Effects of Writing Reflection Journal on Learning Attitude and Reflective Thinking Level in Students Taking a Clinical Training

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Effects of a writing reflective journal on learning attitude and reflective thinking among nursing students in clinical training were studied.
Method/Statistical Analysis: A quasi-experimental study of a non-equivalent control group before and after test design was used. The treatment groups(n=33) wrote a reflective journal for 2 weeks while the comparison groups(n=35) wrote traditional nursing practice journal. Participants were sixty-eight undergraduate nursing students from G city’s universities. Data were collected using self-reported structured questionnaires and analyzed with ?2-test and independent t-test using SPSS Win 21.0.
Findings: Analysis of homogeneity of general characteristics, self-directed learning attitude, and reflective thinking level between experimental and control groups before clinical practice showed that there was no significant difference and two groups were homogeneous. The students in the treatment group were reported to have significant positive changes to reflective thinking level but not to learning attitude. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reflection journal writing on self - directed learning ability and reflection level of nursing students in clinical practice classes and to contribute to establish effective teachings and learning strategies. There was a statistically significant difference in the level of reflective thinking before and after the reflection log, but there was no significant difference in self-directed learning ability. The significance of this study is to show the applicability of reflection logbook activities in clinical practice subjects and to measure the effectiveness. Therefore, it was necessary to keep the reflection level of nursing college students constantly through the use of reflection in clinical practice class.
Improvements/Applications: Our study represented that writing a reflective journal was a useful strategy for improving the level of student’s reflective thinking level.