Does Reflective Writing in the PDP Improve Science and Engineering Students’ Learning?

Chalk, Peter and Hardbattle, Dafna (2007) Does Reflective Writing in the PDP Improve Science and Engineering Students’ Learning? Investigations in university teaching and learning, 4 (2). pp. 33-41. ISSN 1740-5106

Abstract

Science and engineering students are often considered as lacking in reflective writing skills. Some commentators have proposed an approach based on Personal Development Planning as a means of enhancement.

This paper describes a study of first-year undergraduate students on computing courses at London Metropolitan University (LondonMet). The study focuses on analysing students’ writing in their Personal Development Portfolios (PDPs) using textual analysis to identify categories of reflective writing, based on the work of Jenny Moon (2004) and others.

The textual analysis includes an inter-rater comparison tool to verify the placement of extracts into one of four categories described by Moon as descriptive writing, descriptive reflection, dialogic reflection and critical reflection. We hope to identify tasks and structures of support that will encourage reflective writing skills with outcomes that might influence teaching strategy, learning object design and the process of assessment.

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