Benefits of Learning Journals
The scholarly literature includes many studies examining learning journals.
References from Park (2003)
The following table summarises the positives and negatives of learning journals as identified by Park (2003).
| Positive aspects | Negative aspects |
|---|---|
| Ownership | Difficulty of the task |
| --- | --- |
| Awareness of learning | Constraints (word limit) |
| Self-confidence | Uncertainty |
| Regular reading | Assessment - some preferences for traditional approaches |
| Focus on the whole course | |
| Engagement with the material | |
| Reflectivity |
Park (2003) draws on published literature to offer the following benefits.
- Allowing students to make sense of their own personal histories (Hedlund et al., 1989)
- Allowing students to assimilate and integrate new information (Hedlund et al., 1989)
- Encouraging students to learn to think more about the knowledge they have or are acquiring (Hedlund et al., 1989)
- Encouraging students to learn to use new knowledge (Hedlund et al., 1989)
- Promoting long-term retention of course concepts (Croxton & Berger, 2001)
- Increasing student test and exam grades (Connor-Greene, 2000; Hyers, 2001)
- Stimulating critical thinking amongst students (Hettich, 1990)
- Giving students opportunities to express themselves and develop effective means of self-expression (Hettich, 1990)
- Helping to build trust between teacher and learner (Lohman & Schwalbe, 1996)
- Providing formative evaluation for the teacher and thus help to identify the need to adjust teaching strategies (Lohman & Schwalbe, 1996); as Carroll (1994) puts it, "the data in the journals inform teachers about what is occurring in learners' heads"
- Helping students to understand their own learning process and 'learn how to learn' (Lohman & Schwalbe, 1996)
- Providing students with developmental feedback on their learning (Hettich, 1990)
- Helping students' cognitive and affective development (Lohman & Schwalbe, 1996)
- Helping students to improve their writing by focusing on processes rather than on products, emphasising expressive and personal aspects, and serving as a record of thought and expression that is available for rereading (Yinger, 1985)
References
Park, C. (2003). Engaging Students in the Learning Process: The learning journal. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 27(2), 183--199. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260305675