Lecturers’ perception on the implementation of approaches to teaching literature in EFL classrooms

The selection of appropriate approach(es) to teaching literature in EFL classrooms becomes a necessity that they can result in good performance of the students, both in their critical thinking aspect and their language proficiency. The problem appears when the lecturer does not implement a suitable approach to literary analysis when teaching literature to the EFL students. These problems led to the student’s inability to perform as expected. The present study examines how lecturers perceive the implementation of approaches to teaching literature in EFL classrooms and their relations to improving the students’ reflective writing skills as the manifestation of the student’ responses to the literary works. Among the approaches studied were the Language-based approach, the Reader-Response approach, and the Philosophical approach. The study was carried out on six lecturers teaching the Literary Criticism course in the EFL classrooms at the university level. A questionnaire was distributed to the lecturers teaching this course at a university in Semarang, Indonesia, containing eight-question items regarding how they perceive the literary approaches and how effective they used them in improving the students’ reflective writing skills, in encouraging the students to think critically about the events in literary works and in relating the readings to some aspects of their own lives. The study revealed that each literary analysis approach in teaching literature has its benefits and characteristics. The study results also showed that each approach has its strengths and weaknesses that differ from one another.

Navigating Professional and Personal Knowing Through Reflective Storytelling Amidst Covid-19

The paper offers space for dialogue illustrating reflection as lived, exploring both my personal and professional experiences of grief and loss surrounding the death of my Dad from Covid −19. In my role as a nurse educator, I share understandings of reflection in facilitating learning and person centered practices with students. I illustrate my approach with two stories generating a narrative giving testimony to those who have died and highlighting the ensuing grief for those who have cared for older people during the pandemic. The first reflective story has been shared with students and snapshots of student responses during virtual sessions are incorporated. The second story shifts to a more personal focus reflecting personal knowing. Insights emerge bringing forth personal and professional knowing, about the art and science of holistic nursing. I explore the challenges in separating ourselves from personal knowledge and experience in reflective writing. I invite readers to take time to pause amidst a global healthcare pandemic to consider the potential of reflection to support nurses in recovering from suffering experienced during a pandemic.

Using Reflective Writing to Explore Resident Resilience during Global Health Electives

Pediatric residents participating in global health electives (GHEs) report an improved knowledge of medicine and health disparities. However, GHEs may pose challenges that include cost, personal safety, or individual mental health issues. The objective of this study was to describe the use of guided reflections to understand resident resilience during GHEs. Forty-five residents enrolled in two pediatric training programs were asked to respond in writing to weekly prompts during a GHE and to complete a post-trip essay. Analysis of the reflections and essays, including an inductive thematic analysis, was completed. Two coders performed a second analysis to support classification of themes within the Flinders Student Resilience (FSR) framework. Four themes emerged from the initial analysis: 1) benefits, 2) stresses and challenges, 3) career development, and 4) high-value care. Analysis using the FSR framework revealed the following themes: acknowledgment of personal limitations, importance of relationships in coping throughout the GHE, and discernment of career focus. Reflective writing provided insight into how residents mitigate GHE challenges and develop resilience. Despite statements of initial distress, residents focused on their personal benefits and growth during the GHE. The FSR framework revealed the residents’ robust self-awareness of limitations and that strong relationships on the ground and at home were associated with perceived benefits and growth. Programs should consider helping residents to identify healthy coping practices that can promote personal resilience during GHEs as part of pre-departure preparation and debriefing, as well as providing for supportive communities during the GHE.

Higher Education Students’ Reflective Journal Writing and Lifelong Learning Skills: Insights From an Exploratory Sequential Study

Reflective journal (RJ) writing has been recognized as an effective pedagogical tool for nurturing students’ lifelong learning skills. With the paucity of empirical work on the dimensionality of reflective writing, this research sought to qualitatively analyze students’ RJ writing and design a generic reflection scheme for identifying dimensions of reflective thinking. Drawing on the theoretical scheme, another aim was to design and validate a questionnaire to measure students’ perceptions of their reflective writing experiences. The last aim was to quantitatively measure the link between perceived reflective writing and students’ tendency to use RJs in their future careers and personal lives. This exploratory sequential research included the following steps: First, experts’ review and analysis of 1312 RJ entries were attained. This step led to the design of a theoretical scheme of reflective writing and a 31-item questionnaire, used to gather data from 171 students (second-year pre-service teachers and third-year health managers). Partial Least Squares analysis corroborated the structure suggested by the theoretical scheme: two timelines–reflections regarding the current course assignments and those related to the student’s future development. Students’ tendency to use reflective skills in their future professional lives was highly connected to their long-term reflections, including learning experiences linked to academic, professional, personal, and multicultural development. The current study’s suggested validated generic scheme can be adapted and integrated into different curricula, thereby possibly increasing the potential of infusing RJ instructional strategies into higher education curricula, improving the quality of reflection in student journals, and promoting lifelong learning skills.

The Impact of Direct Challenges to Student Endorsement of Teleological Reasoning on Understanding and Acceptance of Natural Selection

Background: Teleological reasoning is a cognitive bias purported to disrupt student ability to understand natural selection. Few studies have described pedagogical efforts to decrease student endorsement of teleological reasoning and measure the effects of this attenuation on the understanding and acceptance of evolution. This study examined the influence of explicit instructional activities directly challenging student endorsement of teleological explanations for evolutionary adaptations on their learning of natural selection over a semester-long undergraduate course in evolutionary medicine. In a convergent mixed-methods design this study combined pre- and post-semester survey data (N = 83) on understanding natural selection, student endorsement of teleological reasoning, and acceptance of evolution, with thematic analysis of student reflective writing on their understanding and acceptance of natural selection and teleological reasoning.Results: Student endorsement of teleological reasoning decreased and understanding and acceptance of natural selection increased during a course on human evolution with teleological intervention (p£0.0001), compared to a control course. Endorsement of teleological reasoning was predictive of understanding of natural selection prior to the semester. Thematic analysis revealed that students were largely unaware of the concept of teleological reasoning prior to the course, but perceived attenuation of their own teleological reasoning by the end of the semester. Conclusions: Students are unaware of their high levels of endorsement of teleological reasoning upon entrance into the undergraduate human evolution course, which is consequential because teleological reasoning is a predicter of natural selection understanding. We developed class activities to directly challenge student endorsement of unwarranted design teleological reasoning. As a result, students had decreased unwarranted teleological reasoning and increased acceptance and understanding of natural selection over the course of the semester. The data presented show that students are receptive to explicit instructional challenges to their teleological reasoning and that attenuation of this bias is associated with gains in natural selection understanding and acceptance.

The development of Emirati university students' intercultural sensitivity

PurposeThis study investigated the effects of an intercultural communication (IC) course on Emirati university students' intercultural sensitivity (IS).Design/methodology/approachThe participants were 89 Emirati students. The course required student involvement in a variety of tasks and activities, both inside and outside the classroom. The development of the students' IS was tracked using two instruments: the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) and a reflective writing task.FindingsThe difference between the students' overall pre-test and post-test scores was at a statistically significant level. The data from the reflective writing papers showed that the course developed the students' IS with a particular effect on their awareness of other cultures, barriers to effective communication and self-confidence.Originality/valueIn an increasingly globalized world, the findings of this study highlight the importance of a course designed to enhance university students' IS and therefore intercultural competence. They also indicate the need for more experiential learning to bridge in-class and out-of-class experiences which facilitate the development of students' intercultural competence.

The Importance of Relationships in Education: Reflections of Current Educators

The purpose of this study was to seek to understand and describe current educators’ perceptions of building relationships in education. Thirty-five K-12 educators completed reflective writing responses as part of this phenomenological study. The thematic analysis constructed four themes: (a) “students are motivated to learn when strong relationships are formed,” (b) “if they don’t trust you and don’t think you care, learning decreases,” (c) “teachers had a great impact on me that I admire deeply-these teachers are the reason I went into education,” and (d) “they can always google the content.” The findings highlight the significant impact of relationships.

Embracing Age-Inclusivity Through Multimodal, Active Student Learning in a Health and Aging Policy Course

One of the goals for an upper-level undergraduate seminar course is for students to identify and discuss existing policies, programs, and resources for meeting the needs of the aging population. To encourage active student learning, the course provides a mix of readings and assignments, six intergenerational discussions, and reflective writing. The idea is that these varying experiences help foster a deep understanding of how these policies and related issues pertain and matter to everyone, not only older individuals, and how their future career and family experiences will benefit from the knowledge gained in the course regardless of their next career steps. This course model has been effective for challenging ageism, and has been taught four times, each time with modifications based on student numbers, current issues, and the pandemic. The presenter will discuss assessment methods, identify best practices, and offer suggestions for others interested in utilizing a similar model.