Reflective journal writing as an approach 2014/P03.pdf · leads to new understanding and...

Brunei Darussalam Journal of Technology and Commerce Volume 8 Number 1 December 2014 22

Reflective Journal Writing as an Approach to Enhancing Studentsrsquo

Learning Experience

Florina F Estrada1 Hjh Mariam Abdul Rahman

2

1Quality Assurance Unit

2Graduate Studies and Research

Institut Teknologi Brunei

Tungku Link Gadong BE 1410 Bandar Seri Begawan BS 8675

Negara Brunei Darussalam

Email florinaestradaitbedubn Mariamrahmanitbedu bn

ABSTRACT

Reflective journal writing (RJW) is currently emerging as a common approach to enhancing the

studentsrsquo learning experience in professional courses increasing learnerrsquos motivation and

promoting higher order thinking skills However there is a dearth of literature about reflective

writing in the higher education science and technical disciplines including engineering courses A

qualitative approach was used in this study to describe the various stages of reflection as seen

from the journal reports of forty-four Mechanical Engineering students at the Institut Teknologi

Brunei Using the Gibbs model of reflection as a general guideline the journal reports of the

students were described based on Hatton and Smithrsquos model of the stages of reflection-

descriptive writing descriptive reflection dialogic reflection and critical reflection A 20-item

questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale was administered in order to describe perceptions of

students about RJW Findings showed that the students found it easy to describe their experience

in their reflective journals but as they went from descriptive to the highest stage of reflection ie

critical reflection they were less skillful in expressing their ideas The majority of respondents

had positive perceptions as to the extent by which RJW promotes active and personal ownership

of learning critical thinking understanding onersquos own learning facilitation of the learning

experience and the valuing of personal observation and knowledge This research indicates that

RJW has a huge potential as a practical approach to enhancing students learning experience in

general and specifically it may also provide opportunities to link theory and practice in

engineering courses

Key words reflective journal writing dialogic reflection critical reflection

1 INTRODUCTION

Reflective writing is currently emerging as a requirement of higher education courses to promote

learnersrsquo self-reflection critical thinking and other professional skills Literature has emphasized

the importance of reflection in helping students learn from their experience Various studies have

underscored the importance of the role of reflective writing in higher education [1] Lew and

Schmidt pointed out its importance by citing the seminal work of Dewey (1991) Boud (1985)

and Moon (1999) about reflection Dewey has defined reflection as an ldquoactive persistent and

careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the ground that

support it and the further conclusion to which it tendsrdquo Boud has described it as ldquothose

intellectual and affective activities that individuals engage into explore their experience which

leads to new understanding and appreciationsrdquo [2] [3] [4]


Moon describes reflection as something that is naturally embedded in the learning process She

defines it as a form of mental processing or thinking to fulfil a purpose or anticipated outcome as

applied to relatively complex or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution [4]

This definition stresses both the critical analysis of knowledge and experience Reflection is a

means to gain an in-depth knowledge and a better understanding of the experience

Reflection has been embedded in standards for Higher Education For example the Qualifications

and Curriculum Authority which has been responsible for setting national Standards for Key

Skills for all university students in UK such as communications information technology

application of numbers working with others problem-solving and improving onersquos learning and

performance require students to critically reflect on their skills to evaluate their overall approach

to work and effectiveness It defines critical reflection as a deliberate process during a course of

work when an individual focuses on hisher performance and assesses what heshe is learning

from that experience in order to guide him in future actions [5]

There has been a dearth of literature about reflective writing for the Higher Education science and

technical disciplines including the Engineering courses The majority of studies in this area has

focused on the pedagogy of medical programmes such as nursing social work and sociology as

well as in the arts and humanities Reflective writing has become a common approach to develop

English writing skills increasing motivation and promoting higher order thinking skills The use

of reflective journals to promote reflection and the learning process has been widely elaborated in

these disciplines [5] Reflection as a learning experience is an essential component for

professional competence [6] [7] [8] In 2006 Russo for example in his research on college

teachers teaching from various disciplines and institutions reported the teachersrsquo account on how

reflection helped them in their interaction with their students as well as in their professional

development The practice of reflection can address learning issues deepen understanding and

create fresh insights [9]

In addition the online learning environment has been particularly useful for enhancing reflection

For example Lew and Schmidt (2007) stressed the significance of the work of OrsquoConnell and

Dyment (2006) Kerka (1996) and Chirema (2007) to underscore the usefulness of lsquolearning

journalsrsquo as a means to promote reflection and gain experience in recording reflection in learning

improving writing skills and enhancing awareness of learning achievements [10] [11] [12] For

example the use of online reflection journals also allows students to think and write reflectively

and thus improves learning Students are likely to use the journals to provide feedback about their

facilitators as well as their peers The use of online reflection journals serves as an assessment

tool that enables facilitators to monitor studentsrsquo learning progress through specific and detailed

feedback on their performance while students reflect on their own learning [13] However

despite all this research to date no study has explored the use of reflective journals with

Engineering undergraduates

This study utilized Hatton and Smithrsquos model that described the levels of reflection as a basis for

describing the stages of the studentsrsquo reflective writing [14] [15] [16] [17] This model

describes the content of the journal writing according to the following levels

Level 1 Descriptive writing This is a description of events or literature reports There is no

discussion beyond description

Level 2 Descriptive reflection There is some evidence of deeper consideration in relatively

descriptive language There is no real evidence of the notion of alternative viewpoints in use


Level 3 Dialogic reflection There is evidence of a lsquostepping backrsquo from the events There is

consideration of the qualities of judgments and of possible alternatives for explaining and

hypothesizing analytical or integrative linking factors and perspectives

Level 4 Critical reflection Writer is aware that the same actions and events may be seen in

different contexts with different explanations associated with the contexts

The Gibbrsquos Model of Reflection served as a general guideline to guide the students in journal

writing Based on this model they wrote their reflection by responding to the following questions

(1) What happened (2) What were your reactions and feelings (3) What was good and bad

about the experience (4) What sense can you make of the situation (5) What else could you have

done (6) If it happens again what would you do The content of the reflective writing was

focused on what the student learned and how that may benefit him or her in the future [14] [15]

11 Statement of the problem

The purpose of this study was to describe the journal reports of students as to the various stages

of reflection and to look into whether there was higher-order thinking or reflective skills in their

writing It also described general perceptions of students about reflective journal writing

12 Research questions

For the purpose of this study the following questions were addressed namely (1) to what extent

do students demonstrate the various stages of reflection (2) what are the perceptions of students

regarding reflective journal writing (3) to what extent does reflective journal writing promote

studentsrsquo critical thinking or understanding onersquos own learning and (4) do students find

reflective journal writing a useful activity to enhance their learning experience

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

The pervasive model for engineering pedagogy emphasises maths and physics delivered in a

traditional manner It consists of largely content-laden units of study that are assessed by quizzes

tests and final examinations As a consequence students exert more effort in memorising facts

This implies that practitioners are less likely to be creative divergent thinkers and problem-

solvers of complex issues Assessment tasks do not take into consideration the constructive

alignment between teaching-learning activities and assessment [18] Assessment commonly done

in engineering disciplines is mainly traditional using numbers evidence to demonstrate learning

The use of reflective writing in engineering and other science or math disciplines is largely

regarded as ldquosoftrdquo assessment which implies that it lacks objective or quantitative measurement

criteria [19]

Moreover various studies demonstrate strong evidence that the engineering curriculum

encourages surface rather than a deep approach to learning The deep learners are more disposed

to applying their knowledge ie connect theory and practice to solve problems The traditional

form of instruction (eg conventional lecture and assessment tasks that are mostly of recall type)

reward passivity in students rather than their active involvement in the learning process Teaching

that allows students to participate actively in the learning process encourages deep learning in the

subject matter Likewise if assessment tasks reward memorising and rote memory then the

students are practically rewarded for taking a surface approach to learning the subject matter [20]

In order to promote active learning in engineering teachers should teach the different concepts in

a unified manner


Goldsmith Willey and Boud (2012) cited in their work major research activities that identified

learning gaps in the development of engineering graduate capabilities namely lack of problem-

solving abilities with real-world issues and lack of written and spoken communication skills

They asserted that gaps occur because most engineering curricula emphasise acquisition of

knowledge theory and practice are not integrated and assessment tasks give more weight on

ldquoatomised pieces of knowledgerdquo Their work investigated the use of discursive writing to

encourage deep learning and improve written communication skills of engineering students

Discursive writing provides the students with a learning environment where they can explore

theories and concepts integrate and link them to practical engineering skills They concluded that

academics must seriously consider writing as part of the curriculum to develop graduate

capabilities of engineering students ie to develop writing tasks determine their effectiveness in

developing writing capabilities and facilitating an integrated engineering curriculum [21]

The use of reflective writing assignments in engineering education has been explored as an

important source of creative activity or critical thinking Formal reflection on learning tasks in

industry-related or project-based learning activities has demonstrated that it encourages students

to examine their practical skills and evaluate the best approach to complete a project [22]

Reflective writing assignment in engineering courses may actually help students develop critical

thinking skills The rationale for the reflective writing assignment is that students are able to build

on prior knowledge and see the connection between theory and practice At the same time they

are able to have a deeper understanding of how they learn in order to integrate old and new

knowledge identify mistakes and avoid repeating them and help them to become lifelong

learners throughout their course and professional life [23]

Statistical evidence shows that reflective writing can enhance learning among engineering

students Burrows (2001) showed statistical data to demonstrate that reflective writing can

improve not only thinking and writing skills but also learning of content at the knowledge level

Nevertheless in order to provide solid proof of improved learning through reflective writing

Burrows pointed out that there is a need to explore attitudes and motivations of students towards

reflective journaling The use of reflective writing as a teaching-learning approach to improve

learning may be useful provided that teachers clarify the intended learning outcomes of the course

and the corresponding assessment tasks provide formative feedback and demonstrate the

relevance between theory and practice in all courses [24]

3 METHOD

The aim of this study was to describe the various stages of reflection based on Hatton and Smithrsquos

model of stages of reflection namely (1) descriptive writing (straightforward account of events)

(2) descriptive reflection (no evidence of alternative viewpoints) (3) dialogic reflection (writer

stands back from the event and analyses it) (4) critical reflection (writer puts hisher account into

a broader perspective) The stages for this model were used as the basis for describing the journal

entries of the students

A 20-item questionnaire developed by M Farrah (2012) [25] using a 5-point Likert was used as

the instrument to describe perceptions of students regarding RJW The relative agreement to the

questionnaire items ranged from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree) Descriptive statistics

were used to interpret the findings on studentsrsquo perceptions on RJW The questionnaire was

administered at the end of the Communication Skills module during the second semester of

school year 2013-2014


Convenience sampling was done in this study The participants in this study included students

from two groups of Foundation Degree Mechanical Engineering Programme who were enrolled

in a Communication Skills course at the Institut Teknologi Brunei during the second semester of

school year 2013-2014 The total number of participants was forty-four

The students were given instructions to write their reflection regarding their learning experience

at the end of their class The Gibbrsquos Model of Reflection was used as a guideline in writing their

journal entries This procedure was done throughout the fourteen (14) weeks of the second

semesterrsquos class The last four journal entries were collected for review and description based on

Hatton and Smithrsquos model of stages of reflection

4 RESULTS

41 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

As indicated in Table 1 the majority of the 44 respondents who were all enrolled in the

Foundational Degree of the Mechanical Engineering programme area were under the age group

20-22 were on their first year of study male-dominated and had given themselves a self-rating

of good to average writing abilities The majority of them about 64 did not have any

experience in writing journals from their previous schools The Gibbrsquos Model of Reflection was

used as a guideline to help them write their journal entries The guideline proved to be useful not

only for those without experience but also for others who had prior experience in RJW who took

part in this study

Table 1 Demographic profile of respondents (N=44)

Profile Frequency

Gender

Male 27 614

Female 17 386

Age

17-19 10 227

20-22 31 705

22-24 3 68

Year of study

1st Year 42 955

2nd

Year 2 45

Self-rating of overall writing

ability

Poor-very poor 7 159

Good-Average 32 727

Very good- Excellent 5 114

Experience in RJW

No experience in RJW 28 636

With experience in RJW 16 364


42 MAIN FINDINGS

All 44 students who participated in this study showed an overall positive perception towards

reflective journal writing The 20 questions in the questionnaire were designed to look into five

areas of studentsrsquo perceptions towards reflective writing as to the following namely (1) active

involvement and personal ownership of learning (2) critical thinking (3) understanding of their

own learning (4) facilitation of the learning experience and (5) the valuing of personal

observation and knowledge The following was used as the guide for descriptive interpretation of

the weighted mean

Weighted mean range Interpretation

100-149 SD (Strongly Disagree)

150-249 D (Disagree)

250-349 N (Neutral)

350 449 A (Agree)

450-500 SA (Strongly agree)

Table 2 Studentsrsquo perceptions as to active involvement and personal ownership of learning

through RJW (N=44)

Questionnaire Item Frequency () Mean

SD D N A SA

Reflective Journal writing helped me to

talk about my experiences 0 2

(45) 10

(227) 20

(455) 12

(273) 395


express my ideas and opinions 0 1

(23) 13

(295) 19

(432) 11

(25) 390


respond to my thoughts and feelings 0 0 14

(318) 23

(523) 7

(159) 384

Reflective Journal writing was an

opportunity to gain self-knowledge 0 4

(91) 19

(432) 17

(386) 4

(91) 347

I did NOT have enough time to write in

my journals 5

(114)

14

(318) 18

(409) 7

(159) 0 261

To summarise Table 2 shows that the majority of students had a positive perception towards

reflective journal writing (RJW) in terms of helping them to talk or express their ideas and

opinion about their experience as well as allowing them to respond to their own thoughts and

feelings with means of 395 390 384 respectively However their perceptions in terms of

gaining self-knowledge through RJW were less conclusive About 43 of students had a neutral

response which suggests that these students had no strong feelings or they may have had

insufficient experience to form strong feelings about it These data show that about 40 had a

neutral opinion on the perception that there was not enough time for RJW only 16 agreed that

there was not enough time for journal writing


Table 3 Studentsrsquo perceptions as to stimulating critical thinking through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA

Reflective Journal writing stimulated my

critical thinking skills 0 1

(23) 18

(409) 20

(455) 5

(114) 365

Reflective Journal writing was a way of

thinking to explore my learning 0 1

(23) 23

(523) 15

(341) 5

(114) 354

As shown in Table 3 the majority of students agreed that RJW stimulated their critical thinking

skills as well as it provided a means of or a way of thinking to explore their learning However

while the majority demonstrated a positive perception it is worth mentioning that about 41 and

52 of the respondents took a neutral position as to RJW as a means of stimulating their critical

thinking skills or a way of thinking to explore onersquos learning

Table 4 Studentsrsquo perceptions as to understanding their own learning through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA

Reflective Journal writing helped me

understand what I am learning

0 2

(45)

21

(477)

17

(386)

4

(91)

352

Reflective Journal writing allowed me to

describe what I understood

0 2

(45)

12

(273)

26

(591)

4

(91)

372

I did NOT understand what I am supposed

to write in my journal

3

(68)

12

(273)

17

(386)

7

(159)

5

(114)

297

The data in Table 4 suggest an overall positive perception of students towards RJW with means

of 352 and 372 respectively as a means to understand their own learning and to describe what

they actually understood The neutral opinion regarding the understanding of what they were

supposed to write in the journal as shown by the mean of 297 may be attributed to the lack of

experience in RJW by the majority of respondents (Table 1)

Table 5 Studentsrsquo perceptions as to facilitating learning experience through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA

Reflective Journal writing offered me a

chance to develop and reinforce my

writing skills

0 1

(23)

17

(386)

22

(50)

4

(91)

365

Reflective Journal writing enhanced my

communication skills

0 5

(114)

17

(386)

20

(455)

2

(45)

343

Frequent journal writing increased my

creativity

0 3

(68)

22

(50)

16

(364)

3

(68)

343

I find it easy to write in my journal

4

(91)

5

(114)

29

(659)

4

(91)

2

(45)

288

Reflective Journal writing ACTUALLY

improved my writing skills

1

(23)

4

(91)

22

(50)

13

(295)

4

(91)

334


The data in Table 5 show that majority of students had a positive perception towards RJW as a

means to improve (develop and reinforce) their writing skills While this perception is positive

students took a neutral position as to the belief that RJW actually enhanced their communication

skills increased their creativity or actually improved their writings skills with means of 331

343 and 329 respectively In addition the majority had also a neutral opinion with a mean of

288 as to finding RJW as an easy task This may be attributed to the lack of experience in RJW

by the majority of respondents (Table 1)

Table 6 Studentsrsquo perceptions as to valuing personal observation and knowledge through RJW

(N=44)


SD D N A SA

Journal writing motivated me to write

more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286

Reflective Journal writing is a waste of

time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234

Reflective Journal writing should be

encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350

I would like to share with the class what I

wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213

Overall Reflective Journal writing was a

worthwhile experience

0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354

The data in Table 6 show that majority perceived RJW as a worthwhile activity and should be

encouraged as shown by means of 354 and 350 respectively Paradoxically they also show that

RJW did not motivate them to write more as the majority of respondents took a neutral position

with a mean of 286 In addition students seemed not to be inclined to share with others what

they had written on their journals as shown by the mean of 213

Table 7 Distribution of studentsrsquo journal writing entries based on stage of reflection

Stage Frequency () Total (N=44)

Male (n=30) Female (n=14)

1 (Descriptive writing) 30 14 44 100

2 (Descriptive reflection) 23 13 36 818

3 (Dialogic reflection) 14 7 21 477

4 (Critical reflection) 3 5 8 182

The data in Table 7 reveal that all students (100) seemed capable and at ease in describing their

experience in their reflective journals but as they went from descriptive to the highest stage of

reflection ie critical reflection they seemed to be less skillful in expressing their thoughts or

ideas The majority seemed capable of both descriptive writing and reflection or the first two

stages of reflection Only 18 of the students were able to write entries that may be described or

categorized under the stage of critical reflection


Table 8 Illustrative examples of reflective writing by students based on reflection stages 1-4

(Hatton and Smith 1995)

Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing

11ldquoFrom morning until this moment I feel sleepy all the way Maybe because of

lack of sleep Irsquove been doing reports amp projects for several weeks amp all I need now

is a good restrdquo 12ldquoToday has been a good day for me so far I went to a seafood restaurant during

lunch After that we were given a test and then did the Personal Development

Programme (PDP) activity on team workrdquo 2

Descriptive

reflection

21ldquoThe first week was the most difficult we were still new to this nature of

assignment I was having difficulties in trying to comprehend what I was supposed to

do However though the passing weeks it has been betterhelliprdquo 22 I think that I have more work to do because we have made the wrong proposalhellip

We need to re-do the proposal and hope this time is the correct way of doing the

proposal I feel like I wanna cry because of the over-excessive course work that was

given to us and must handle before we have our revision week which is coming

soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection

31ldquoAt first maybe some of the problem(s) originated from myself I wasnrsquot paying

attention and not bothering on the assignment Fortunately I realized that this is

important not only for my grades but for my final year research proposal I have to

know how to do this My ignorance might be caused by my long-term habit in

slacking in doing my workrdquo

32 The good thing about learning about research proposal is that we have the basics

of doing it for the final year project we will not be having a hard time The bad

thing is that we donrsquot have much time to do all the course work We have to

sacrifice our timehellip such as sleep late at night to finish all the workrdquo

4

Critical

reflection

41ldquoIrsquom neutral about this experience because for me all of these are good practice

for my tutorial but Irsquom struggling now amp itrsquos only the 2nd

semester Irsquom sometimes

demotivated because Irsquom just tired because of too much course work but then I think

this is what I wanted to do in the first placehellip giving up is NOT an option amp of

course I will not give uprdquo

42ldquoDuring the activity it helped us to solve our problems in the given situation We

have gone through a discussion amongst our group with an agreement of the possible

solutions at the end of the discussion In that way it creates team work I will try to

conduct the same activity with a different situation in order to solve more problems

hellip try to create a challenging situation where it involves critical thinking and team

work problem solvingrdquo

The illustrative examples (Table 8) of reflective writing by students in this study seemed to

demonstrate that they were confident and competent in expressing their feelings towards learning

They were able to state their frustrations and appreciate what they actually learned in class eg

team work or their fear of not being able to cope with difficult subjects eg writing a research

proposal Despite limited experience in RJW the majority found it a worthwhile learning

experience

As a caveat these illustrative examples were not intended for demonstrating a comprehensive

analysis of the content of the journal entries The purpose was simply to provide evidence on the

extent of the abilities of students in writing about their reflections based on Hatton and Smithrsquos


model of stages of reflection Repeating a similar study with a broader sample and disciplines as

well as carrying out an in-depth and thematic analysis of content of journal entries may enhance

or promote a better understanding of the usefulness of RJW in enhancing the overall learning

experience of students across disciplines

5 DISCUSSION

The focus of this study was to demonstrate the various stages of reflection based on the journal

reports of students and describe their perceptions as to the extent by which it promotes active

involvement and personal ownership of learning critical thinking understanding of their own

learning facilitation of the learning experience and the valuing of personal observation and

knowledge

The findings in Table 2 are consistent with literature review that generally students have varying

skills in their abilities to reflect ie even if the majority has a positive overall perception of

RJW not everyone found it easy to talk about ideas and opinion about their experience Since

almost 65 of the students did not have prior experience in RJW the Gibbrsquos Model of Reflection

was used as a guideline in order for them to write down their reflection In a similar study by CY

Shieh (2011) which was done to engage undergraduate students in translation programme half of

the subjects found reflective journal writing difficult and the other half found it easy A small

minority remained undecided ie took a neutral position about their perceptions about RJW

Most of those who stated difficulty in RJW cited their lack of experience and were unsure of what

to write [26]

In general it seems that the studentsrsquo neutral response to RJW as an opportunity to gain self-

knowledge may be due to lack of experience in RJW as part of their learning activity (Table 2)

The majority seemed to agree that not having enough time to write in their journals was not a

limitation in this study They were given thirty minutes at the end of the class to write down their

reflection Most of them were able to finish their entries within this period

The findings (Tables 3 4 and 5) tend to support statistical evidence by Burrows et al(2001) for

enhanced learning through RJW Their study which was carried out among freshman engineering

students in Arizona State University demonstrated that RJW ldquocan measurably improve learning of

content at the knowledge levelrdquo In addition the same study showed that RJW can improve both

thinking and writing skills [24] The use of reflective writing as a learning activity may have

significant implications in the pedagogy or implementation of curriculum in engineering courses

[21] [27] particularly in stimulating critical thinking and exploring onersquos way of thinking about

learning

Furthermore even if the majority of students did not believe that their writing skills improved

through RJW the majority seemed to agree that it offered them an opportunity to develop and

reinforce this skill (Table 5) Likewise the majority believed that it was a worthwhile experience

and must be encouraged or continued (Table 6)

As indicated in Table 8 the illustrative examples of reflective writing show that the students were

able to express their feelings and what they thought about their learning Their major concern was

actually the rigorous requirements of their studies The content of their reflective writing was

mostly about the fulfilment of the requirements of their module or course Furthermore it seemed

that it was not enough to simply provide guidelines to students in order to motivate them to write

in their reflective journals particularly for those who were writing them for the first time

Likewise it was unlikely that they would be able to reflect at a higher level given a limited


experience in RJW during their previous schooling In all likelihood this could explain why

majority of the journal entries fell under stages 1 and 2 of reflection (Table 7) and only a minority

was able to write entries under stage 4 (critical thinking)

Goldsmith (2012) cited a body of research particularly by Brown Collins and Duguid (1989)

Herrington (1985) and Lea and Street (1998) that suggests that deep approaches to learning can

be achieved through particular kinds of writing that provides an opportunity for learners to link

theory and practice [28] [29] [30] Furthermore while the findings of his study in the University

of Technology in Sydney were not conclusive as to support this body of research he stated that

there is a huge potential for the development of student writing abilities in the engineering

curriculum Engineering students struggle to link theory to practice or to apply what one has

learned to another situation or circumstances [21] In the light of these findings RJW may well be

a practical approach to provide students with writing opportunities which in turn may be able to

help them develop not only the writing skills but also a deeper understanding of their learning in

engineering

51 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY AND FUTURE RESEARCH

The limitations of this study include the small sample size of respondents in exploring the

different stages of reflection and perceptions of students towards reflection They were recruited

via convenience sampling A future consideration is to include more students in the sample for

research in order to get more information regarding reflective journal writing and its practical

usefulness as a teaching and learning tool to enhance studentsrsquo learning experience As to the

illustrative examples there was no attempt to analyze the content of the entries in the journals

They were simply categorized based on subjective interpretation of the researchers based on the

Hatton and Smithrsquos stages of reflection Hence a future study with a larger sample randomly

selected across multiple disciplines and a more structured content analysis of the journal reports

would provide a better understanding about reflection as a tool for enhancing studentsrsquo learning

experience

6 CONCLUSIONS

This study described the journal reports of students as to the various stages of reflection based on

the Hatton and Smithrsquos model of stages of reflection Generally students have varying skills in

their abilities to reflect with the majority being more skillful in stages 1 and 2 and only a few

were able to reflect at stages 3 and 4 of reflection A possible explanation for these results may be

the lack of prior experience in RJW by the majority of the students Hence the majority was less

skillful in its ability to analyse and critically reflect on the experience and put it into a broader

perspective This study also described the studentsrsquo perceptions towards reflective writing as to

the active as well as personal ownership of learning critical thinking understanding of onersquos own


knowledge The majority of students had positive perceptions towards RJW in all these areas

However while their perceptions in terms of gaining self-knowledge through RJW were less

conclusive they found it as a means to understand their own learning as well as it enabled them

to describe what they actually understood Likewise the majority of students perceived RJW as a

worthwhile activity that should be encouraged Notwithstanding the limitations identified in this

study reflective journal writing has a huge potential for developing it as a practical teaching

strategy for enhancing students learning experience in general and specifically it may also

provide opportunities to explore concepts or ideas that link theory and practice in engineering

courses In terms of good practice it is recommended that students should be given opportunities

to make connections between theory and practice through RJW Finally in terms of directions for


future research further studies may focus on achieving more reliable and valid measurements of

assessing the various stages of reflection such as performing content analysis of journal entries

through coding categories and using both quantitative and qualitative techniques for interpreting

the coded data

7 REFERENCES

[1] DN Lew and HG Schmidt ldquoSelf-reflection and academic performance Is there

a relationshiprdquo Advances in Health Sciences Education vol16 no4 pp 529- 545

October 2011 httpwwwncbinlmnihgovpmcarticlesPMC3167369 [Accessed

March 27 2014]

[2] J Dewey How we think NYDC Heath and Co Publishers 1910 (Available online

httpsarchiveorgstreamhowwethink000838mbppagen11mode2up)

[3] D Boud R Keogh and D Walker (editors) Reflection turning experience into

learning London Kogan Page 1985

[4] JA Moon A handbook of reflective and experiential learning London

RoutledgeFalmer 2005 (Available online fileFFULLPAPER20FOLDER

a_handbook_of_reflective_and_experiential_learning_-_theory_and_practicepdf)

[5] T King ldquoDevelopment of student skills in reflective writingrdquo [Online] Available

httpnursing-midwiferytcdieassetsdirector-staff-edu-devpdfDevelopment-of-

student-Skills-in-Reflective-Writing-TerryKingpdf [Accessed January 13 2014]

[6] FMuir ldquoThe understanding and experience of students tutors and educators

regarding reflection in medical education a qualitative studyrdquo International Journal of

Medical Education vol1 pp 61-67 2010

[7] SS Zimmerman D JB Hanson JE Stube JS Jedlicka and L Fox ldquoUsing the

power of student reflection to enhance professional development The Internet Journal

of Allied Health Sciences and Practice vol5 no 2 2007 [Online] Available

httpijahspnovaedu [Accessed Feb 5 2014]

[8] LL Linsley and V A Burrows lsquoWork in progress-Instructor credibility An analysis of

engineering studentsrsquo reflective writing for evidence of attitude shiftsrdquo 37th

ASEEIEEE

Frontiers in Education Conference 10-13 October 2007 Milwaukee WI

Available IEEE Xplore httpwwwieeeorg [Accessed Mar 27 2014]

[9] T C Russo and D J Ford ldquoTeachersrsquo reflection on reflection practicerdquo

Journal of Cognitive Affective Learning vol2 no2 pp 1-12 2006

[10] T Orsquo Connell and J Dyment ldquoReflections on using journals in higher education

A focus group discussion with facultyrdquo Assessment and Evaluation in Higher

Education Vol31 no6 pp 671-691 2206

[11] S Kerka ldquoJournal writing as an adult learning toolrdquo ERIC Clearing House on Adult


Career and Vocational Education Practical Application Brief No22 pp 1-4

2002[Online] Available httpfilesericedgovfulltextED470782pdf [Accessed Feb

11 2014]

[12] K D Chirema ldquo The use of reflective journals in the promotion of reflection and

learning in post-registration nursing studentsrdquo Nurse Education Todayrdquo Vol 27

No 3 pp 192-202 2007

[13] MDN Lew and H G Schmidt ldquoOnline reflection journals Learning through

assessmentrsquo in Proceedings ascilite Singapore 2007Concise paperLew and Schmidt

[Online] Available httpwwwasciliteorgauconferencessingapore

07procslewpdf [Accessed Feb 11 2014]

[14] P Watton J Collins and J Moon ldquoReflective writing Guidance Notes for

[Online] Available httpwwwexeteracukfchwork- experiencereflective- writing-

guidancepdf [Accessed Jan 20 2014]

[15] J A Moon ldquoLearning journals and logsrdquo in Good Practice in Teaching and

Learning Centre for Teaching and Learning UK UCD Dublin 2010 [Online]

Available httpwwwucdiet4cmsUCDTLA0035pdf [Accessed January 18 2014]

[16] J A Moon Reflection in Learning and Professional Development London and New

York Routledge Falmer 1999 pp 66-77

[17] Roberts Andrew Reflection in workplace learning A literature review in HEA Centre

for Education in the Built Environment [Online] Available wwwcebeheacademyacuk

[Accessed Feb 24 2015]

[18] R Goldsmith C Reidsema HBeck and D Campbell Perspectives on teaching and

learning engineering design across four universitiesrdquo in 2nd

International Conference on

Design Education 28 June-1 July 2010 University of New South Wales Sydney

Australia Available httpswwwacademiaedu [Accessed Feb 5 2014]

[19] C Reidsema and P Mort ldquoAssessing reflective writing Analysis of reflective writing

in an engineering design courserdquo vol3 no2 November 30 2009 [Online]

Available fileCUsersITB-53Downloads97-1059-1-PB20(1) pdf [Accessed

Feb 5 2014]

[20] J Lublin ldquoDeep surface and strategic approaches to learningrdquo in Good Practice in

Teaching and Learning Centre for Teaching and Learning UK University College

Dublin 2003 pp1-11

[21] R Goldsmith K Willey and D Boud ldquoHow can writing develop studentsrsquo deep

approaches to learning in the engineering curriculumrdquo in Proceedings of the 2012

AAEE Conference Melbourne Victoria Available httpwwwaaee comau

conferences 2012documentsabstractsaaee2012-submission-63pdf [Accessed Feb

5 2014]

[22] YAllam Pilot extra Credit-incented Collaborative learning and reflection in an

engineering graphics courserdquo Proceedings in 2013 ASEE Southeast Section

Conference Available httpseaseeorgproceedingsASEE2013Papers2013

181PDF [Accessed Feb 5 2014]


[23] TM Bayles ldquoA reflective writing assignment to engage students in critical

thinkingrdquo in Proceedings of the 120th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition

American Society for Engineering Education 2013 Available httpwwwengr uky

Edu~aseechedpapers20136811pdf [Accessed Feb 5 2014]

[24] VA Burrows B Mc Neill N F Hubele and L Bellamy ldquo Statistical evidence for

enhanced learning of content through reflective journal writingrdquoJournal of

Engineering Education vol 90 no 4 pp 661-667 Oct 2001

[25] M Farrah ldquoReflective journal writing as an effective technique in the writing

processrdquo An-Najah University J Res (Humanities) vol26 no4 pp997- 1024

2012 [Online] Available httpswwwacademiaedu [Accessed Jan 23 2014]

[26] C Y Shieh ldquoLearning from writing reflective learning journals in a theory-based

translation modulestudentsrsquo perspectivesrdquo The Interpreter and Translator Trainer

vol5 no 2 pp 309-324 [Online] Available wwwllasacuk[Accessed Feb 11 2014]

[27] C Reidsema RGoldsmith and P Mort ldquoEnabling the reflective practitioner in

Engineering design coursesrdquo 2nd

International Conference on Design Education 28

June-1July2010SydneyAustraliaAvailable

httpwwwresearchgatenetpublication247001017_ON_CREATING_CREATI

VE_ENGINEERS [Accessed Mar 27 2014]

[28] JS Brown A Collins and P Duguid ldquoSituated cognition and the culture of

learning Educational Researcher pp32-42 Jan-Feb 1989

[29] A J HerringtonrdquoWriting in academic settings A study of the contexts for writing in two

college chemical engineering coursesrdquo Research in the Teaching of English vol19 no4

pp 331-361 1985

[30] M R Lea and B V Street ldquoStudent writing in higher education An academic

literacies approach Studies in Higher Education vol 23 no 2 pp 157-172 1998


Moon describes reflection as something that is naturally embedded in the learning process She

defines it as a form of mental processing or thinking to fulfil a purpose or anticipated outcome as

applied to relatively complex or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution [4]

This definition stresses both the critical analysis of knowledge and experience Reflection is a

means to gain an in-depth knowledge and a better understanding of the experience

Reflection has been embedded in standards for Higher Education For example the Qualifications

and Curriculum Authority which has been responsible for setting national Standards for Key

Skills for all university students in UK such as communications information technology

application of numbers working with others problem-solving and improving onersquos learning and

performance require students to critically reflect on their skills to evaluate their overall approach

to work and effectiveness It defines critical reflection as a deliberate process during a course of

work when an individual focuses on hisher performance and assesses what heshe is learning

from that experience in order to guide him in future actions [5]

There has been a dearth of literature about reflective writing for the Higher Education science and

technical disciplines including the Engineering courses The majority of studies in this area has

focused on the pedagogy of medical programmes such as nursing social work and sociology as

well as in the arts and humanities Reflective writing has become a common approach to develop

English writing skills increasing motivation and promoting higher order thinking skills The use

of reflective journals to promote reflection and the learning process has been widely elaborated in

these disciplines [5] Reflection as a learning experience is an essential component for

professional competence [6] [7] [8] In 2006 Russo for example in his research on college

teachers teaching from various disciplines and institutions reported the teachersrsquo account on how

reflection helped them in their interaction with their students as well as in their professional

development The practice of reflection can address learning issues deepen understanding and

create fresh insights [9]

In addition the online learning environment has been particularly useful for enhancing reflection

For example Lew and Schmidt (2007) stressed the significance of the work of OrsquoConnell and

Dyment (2006) Kerka (1996) and Chirema (2007) to underscore the usefulness of lsquolearning

journalsrsquo as a means to promote reflection and gain experience in recording reflection in learning

improving writing skills and enhancing awareness of learning achievements [10] [11] [12] For

example the use of online reflection journals also allows students to think and write reflectively

and thus improves learning Students are likely to use the journals to provide feedback about their

facilitators as well as their peers The use of online reflection journals serves as an assessment

tool that enables facilitators to monitor studentsrsquo learning progress through specific and detailed

feedback on their performance while students reflect on their own learning [13] However

despite all this research to date no study has explored the use of reflective journals with

Engineering undergraduates

This study utilized Hatton and Smithrsquos model that described the levels of reflection as a basis for

describing the stages of the studentsrsquo reflective writing [14] [15] [16] [17] This model

describes the content of the journal writing according to the following levels

Level 1 Descriptive writing This is a description of events or literature reports There is no

discussion beyond description

Level 2 Descriptive reflection There is some evidence of deeper consideration in relatively

descriptive language There is no real evidence of the notion of alternative viewpoints in use























2 LITERATURE REVIEW










criteria [19]










a unified manner

































3 METHOD























4 RESULTS









part in this study


Profile Frequency

Gender

Male 27 614

Female 17 386

Age

17-19 10 227

20-22 31 705

22-24 3 68

Year of study

1st Year 42 955

2nd

Year 2 45


ability


Good-Average 32 727


Experience in RJW




42 MAIN FINDINGS







the weighted mean




250-349 N (Neutral)

350 449 A (Agree)



through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA



(45) 10

(227) 20

(455) 12

(273) 395



(23) 13

(295) 19

(432) 11

(25) 390



(318) 23

(523) 7

(159) 384



(91) 19

(432) 17

(386) 4

(91) 347


my journals 5

(114)

14

(318) 18

(409) 7

(159) 0 261













SD D N A SA



(23) 18

(409) 20

(455) 5

(114) 365



(23) 23

(523) 15

(341) 5

(114) 354








SD D N A SA



0 2

(45)

21

(477)

17

(386)

4

(91)

352



0 2

(45)

12

(273)

26

(591)

4

(91)

372



3

(68)

12

(273)

17

(386)

7

(159)

5

(114)

297








SD D N A SA



writing skills

0 1

(23)

17

(386)

22

(50)

4

(91)

365



0 5

(114)

17

(386)

20

(455)

2

(45)

343


creativity

0 3

(68)

22

(50)

16

(364)

3

(68)

343


4

(91)

5

(114)

29

(659)

4

(91)

2

(45)

288



1

(23)

4

(91)

22

(50)

13

(295)

4

(91)

334










(N=44)


SD D N A SA


more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286


time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234


encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350


wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213



0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354






















Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985

























2 LITERATURE REVIEW










criteria [19]










a unified manner

































3 METHOD























4 RESULTS









part in this study


Profile Frequency

Gender

Male 27 614

Female 17 386

Age

17-19 10 227

20-22 31 705

22-24 3 68

Year of study

1st Year 42 955

2nd

Year 2 45


ability


Good-Average 32 727


Experience in RJW




42 MAIN FINDINGS







the weighted mean




250-349 N (Neutral)

350 449 A (Agree)



through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA



(45) 10

(227) 20

(455) 12

(273) 395



(23) 13

(295) 19

(432) 11

(25) 390



(318) 23

(523) 7

(159) 384



(91) 19

(432) 17

(386) 4

(91) 347


my journals 5

(114)

14

(318) 18

(409) 7

(159) 0 261













SD D N A SA



(23) 18

(409) 20

(455) 5

(114) 365



(23) 23

(523) 15

(341) 5

(114) 354








SD D N A SA



0 2

(45)

21

(477)

17

(386)

4

(91)

352



0 2

(45)

12

(273)

26

(591)

4

(91)

372



3

(68)

12

(273)

17

(386)

7

(159)

5

(114)

297








SD D N A SA



writing skills

0 1

(23)

17

(386)

22

(50)

4

(91)

365



0 5

(114)

17

(386)

20

(455)

2

(45)

343


creativity

0 3

(68)

22

(50)

16

(364)

3

(68)

343


4

(91)

5

(114)

29

(659)

4

(91)

2

(45)

288



1

(23)

4

(91)

22

(50)

13

(295)

4

(91)

334










(N=44)


SD D N A SA


more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286


time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234


encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350


wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213



0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354






















Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985



































3 METHOD























4 RESULTS









part in this study


Profile Frequency

Gender

Male 27 614

Female 17 386

Age

17-19 10 227

20-22 31 705

22-24 3 68

Year of study

1st Year 42 955

2nd

Year 2 45


ability


Good-Average 32 727


Experience in RJW




42 MAIN FINDINGS







the weighted mean




250-349 N (Neutral)

350 449 A (Agree)



through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA



(45) 10

(227) 20

(455) 12

(273) 395



(23) 13

(295) 19

(432) 11

(25) 390



(318) 23

(523) 7

(159) 384



(91) 19

(432) 17

(386) 4

(91) 347


my journals 5

(114)

14

(318) 18

(409) 7

(159) 0 261













SD D N A SA



(23) 18

(409) 20

(455) 5

(114) 365



(23) 23

(523) 15

(341) 5

(114) 354








SD D N A SA



0 2

(45)

21

(477)

17

(386)

4

(91)

352



0 2

(45)

12

(273)

26

(591)

4

(91)

372



3

(68)

12

(273)

17

(386)

7

(159)

5

(114)

297








SD D N A SA



writing skills

0 1

(23)

17

(386)

22

(50)

4

(91)

365



0 5

(114)

17

(386)

20

(455)

2

(45)

343


creativity

0 3

(68)

22

(50)

16

(364)

3

(68)

343


4

(91)

5

(114)

29

(659)

4

(91)

2

(45)

288



1

(23)

4

(91)

22

(50)

13

(295)

4

(91)

334










(N=44)


SD D N A SA


more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286


time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234


encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350


wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213



0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354






















Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985













4 RESULTS









part in this study


Profile Frequency

Gender

Male 27 614

Female 17 386

Age

17-19 10 227

20-22 31 705

22-24 3 68

Year of study

1st Year 42 955

2nd

Year 2 45


ability


Good-Average 32 727


Experience in RJW




42 MAIN FINDINGS







the weighted mean




250-349 N (Neutral)

350 449 A (Agree)



through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA



(45) 10

(227) 20

(455) 12

(273) 395



(23) 13

(295) 19

(432) 11

(25) 390



(318) 23

(523) 7

(159) 384



(91) 19

(432) 17

(386) 4

(91) 347


my journals 5

(114)

14

(318) 18

(409) 7

(159) 0 261













SD D N A SA



(23) 18

(409) 20

(455) 5

(114) 365



(23) 23

(523) 15

(341) 5

(114) 354








SD D N A SA



0 2

(45)

21

(477)

17

(386)

4

(91)

352



0 2

(45)

12

(273)

26

(591)

4

(91)

372



3

(68)

12

(273)

17

(386)

7

(159)

5

(114)

297








SD D N A SA



writing skills

0 1

(23)

17

(386)

22

(50)

4

(91)

365



0 5

(114)

17

(386)

20

(455)

2

(45)

343


creativity

0 3

(68)

22

(50)

16

(364)

3

(68)

343


4

(91)

5

(114)

29

(659)

4

(91)

2

(45)

288



1

(23)

4

(91)

22

(50)

13

(295)

4

(91)

334










(N=44)


SD D N A SA


more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286


time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234


encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350


wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213



0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354






















Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985




42 MAIN FINDINGS







the weighted mean




250-349 N (Neutral)

350 449 A (Agree)



through RJW (N=44)


SD D N A SA



(45) 10

(227) 20

(455) 12

(273) 395



(23) 13

(295) 19

(432) 11

(25) 390



(318) 23

(523) 7

(159) 384



(91) 19

(432) 17

(386) 4

(91) 347


my journals 5

(114)

14

(318) 18

(409) 7

(159) 0 261













SD D N A SA



(23) 18

(409) 20

(455) 5

(114) 365



(23) 23

(523) 15

(341) 5

(114) 354








SD D N A SA



0 2

(45)

21

(477)

17

(386)

4

(91)

352



0 2

(45)

12

(273)

26

(591)

4

(91)

372



3

(68)

12

(273)

17

(386)

7

(159)

5

(114)

297








SD D N A SA



writing skills

0 1

(23)

17

(386)

22

(50)

4

(91)

365



0 5

(114)

17

(386)

20

(455)

2

(45)

343


creativity

0 3

(68)

22

(50)

16

(364)

3

(68)

343


4

(91)

5

(114)

29

(659)

4

(91)

2

(45)

288



1

(23)

4

(91)

22

(50)

13

(295)

4

(91)

334










(N=44)


SD D N A SA


more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286


time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234


encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350


wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213



0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354






















Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985






SD D N A SA



(23) 18

(409) 20

(455) 5

(114) 365



(23) 23

(523) 15

(341) 5

(114) 354








SD D N A SA



0 2

(45)

21

(477)

17

(386)

4

(91)

352



0 2

(45)

12

(273)

26

(591)

4

(91)

372



3

(68)

12

(273)

17

(386)

7

(159)

5

(114)

297








SD D N A SA



writing skills

0 1

(23)

17

(386)

22

(50)

4

(91)

365



0 5

(114)

17

(386)

20

(455)

2

(45)

343


creativity

0 3

(68)

22

(50)

16

(364)

3

(68)

343


4

(91)

5

(114)

29

(659)

4

(91)

2

(45)

288



1

(23)

4

(91)

22

(50)

13

(295)

4

(91)

334










(N=44)


SD D N A SA


more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286


time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234


encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350


wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213



0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354






















Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985












(N=44)


SD D N A SA


more

1

(23)

12

(273)

23

(523)

8

(182)

0 286


time

9

(205)

15

(341)

16

(364)

4

(91)

0 234


encouragedcontinued

1

(23)

4

(91)

19

(432)

12

(272)

8

(182)

350


wrote in my journal

17

(386)

10

(227)

12

(273)

4

(91)

1

(23)

213



0

2

(45)

20

(455)

18

(409)

4

(91)

354






















Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985






Stage Examples

1

Descriptive

writing






Descriptive

reflection







soonrdquo

3

Dialogic

reflection










4

Critical

reflection


















experience









5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985








5 DISCUSSION





knowledge










to write [26]













learning


























engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985

















engineering












experience

6 CONCLUSIONS
























the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985







the coded data

7 REFERENCES




March 27 2014]




















ASEEIEEE












11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985






11 2014]



No 3 pp 192-202 2007
























Feb 5 2014]



Dublin 2003 pp1-11





5 2014]





























pp 331-361 1985



























pp 331-361 1985



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