflective Writing in an Advanced Preparation Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houston, Cynthia R.

2016-01-01

Reflective practice is an important skill that teachers must develop to be able to assess the effectiveness of their teaching and modify their instructional behavior. In many education programs reflective narratives, which are often part of teaching portfolios, are intended to assess students' abilities in these areas. Research on reflectivity in…

Using Writing in Mathematics to Deepen Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urquhart, Vicki

2009-01-01

Writing is the ability to compose text effectively for different purposes and audiences. When many of us reflect on our own school experiences, we recall writing in English and history classes, but not in mathematics. Math classes previously relied on skill-building and conceptual understanding activities. Today, teachers are realizing that…

Power and Identity in the Creative Writing Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leahy, Anna, Ed.

2005-01-01

This book remaps theories and practices for teaching creative writing at university and college level. This collection critiques well-established approaches for teaching creative writing in all genres and builds a comprehensive and adaptable pedagogy based on issues of authority, power, and identity. A long-needed reflection, this book shapes…

Concept Maps as Cognitive Visualizations of Writing Assignments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villalon, Jorge; Calvo, Rafael A.

2011-01-01

Writing assignments are ubiquitous in higher education. Writing develops not only communication skills, but also higher-level cognitive processes that facilitate deep learning. Cognitive visualizations, such as concept maps, can also be used as part of learning activities including as a form of scaffolding, or to trigger reflection by making…

Broadcast Journalism Education: Some Implications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sayer, James E.

1988-01-01

Discusses a survey of the Radio-TV News Directors Association focusing on the state of broadcast journalism education and training. Finds that the broadcasting profession believes students need to improve their writing skills, and follow a more well-rounded course of study. (MS)

UAE University Male Students' Interests Impact on Reading and Writing Performance and Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Murshidi, Ghadah

2014-01-01

The study examined the impact of the conjunction of structured journal writing and reading for pleasure on students' reading and writing skills. Forty male students from UAE University participated in the study. The participants are of different academic abilities, majors and nationalities. Many of them have little experience with reading for…

The Teaching of Writing: Illinois Teachers Report on Research & Practices. Sentence Combining as a Composition Technique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Dorothy, Ed.

1978-01-01

The ten articles in this journal report on research and practice in the teaching of writing. Topics covered include sentence combining as a composition technique, peer evaluation in a technical writing class, a plan for teaching paragraph construction, the use of literary humor in a writing class, methods for setting the scene, how students view…

Mirror writing in pre-school children: a pilot study.

PubMed

Cubelli, Roberto; Della Sala, Sergio

2009-05-01

Mirror writing refers to the production of individual letters, whole words or sentences in reverse direction. Unintentional mirror writing has been observed in young children learning to write and interpreted as the manifestation of different cognitive impairments. We report on mirror writing instances in a sample of 108 pre-school children. Results showed MW to be age-related but independent from handedness and left-right discrimination abilities. We propose an account of mirror writing as reflecting dissociation between acquired motor programmes for letter shape composition and unspecified spatial direction of hand movements. Before learning to write, the child's directional cognitive system is assumed to be dichotomous, thus inducing the production of randomly oriented asymmetrical letters.

Writing for publication: institutional support provides an enabling environment.

PubMed

Kramer, Beverley; Libhaber, Elena

2016-04-18

Due to the excessive service delivery loads in public hospitals supported by academic institutions in developing environments, researchers at these institutions have little time to develop scientific writing skills or to write up their research. It is imperative to expand the writing skills of researchers and train the next generation of health sciences academics in order to disseminate research findings. This study reports on the implementation of approaches for writing and publication and the extent of support to staff suffering from the overload of service delivery and of heavy teaching duties. Workshops in scientific writing and writing retreats were initiated and were offered to all staff. Feedback from participants of the writing skills workshops indicated that the workshops provided an injection of confidence and proficiency. Protected writing time resulted in 132 papers submitted to journals and 95 in preparation from 230 participants of the writing retreats over a two year period. Staff commended the off-site, collegial environment, which also supported future collaboration with new-found colleagues. This enabling environment facilitates not only the development of writing skills per se, but also the dissemination of the generated scientific knowledge. In addition, the training in writing skills of this generation will be of value in the training of future cohorts in countries with similar health care deliverables.

Peer review at the Health Information and Libraries Journal.

PubMed

Grant, Maria J

2014-12-01

At its best, peer review can mean receiving constructive feedback to help you make the most of your writing. At the Health Information and Libraries Journal, we strive to make the peer review a positive process for both authors and referees. We adopt a process of double-blind peer review. To receive two reviews in a timely manner, three referees are initially invited for each article submitted. The referees are asked to submit their review noting errors, areas of ambiguity or clarification required before the editor and editorial team consider the manuscript ready for publication. As with most journals, it's unlikely that your writing will be accepted in its original form; a typical outcome will be for a recommendation for major or minor revisions. This is good! It means the editorial team has seen something of likely interest to their readership and wants to help you develop it to a publishable standard. There can be a surprising amount of development and change in a manuscript from original submission through to publication. While you may be experienced in your field, you may not have much experience of writing for publication. As a referee, you get an intriguing insight into the shape of manuscripts in their original form. © 2014 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2014 Health Libraries Journal.

The self invented personality? Reflections on authenticity and writing analytic papers.

PubMed

Astor, James

2005-09-01

One of the great themes of American literature is the self-invented personality, whether it is Scott Fitzgerald's Gatsby or one of Philip Roth's alter egos, such as Nathaniel Zuckerman. This is just one of several approaches which novelists employ. They take a problem from life, perhaps their own, and then embark on solving the problem of the book-which is how to write about this. Sometimes, as in Tobias Wolff's novel Old School, the personality of the narrator is woven into an exploration of the creative process itself. Wolff's novel concerns itself not just with writing but with how to become a writer. I explore how this process is similar to both writing about analysis and becoming an analyst. In doing this I discuss issues of authenticity, fiction, art, the effects of identification, the power of the super-ego, supervision and learning, integrity of life and work, envy and the xenocidal impulse, the regulation of our profession and the loss of trust, and in so doing join in discussion with Plaut, Wharton, Tuckett and others about professional communications, the internal world and the mysteriousness of our relation to our internal objects.

Encountering Student Texts: Interpretive Issues in Reading Student Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Bruce, Ed.; And Others

Designed to raise the full range of hermeneutic concerns regarding evaluation of student writing, and to spur further research and discussion, this collection of essays focuses on a reconsideration of the interpretation and evaluation practices of writing teachers. Essays include: "A Reflective Conversation: 'Tempos of Meaning'"…

Appropriate Technology and Journal Writing: Structured Dialogues that Enhance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longhurst, James; Sandage, Scott A.

2004-01-01

Of the many available options, instructors should choose "appropriate technology" that meets pedagogical goals with minimum disruption. Student journal assignments follow many teaching "best practices" but consume time and energy; we recommend e-mail as the most appropriate choice for journal assignments. E-mail encourages fast and personalized…

Riding the RAFT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunter, Melissa D.

2016-01-01

Writing about mathematics holds a wealth of benefits for students. When students are given opportunities to write in math class, it helps develop mathematical thinking and language, encourages self-reflection, and provides a better way to organize ideas. Many teachers incorporate journaling and other types of reflective writing into their…

Art of publication and selection of journal.

PubMed

Singh, Ashish; Singh, Shweta; Mercy, P; Singh, Ajai Kumar; Singh, Deepti; Singh, Manish; Singh, Pratibha

2014-01-01

Publication is both an art and a science. For the beginner, not knowing the intricacies of publication, choice of subject and the appropriate journal to get their work published are major obstacles. In this article, the authors share their experience on how to go about getting an article published and selecting the most suitable journal for publication. They hope this article stimulates medical writing.

Comparison of blogged and written reflections in two medicine clerkships.

PubMed

Fischer, Melissa A; Haley, Heather-Lyn; Saarinen, Carrie L; Chretien, Katherine C

2011-02-01

academic medical centres may adopt new learning technologies with little data on their effectiveness or on how they compare with traditional methodologies. We conducted a comparative study of student reflective writings produced using either an electronic (blog) format or a traditional written (essay) format to assess differences in content, depth of reflection and student preference. students in internal medicine clerkships at two US medical schools during the 2008-2009 academic year were quasi-randomly assigned to one of two study arms according to which they were asked to either write a traditional reflective essay and subsequently join in faculty-moderated, small-group discussion (n = 45), or post two writings to a faculty-moderated group blog and provide at least one comment on a peer's posts (n = 50). Examples from a pilot block were used to refine coding methods and determine inter-rater reliability. Writings were coded for theme and level of reflection by two blinded authors; these coding processes reached inter-rater reliabilities of 91% and 80%, respectively. Anonymous pre- and post-clerkship surveys assessed student perceptions and preferences. student writing addressed seven main themes: (i) being humanistic; (ii) professional behaviour; (iii) understanding caregiving relationships; (iv) being a student; (v) clinical learning; (vi) dealing with death and dying, and (vii) the health care system, quality, safety and public health. The distribution of themes was similar across institutions and study arms. The level of reflection did not differ between study arms. Post-clerkship surveys showed that student preferences for blogging or essay writing were predicted by experience, with the majority favouring the method they had used. our study suggests there is no significant difference in themes addressed or levels of reflection achieved when students complete a similar assignment via online blogging or traditional essay writing. Given this, faculty staff

Singing in Science: Writing and Recording Student Lyrics to Express Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Sara D.; Norton-Meier, Lori

2009-01-01

This article explores the use of lyric writing in elementary science. It details an exploratory project in which elementary students and a professional musician collaborated to write and record lyrics at the conclusion of an inquiry-based science unit. What we found was that lyric writing when used as a summary reflection activity in science…

Taking a Closer Look at Your Informational Writing Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beschorner, Beth; Hall, Anna H.

2018-01-01

When students write informational text, they have the opportunity to engage with meaningful topics, become curious about the world, learn domain-specific knowledge, and use academic vocabulary. Given the possibilities for learning through writing informational text, it is important for teachers to reflect on and improve their informational writing…

The Structure of Medical Informatics Journal Literature

PubMed Central

Morris, Theodore A.; McCain, Katherine W.

1998-01-01

Abstract Objective: Medical informatics is an emergent interdisciplinary field described as drawing upon and contributing to both the health sciences and information sciences. The authors elucidate the disciplinary nature and internal structure of the field. Design: To better understand the field's disciplinary nature, the authors examine the intercitation relationships of its journal literature. To determine its internal structure, they examined its journal cocitation patterns. Measurements: The authors used data from the Science Citation Index (SCI) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) to perform intercitation studies among productive journal titles, and software routines from SPSS to perform multivariate data analyses on cocitation data for proposed core journals. Results: Intercitation network analysis suggests that a core literature exists, one mark of a separate discipline. Multivariate analyses of cocitation data suggest that major focus areas within the field include biomedical engineering, biomedical computing, decision support, and education. The interpretable dimensions of multidimensional scaling maps differed for the SCI and SSCI data sets. Strong links to information science literature were not found. Conclusion: The authors saw indications of a core literature and of several major research fronts. The field appears to be viewed differently by authors writing in journals indexed by SCI from those writing in journals indexed by SSCI, with more emphasis placed on computers and engineering versus decision making by the former and more emphasis on theory versus application (clinical practice) by the latter. PMID:9760393

The "Dos and Don'ts" of Writing a Journal Article

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kekale, Tauno; de Weerd-Nederhof, Petra; Cervai, Sara; Borelli, Massimo

2009-01-01

Purpose: During work as reviewers and editors of journals authors are often faced the same types of problems in many articles. The purpose of this piece is to give some guidelines on typical problems that lead to rejection, and how to avoid these. Design/methodology/approach: The paper discusses journal article design and offers some methodology…

Using Academic Journals to Help Students Learn Subject Matter Content, Develop and Practice Critical Reasoning Skills, and Reflect on Personal Values in Food Science and Human Nutrition Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iwaoka, Wayne T.; Crosetti, Lea M.

2008-01-01

It has been reported that students learn best when they use a wide variety of techniques to understand the information of the discipline, be it visual, auditory, discussion with others, metacognition, hands-on activities, or writing about the subject. We report in this article the use of academic journals not only as an aid for students to learn…

Reviewing Manuscripts for Biomedical Journals

PubMed Central

Garmel, Gus M

2010-01-01

Writing for publication is a complex task. For many professionals, producing a well-executed manuscript conveying one's research, ideas, or educational wisdom is challenging. Authors have varying emotions related to the process of writing for scientific publication. Although not studied, a relationship between an author's enjoyment of the writing process and the product's outcome is highly likely. As with any skill, practice generally results in improvements. Literature focused on preparing manuscripts for publication and the art of reviewing submissions exists. Most journals guard their reviewers' anonymity with respect to the manuscript review process. This is meant to protect them from direct or indirect author demands, which may occur during the review process or in the future. It is generally accepted that author identities are masked in the peer-review process. However, the concept of anonymity for reviewers has been debated recently; many editors consider it problematic that reviewers are not held accountable to the public for their decisions. The review process is often arduous and underappreciated, one reason why biomedical journals acknowledge editors and frequently recognize reviewers who donate their time and expertise in the name of science. This article describes essential elements of a submitted manuscript, with the hopes of improving scientific writing. It also discusses the review process within the biomedical literature, the importance of reviewers to the scientific process, responsibilities of reviewers, and qualities of a good review and reviewer. In addition, it includes useful insights to individuals who read and interpret the medical literature. PMID:20740129

The Implementation of Team-Based Discovery Learning to Improve Students' Ability in Writing Research Proposal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arifani, Yudhi

2016-01-01

Writing research proposal in educational setting is a very complex process involving variety of elements. Consequently, analyzing the complex elements from introduction to data analysis sections in order to yield convinced research proposal writing through reviewing reputable journal articles is worth-contributing. The objectives of this research…

Wikipedia, "the People Formerly Known as the Audience," and First-Year Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhne, Michael; Creel, Gill

2012-01-01

In 2006, New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen's blog post "The People Formerly Known as the Audience" went viral in the journalism community. In the post Rosen argues that a fundamental power shift has occurred between "Big Media" and "the people formerly known as the audience" (PFKATA), who were not only writing back, but also…

Popular Science Writing:Why? Who? How?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Baeyer, Hans Christian

1998-04-01

Why? Under the threats of anti-science, pseudo-science, and indifference to science, popularization of physics is changing from a genteel art to a necessity for survival. Science writing is one element in a campaign that includes TV, museums, lectures, school visits, etc. Who? Five percent of the total effort of every physics department should be devoted to popularization. The academic reward system should reflect this obligation. How? Hints and suggestions for effective science writing, based on extensive experience, will be presented.

Writing: the Quarterly as text.

PubMed

Locke, Lawrence F

2005-06-01

The purpose of this essay is to examine how writing has shaped the nature of the Quarterly over 75 years. Here I explore how stylistic elements have changed over time, how form has interacted with function and content, and how well the resulting text has served the several communities within physical education. I make the following assertions. First, the writing style that has become the model for research reports is needlessly dense and daunting for readers. Second, the desire to maintain a journal that serves both as an interdisciplinary resource for a broad audience of physical educators and as an outlet for reports directed to limited audiences of technical specialists has prevented full performance of either function. Those concerns notwithstanding, I find good cause for celebration--as well as for guarded optimism about the future.

The Open Gates of the Fourth Estate: Civic Literacy Meets Citizen Journalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leake, Eric

2012-01-01

Technological and economic change within the business and social function of journalism are moving civic literacy practices ever closer to those of citizen journalism. In this article, I survey the changes underway as journalism becomes less a profession and more a practice, a way of reading and writing about society. I draw from journalism…

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (82nd, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 3-8, 1999). Civic Journalism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Civic Journalism section of the Proceedings contains the following 7 papers: "Resurrecting Critical Theory: Public Journalism" (Gregory Selber); "Constructing Meaning: The Role of the Audience in News Writing" (Jack Morris); "Media Coverage of Sports and Politics: An Examination of the Press' Role in Campaigns for…

Expressive writing in early breast cancer survivors.

PubMed

Craft, Melissa A; Davis, Gail C; Paulson, René M

2013-02-01

This article is the report of a study aimed at determining whether or not expressive writing improves the quality-of-life of early breast cancer survivors. An additional aim is the investigation of whether or not the type of writing prompt makes a difference in results. The risk of distress can extend well beyond the time of a breast cancer diagnosis. Emotional expression may assist in dealing with this. Randomized controlled study. Participants (n = 120) were randomized into one of four groups: a control group (no writing) or one of three expressive writing groups: breast cancer trauma, any self-selected trauma and facts related to breast cancer. Participants wrote 20 minutes a day for 4 consecutive days. Their quality-of-life was measured, using the 'Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer Version', at baseline and at 1 month and 6 months after writing. Paired t-tests, multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression were used to analyse the data of the 97 participants who completed the journaling assignment and at least the first assessment, collected in 2006. Intention-to-treat analysis was used. Expressive writing about one's breast cancer, breast cancer trauma and facts related to breast cancer, significantly improved the quality-of-life outcome. Expressive writing, focusing the instructions on writing about one's living and dealing with a diagnosis of breast cancer, is recommended for early breast cancer survivors as a feasible and easily implemented treatment approach to improve quality-of-life. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Writing Workshop as Carnival: Reflections on an Alternative Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lensmire, Timothy J.

Mikhail Bakhtin's understanding of the medieval carnival--a time when life is turned upside down, social hierarchies are lifted, and the lines between performer and participant are blurred--provides a useful framework for understanding both liberatory and potentially threatening aspects of writing workshops in elementary schools. An experimental…

[How to write a scientific paper].

PubMed

Parati, Gianfranco; Valentini, Mariaconsuelo

2005-04-01

To write a paper and to succeed in getting it published in a highly renowned scientific journal represent the last but not the least of the difficulties that a researcher has to face before being able to consider a given research project fully accomplished. While writing a manuscript, it is important to put a consistent effort in designing its structure, paying attention to a few technical guidelines. It is worth keeping in mind, however, that the editorial success of a manuscript is related not only to the writer skills and experience but also to the attention previously dedicated to the design and conduction of the research project from which data are derived. On the other hand, the probability for a well designed and carefully performed study (yielding data relevant from a clinical viewpoint), to have its results accepted for publication in an important journal is very low if they are poorly summarized in a low quality paper. In the light of these considerations, the aim of this concise review was to provide the researcher with a few simple tips on how to prepare a scientific article, ranging from its early drafting to its final publication. We have also dealt in some detail with the problems related to the selection of the journal and manuscript format, with the procedures related to manuscript submission, and with the approach to follow in order to prepare a proper answering to the reviewers' and editors' comments.

Stepping back to move forward: Expressive writing promotes self-distancing.

PubMed

Park, Jiyoung; Ayduk, Özlem; Kross, Ethan

2016-04-01

Prior research indicates that expressive writing enhances well-being by leading people to construct meaningful narratives that explain distressing life experiences. But how does expressive writing facilitate meaning-making? We addressed this issue in 2 longitudinal studies by examining whether and how expressive writing promotes self-distancing, a process that facilitates meaning-making. At baseline in both studies, participants reflected on a distressing life experience. In Study 1 participants were then randomly assigned to write about their distressing experience or a non-emotional topic for 15 min on 3 consecutive days; in Study 2 participants were randomly assigned to write or think about their distressing experience or write about a non-emotional topic for the same amount of time. One day following the intervention, expressive writing participants in both studies self-distanced more when they reflected over their distressing experience compared with participants in the other conditions, which in turn led them to experience less emotional reactivity 1 month (Studies 1 and 2) and 6 months (Study 2) after the intervention. Analyses using data from both studies indicated that expressive writing reduced physical symptoms indirectly through its effects on self-distancing and emotional reactivity [that is, expressive writing group (vs. comparison groups) → greater self-distancing → less emotional reactivity → fewer physical symptoms]. Finally, linguistic analyses using essays from both studies indicated that increased use of causation words and decreased use of negative emotion words and first-person singular pronouns predicted increases in self-distancing over time. These findings demonstrate that expressive writing promotes self-distancing and illustrate how it does so. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

How Prewriting Fits into the Writing Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, James A.

However the initial germ of a written work arises, there usually follows a prewriting period of meditation. At this rehearsal stage in writing, the author must gain a sense of audience and grope with such variables as genre, point of view, voice, line, tone, and pattern. Many authors of fiction keep journals or notebooks as incubation places where…

Learning effects of thematic peer-review: a qualitative analysis of reflective journals on spiritual care.

PubMed

van Leeuwen, René; Tiesinga, Lucas J; Jochemsen, Henk; Post, Doeke

2009-05-01

This study describes the learning effects of thematic peer-review discussion groups (Hendriksen, 2000. Begeleid intervisie model, Collegiale advisering en probleemoplossing, Nelissen, Baarn.) on developing nursing students' competence in providing spiritual care. It also discusses the factors that might influence the learning process. The method of peer-review is a form of reflective learning based on the theory of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984. Experiential learning, Experience as the source of learning development. Englewoods Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice Hill). It was part of an educational programme on spiritual care in nursing for third-year undergraduate nursing students from two nursing schools in the Netherlands. Reflective journals (n=203) kept by students throughout the peer-review process were analysed qualitatively The analysis shows that students reflect on spirituality in the context of personal experiences in nursing practice. In addition, they discuss the nursing process and organizational aspects of spiritual care. The results show that the first two phases in the experiential learning cycle appear prominently; these are 'inclusion of actual experience' and 'reflecting on this experience'. The phases of 'abstraction of experience' and 'experimenting with new behaviour' are less evident. We will discuss possible explanations for these findings according to factors related to education, the students and the tutors and make recommendations for follow-up research.

Action Research and Academic Writing: A Conversation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winter, Richard; Badley, Graham

2007-01-01

Here is a conversation between two former colleagues about action research and academic writing. Richard Winter opens the discussion with a series of reflections on his work as an action researcher. These reflections include the key argument that action research is a noble cause because it is relevant to working life, has a practical impact and…

Why Write Book Reviews?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Obeng-Odoom, Franklin

2014-01-01

The pressure to publish or perish or, more recently, to be visible or vanish, marginalises a culture of critical reading and reflection that has historically been the province of book reviews. Today, book reviews are roundly rejected by academic bureaucrats as unimportant, easy to write and hence, easy to get published, mere summaries, uncritical…

Research and Teaching: Undergraduate Science Students' Attitudes toward and Approaches to Scientific Reading and Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verkade, Heather; Lim, Saw Hoon

2016-01-01

In this study, a cohort of final-year undergraduate science students were surveyed to examine whether they fully read journal articles, including whether they seek to understand how the results support the conclusions. Their writing was also examined to see if they use deep or surface approaches to scientific writing.

Application of Feminist Thought to Journalism Education: A Descriptive Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beasley, Maurine H.

Since enrollment in journalism programs has become predominantly female, the field could benefit from an infusion of feminist theory that would change the way courses are taught. Female journalism students need to find suitable role models, acquire basic skills in writing, consider new ways of combining family life with their careers, and learn…

Journaling as reinforcement for the resourcefulness training intervention in mothers of technology-dependent children.

PubMed

Toly, Valerie Boebel; Blanchette, Julia E; Musil, Carol M; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A

2016-11-01

Resourcefulness, a set of cognitive and behavioral skills used to attain, maintain, or regain health, is a factor related to depressive symptoms in mothers of children with chronic conditions and complex care needs who are dependent on medical technology such as mechanical ventilation or feeding tubes. The purpose of this secondary analysis of a randomized, controlled pilot intervention study was to determine the feasibility, acceptability and fidelity of daily journal writing as a method of reinforcement of resourcefulness training (RT) that teaches the use of social and personal resourcefulness skills. Participants returned their journals to the study office at the end of the four-week journaling exercise. Content analysis from exit interviews and journals supported the feasibility, acceptability and fidelity of daily journaling for reinforcement of RT in this population. Journal writing can be used by pediatric nurses to reinforce and promote resourcefulness skill use in parents of technology-dependent children. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Writing Well: The Long-Term Effect on Empathy, Observation, and Physician Writing Through a Residency Writers' Workshop.

PubMed

Lemay, Megan; Encandela, John; Sanders, Lisa; Reisman, Anna

2017-06-01

Writing narratives during medical training can provide a way to derive meaning from challenging experiences, enhance reflection, and combat burnout. The Yale Internal Medicine Residency Writers' Workshop, an annual 2-day intensive workshop followed by faculty-guided writing revision and publication, has been training resident physicians in the craft of writing since 2003. The study aimed to assess the long-term effects of a craft-focused writers' workshop for residents on empathy, observation skills, and future writing. A survey of closed and open-ended questions was sent to former workshop participants (2003-2013), who rated and described the workshop's influence on their observation skills, empathy, improvement in writing, and continued informal and formal writing. A total of 89 of 130 participants (68%) completed the online survey. We identified key themes in written responses and collected quantitative ratings on a 5-point Likert scale of self-reported influence on these factors. Simple statistics and narrative analysis were used to derive results. Most participants agreed or strongly agreed that the workshop influenced their ability for careful observation (72 of 85, 85%); ability to be empathic with patients or colleagues (51 of 77, 66%); quality of writing (69 of 77, 90%); and continued formal or informal writing (52 of 77 [68%] and 41 of 77 [53%], respectively). Participants felt the workshop improved their attention to detail, provided a deeper understanding of others' experiences, and improved their writing. Participants in a residency writers' workshop experienced lasting effects on observation, empathy, and writing skills.

Writing Well: The Long-Term Effect on Empathy, Observation, and Physician Writing Through a Residency Writers' Workshop

PubMed Central

Encandela, John; Sanders, Lisa; Reisman, Anna

2017-01-01

Background Writing narratives during medical training can provide a way to derive meaning from challenging experiences, enhance reflection, and combat burnout. The Yale Internal Medicine Residency Writers' Workshop, an annual 2-day intensive workshop followed by faculty-guided writing revision and publication, has been training resident physicians in the craft of writing since 2003. Objective The study aimed to assess the long-term effects of a craft-focused writers' workshop for residents on empathy, observation skills, and future writing. Methods A survey of closed and open-ended questions was sent to former workshop participants (2003–2013), who rated and described the workshop's influence on their observation skills, empathy, improvement in writing, and continued informal and formal writing. A total of 89 of 130 participants (68%) completed the online survey. We identified key themes in written responses and collected quantitative ratings on a 5-point Likert scale of self-reported influence on these factors. Simple statistics and narrative analysis were used to derive results. Results Most participants agreed or strongly agreed that the workshop influenced their ability for careful observation (72 of 85, 85%); ability to be empathic with patients or colleagues (51 of 77, 66%); quality of writing (69 of 77, 90%); and continued formal or informal writing (52 of 77 [68%] and 41 of 77 [53%], respectively). Participants felt the workshop improved their attention to detail, provided a deeper understanding of others' experiences, and improved their writing. Conclusions Participants in a residency writers' workshop experienced lasting effects on observation, empathy, and writing skills. PMID:28638517

Process Memos: Facilitating Dialogues about Writing between Students and Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parrott, Heather Macpherson; Cherry, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

We have created a new teaching tool--process memos--to improve student writing. Process memos are guided reflections submitted with scaffolded assignments that facilitate a written dialogue between students and instructors about the process of writing. Within these memos, students critically assess available teaching tools, discuss their writing…

Reconsiderations: We Got the Wrong Gal--Rethinking the "Bad" Academic Writing of Judith Butler

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birkenstein, Cathy

2010-01-01

It is hard to think of a writer whose work has been more prominently upheld as an example of bad academic writing than the philosopher and literary theorist Judith Butler. In 1998, Butler was awarded first prize in the annual Bad Writing Contest established by the journal "Philosophy and Literature," and early in 1999, was lampooned in an…

What Happens When I Write? Pupils' Writing about Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbeiro, Luis Filipe

2011-01-01

This article presents pupils' awareness of writing as elicited through a metawriting task, in other words a task in which pupils from the third, fourth and sixth forms (grades) were required to write about writing. The analysis of the texts revealed the pupils' increasing ability to write texts focusing on writing and on the subject's relationship…

Journal Writing with Web 2.0 Tools: A Vision for Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepherd, Craig E.; Aagard, Steven

2011-01-01

This article describes how Web 2.0 technologies may facilitate journaling and related inquiry methods among older adults. Benefits and limitations of journaling are summarized as well as computer skills of older adults. We then describe how Web 2.0 technologies can enhance journaling among older adults by diminishing feelings of isolation,…

A mandatory course in scientific writing for undergraduate medical students.

PubMed

Roland, C G; Cox, B G

1976-02-01

All students at Mayo Medical School take a course in scientific writing during their sophomore and junior years. Early in the sophomore year they receive a self-instructional text designed to help them avoid 15 common writing faults. Comparison of pretest and posttest results for two classes, with a total of 89 students, indicates significant improvement (p less than .001). Later in his sophomore year, each student writes a minithesis; and during his junior year he reports on work done in a clinical or laboratory research project, preparing it as a paper submissible to a scientific journal. Professional editors work as preceptors with the students, critiquing their manuscripts, which are revised until they receive satisfactory ratings.

Reflecting on the Liberal Reflex: Rhetoric and the Politics of Acknowledgement in Basic Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavesich, Matthew

2011-01-01

In the 1990s, leading rhetoric and composition scholars criticized basic writing programs for their "liberalism." Basic writing had its defenders, however, and the ensuing debate exposed deep rifts in the field. This article argues that neither side in this formative debate nor the more recent alternative models of teaching basic writing…

A Reading-Writing Connection in the Content Areas (Secondary Perspectives).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Reading, 1990

1990-01-01

Discusses instructional activities designed to foster the reading-writing connection in the content area classroom. Describes the use of "possible sentences," learning logs, freewriting, dialogue journals, the RAFT technique (role, audience, format, and topic), and the "opinion-proof" organization strategy. (RS)

Students' Evaluation of Writing Assignments in an Abnormal Psychology Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Procidano, Mary E.

1991-01-01

Presents a study in which students in an abnormal psychology class rated the usefulness of drafts for two writing assignments. Reports that a research proposal was more effective than a case study in generating interest in psychology and opportunity for creativity. Concludes that writing assignments should reflect important aspects of a…

Righting writing: strategies for improving nursing student papers.

PubMed

Bickes, Joan T; Schim, Stephanie M

2010-01-01

The ability to clearly express complex ideas in writing is necessary for nurses in professional practice at all levels from novice to expert. The community health nursing course is specially designated as writing intensive to provide students with the experience of preparing a major scholarly paper. To address issues of poor paper quality and grade inflation we implemented a program including a writing workshop for faculty, a revision of the grading rubric, and a system of blind review for grading student papers. Changes resulted in a major shift in paper grades which more closely reflects the actual quality of the work.

Journal between Peer Learners: An Innovative Project to Motivate EFL Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xiaohong; Shen, Lei; Lu, Xiao

2016-01-01

Writing is one of the most challenging skills for many EFL learners to master. It is also considered to be the most difficult to teach. To motivate students to write more without burdening teachers with additional rating work, college English teachers at a university in China introduced a journal project. Peer learners were paired anonymously and…

Incorporating A Structured Writing Process into Existing CLS Curricula.

PubMed

Honeycutt, Karen; Latshaw, Sandra

2014-01-01

Good communication and critical thinking are essential skills for all successful professionals, including Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Laboratory Science (CLS/MLS) practitioners. Professional programs can incorporate writing assignments into their curricula to improve student written communication and critical thinking skills. Clearly defined, scenario-focused writing assignments provide student practice in clearly articulating responses to proposed problems or situations, researching and utilizing informational resources, and applying and synthesizing relevant information. Assessment rubrics, structured feedback, and revision writing methodologies help guide students through the writing process. This article describes how a CLS Program in a public academic medical center, located in the central United States (US) serving five centrally-located US states has incorporated writing intensive assignments into an existing 11-month academic year using formal, informal and reflective writing to improve student written communication and critical thinking skills. Faculty members and employers of graduates assert that incorporating writing intensive requirements have better prepared students for their professional role to effectively communicate and think critically.

Intersections of Writing, Reflection, and Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrington, Anne J.; Stassen, Martha L. A.

2016-01-01

In fall 2010, the University of Massachusetts Amherst instituted a new upper-division General Education requirement, the Integrative Experience (IE), designed to help students integrate the various components of their undergraduate experience and reflect upon their learning and development as a result of those experiences, both key dimensions of…

Career Writing as a Dialogue about Work Experience: A Recipe for Luck Readiness?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lengelle, Reinekke; Meijers, Frans; Poell, Rob; Geijsel, Femke; Post, Mijke

2016-01-01

In this article, we examined whether career writing--creative, expressive, and reflective writing--can increase luck readiness, which is the ability to respond and make use of (career) opportunities. Two 2-day writing courses were taught to third-year bachelor students, one before and one after work placements. In this exploratory study, results…

[How to write an andrological paper: standardization, mechanics and techniques].

PubMed

Huang, Yu-Feng; Lu, Jin-Chun

2010-12-01

Andrological research papers not only reflect the current status and academic level of andrology, but also constitute an important communication platform for researchers and clinicians engaged in this field and contribute significantly to the development of andrology. It would be made easier to write a high-quality andrological paper once the author observes the basic requirements of research papers, adheres to the use of standard scientific terminology, knows the special writing mechanics, and equips himself with some essential writing techniques. Based on the long experience of editorship, we present a detailed introduction of the standardization, mechanics and techniques of writing an andrological paper.

Quantitative Reporting Practices in Middle-Grades Research Journals: Lessons to Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capraro, Robert M.; Capraro, Mary Margaret

2009-01-01

This study examines two journals specific to the middles grades where original quantitative empirical articles are published, Research in Middle Level Education and Middle Grades Research Journal to determine what quantitative statistics are used, how they are used, and what study designs are used. Important for those who write for the…

Fake Peer Reviews, the Latest Form of Scientific Fraud, Fool Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischman, Josh

2012-01-01

This article reports on how some scientists impersonate outside reviewers for journals and give high marks to their own manuscripts. Scientists appear to have figured out a new way to avoid any bad prepublication reviews that dissuade journals from publishing their articles: Write positive reviews themselves, under other people's names. In…

The Impact of Transformational Leadership, Experiential Learning, and Reflective Journaling on the Conservation Ethic of Tertiary-Level Non-Science Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Bradley Robert

2013-01-01

The impact of transformational leadership, experiential learning, and reflective journaling on the conservation ethic of non-science majors in a general education survey course was investigated. The main research questions were: (1) Is the Conservation of Biodiversity professor a transformational leader? (2) Is there a difference in the…

A Mandatory Course in Scientific Writing for Undergraduate Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roland, Charles G.; Cox, Barbara G.

1976-01-01

Describes a course required for Mayo Medical School students that includes a self-instructional test on 15 common writing faults, a minithesis, and a clinical laboratory research project prepared as a paper submissible to a scientific journal and critiqued by professional editors. (JT)

Enhancing Learning in Clinical Placements: Reflective Practice, Self-Assessment, Rubrics and Scaffolding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stupans, Ieva; March, Geoff; Owen, Susanne M.

2013-01-01

Professional preparatory health programmes generally involve clinical placements with a focus on integration of theory into real life practice. Reflective writing is often included in the assessment requirements for clinical placement courses. However enabling students to engage in deeper levels of reflective writing in action, on action and for…

Construction of meaning in the authentic science writing of deaf students.

PubMed

Lang, H G; Albertini, J A

2001-01-01

This study examines how students construct meaning through writing during authentic science activities. To determine how well students understood science concepts, we analyzed 228 writing samples from deaf students in grades 6 through 11 as well as the explanatory and reflective comments of their teachers. The analyses indicate that certain process writing strategies were differentially useful in helping deaf students to construct meaning and in allowing teachers to evaluate the constructed meaning. Three instructional conditions and two teacher variables were found to play roles in determining the accuracy and adequacy of the writing: (1) the writing prompts the teachers used, (2) the focus for the writing, (3) follow-up to the initial writing activity, (4) the teacher's content knowledge, and (5) the teacher's ability to interpret student writing. The authors recommend future applications of writing-to-learn strategies and suggest directions for further research and changes in teacher education.

The Writing Mind: A Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Sara

2017-01-01

It was week three of the first semester of the author's Master of Teaching degree at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and already lecturers were talking about first assignments. In the English method unit, students were required to write a reflective autobiographical narrative inquiring into particular critical incidents from past…

Reflective Journals of Students Taking a Positive Youth-Development Course in a University Context in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Shek, Daniel T. L.; Wu, Florence K. Y.

2012-01-01

To promote the holistic development of university students, a course entitled “Tomorrow's Leaders” was developed and offered at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Based on a case study approach, reflective journals of five outstanding students of the course are presented and analyzed (i.e., thick description), with several themes emerging from the reflection. First, the students liked the course, and they identified many positive attributes. Second, the students appreciated the instructors. Third, the students viewed that the course contributed to different aspects of their development. Fourth, some areas of improvements were proposed. In conjunction with other evaluation mechanisms, the present findings strongly suggest that the course is able to promote psychosocial competencies in university students taking this course. PMID:22973167