Background/Objective: as a tool for documenting and accompanying students’ actions, the journal has an educational value: it can be used to record, recollect and re-elaborate experiences through a reflective, non-intimate writing. Context and Pourpose: the study was carried out at the Degree Course in Nursing at the University of Turin, during their training period in a rehabilitation ward. The aim id to understand the level of reflection that a group of second and third year graduation course students can reach using the journal and what they think about this experience in terms of learning opportunity. Methods: To analyzed the journals we used a qualitative method based on the analysis of the 7 levels of reflectivity Mezirow proposed within the transformative theory applied to adult learning. The group of students who used journals during the training period was invited to take part in a focus group to share and discuss their experience. The focus group was designed in semi-structured form. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify themes arising from the data. Result: Twelve journals were analyzed. Students have reflective ability, especially with respect to Mezirow’s first three levels. The main findings showed that keeping a journal helps students to effectively enhance their experiential learning during the training period. For the focus group we are involved six students. The following themes emerged: embarrassment and uneasiness, anonymity, evaluation, efficacy of the tool in experiential learning. The main findings: the study enriches the debate on the use of journals confirming what has already been described in literature with respect to journals potential in terms of fostering and stimulating a professional practice of a reflective type.
The reflective journal: A tool for enhancing experience-based learning in nursing students in clinical practice
GARRINO, LORENZA;DIMONTE, Valerio
2013-01-01
Abstract
Background/Objective: as a tool for documenting and accompanying students’ actions, the journal has an educational value: it can be used to record, recollect and re-elaborate experiences through a reflective, non-intimate writing. Context and Pourpose: the study was carried out at the Degree Course in Nursing at the University of Turin, during their training period in a rehabilitation ward. The aim id to understand the level of reflection that a group of second and third year graduation course students can reach using the journal and what they think about this experience in terms of learning opportunity. Methods: To analyzed the journals we used a qualitative method based on the analysis of the 7 levels of reflectivity Mezirow proposed within the transformative theory applied to adult learning. The group of students who used journals during the training period was invited to take part in a focus group to share and discuss their experience. The focus group was designed in semi-structured form. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify themes arising from the data. Result: Twelve journals were analyzed. Students have reflective ability, especially with respect to Mezirow’s first three levels. The main findings showed that keeping a journal helps students to effectively enhance their experiential learning during the training period. For the focus group we are involved six students. The following themes emerged: embarrassment and uneasiness, anonymity, evaluation, efficacy of the tool in experiential learning. The main findings: the study enriches the debate on the use of journals confirming what has already been described in literature with respect to journals potential in terms of fostering and stimulating a professional practice of a reflective type.
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