Learning Journal#

Notes on the learning journal learning activity design.

Explore the five authenticity factors and other insights from contract cheating literature

Vague ideas#

Design of specific activities to be included in the learning journal
Perhaps drawing on appropriate cognitive-strategies
Perhaps emphasising five authenticity factors - frequency, fidelity, complexity, real-world impact, and feed forward (Ellis et al, 2020)
Assessment design (Sutherland-Smith & Dawson 2022)

Benefits of using a learning journal#

Adapted from Park (2003, p. 185)

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)

Adapted from Park (2003, p. 193-194)

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

Standardised learning journal and student self-monitoring#

Abstract#

In this presented study, we aimed at fostering students’ self-regulation of learning by means of a standardized learning journal. In two of four courses that were included in the study, students had to keep a structured learning diary and/or received further intervention on self-regulated learning through a weekly course” (Fabriz et al., 2014, p. 239)

Results revealed that keeping a structured learning diary without any further intervention did not improve students’ self-regulation. Those students who only kept learning diaries even showed a decrease in their motivation. Students who kept the learning diary and at the same time received further information on self-regulation showed increases in their strategy use and their self-efficacy. However, no improvements were found for students’ academic performance. (Fabriz et al., 2014, p. 239)

It can be concluded that in order for students to profit in (Fabriz et al., 2014, p. 239)

keeping a structured learning diary, they should be informed on the benefits of self-monitoring to increase their motivation (Fabriz et al., 2014, p. 240)

Summary#

focus on journaling as a reflective process and thus for self-regulation

Learning diaries generally pursue the goal of reflection; in some cases, this means the reflection of the learning content (e.g., the content of a text) and, in other cases, the reflection of the learning behavior as such. Both types of diaries differ in their objective (fostering reflection of the learning content versus fostering reflection of one’s learning behavior), but often also in their method: While diaries on the learning content mainly ask students to write about what they have learned in an open or semistructured way, learning diaries of learning behavior ask students about how they have learned and are most often structured in terms of questionnaires. (p. 242)

We adapted the standardized self-monitoring instrument from a learning diary for secondary school students developed in a training study by Perels et al. (2005). This instrument is based on the cyclical model of self-regulated learning by Zimmerman (2000) and its adaptation by Schmitz and Wiese (2006). Accordingly, this instrument comprises scales corresponding to the different stages of the self-regulation cycle, including variables on metacognition (e.g., "I think about how to proceed when preparing for class.") but also on motivation (e.g., goal setting, e.g., "For the preparation of my course, I set myself the following goal:") or emotion (e.g., affect, e.g., "Right now, I feel active."). It was developed according to the structure described by Schmitz and Wiese (2006). A standardized format was applied for which existing trait measures had been adapted to state measuring items (for a list of original trait measures, see Perels 2003). A list of components of self-regulation included in the learning diary as provided by Perels et al. (2007) can be found in Table 2. (p. 245)

Engaging students in the learning process: The learning journal#

This paper explores the usefulness of the learning journal as a means of actively engaging students in the learning process, based on a case study of a third-year undergraduate geography course...which students were given guidelines on how to write a journal that would be assessed as part of the course ... It is concluded that the learning journal has good potential to increase student interest in and engagement with course material, to encourage and empower students to take more responsibility for their own learning, to be more reflective in their study, and to allow them to have a voice and provide valuable feedback to the teacher" (Park, 2003, p. 183)

Students who actively engage with what they are studying tend to understand more, learn more, remember more, enjoy it more and be more able to appreciate the relevance of what they have learned, than students who passively receive what we teach them." (Park, 2003, p. 183)

If the challenge is to encourage our students to actively engage in the learning process---and through that to develop their ideas, think more critically and become better equipped to solve problems---a key question is 'How do we do it?'. How do we invite our students into the process of learning, so that they assume responsibility for their own learning, and adopt a much more self-conscious approach to how they learn as well as what they learn?" (Park, 2003, p. 184)

A journal is one type of writing assignment that requires the writer to think about something, and to record his/her thoughts about it." (Park, 2003, p. 184)

Different authors use different terms to describe what we are calling here a learning journal (Walden, 1988; Morrison, 1996). It is variously referred to as a personal journal (Stanesco, 1991; Dart et al., 1998), a student journal (Hyers, 2001), a learning log (Stanesco, 1991), a topical autobiography (Hedlund et al., 1989), or just simply a journal (Hettich, 1976; Khan & Gee, 1999; Cantrell et al., 2000; Connor-Greene, 2000)." (Park, 2003, p. 184)

Previous writers have emphasised the ways in which journals, by focusing on the process of learning rather than the product of learning, provide valuable educational benefits (Table I). Writing a learning journal makes students more aware not only of what they learn, but also how they learn (Voss, 1988)." (Park, 2003, p. 184)

expectations#

that they were expected to keep a journal of their learning experiences through this course (up to 10 000 words). The journal was to have entries written weekly, and to include reflections on each of the lectures, some" (Park, 2003, p. 186)

commentary on and critique of at least two articles they read each week (one per lecture), and reflections on how their understanding of the subject of the course changed through taking the course." (Park, 2003, p. 187)

References#

Ellis, C., van Haeringen, K., Harper, R., Bretag, T., Zucker, I., McBride, S., Rozenberg, P., Newton, P., & Saddiqui, S. (2020). Does authentic assessment assure academic integrity? Evidence from contract cheating data. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(3), 454--469. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1680956

Fabriz, S., Dignath-van Ewijk, C., Poarch, G., & Büttner, G. (2014). Fostering self-monitoring of university students by means of a standardized learning journal---A longitudinal study with process analyses. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 29(2), 239--255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-013-0196-z

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

Sutherland-Smith, W., & Dawson, P. (2022). Higher Education Assessment Design. In S. E. Eaton, G. J. Curtis, B. M. Stoesz, J. Clare, K. Rundle, & J. Seeland (Eds.), Contract Cheating in Higher Education: Global Perspectives on Theory, Practice, and Policy (pp. 91--105). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12680-2_7