Use of the journal by students as a tool to improve reflection skills during writing

• Author: Leandro Xhama
• Position: Faculty of Economics, University of Tirana, Albania
• Pages: 33-39

33

Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

ISSN 2410-759X

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

Vol. 6 No.2

September, 2020

Use of the journal by students as a tool to improve refl ection skills during

writing

Leandro Xhama

Faculty of Economics, University of Tirana, Albania

Abstract

The use of journals by pupils or students has a wide scope and is applied in various academic

fi elds as well as in everyday life of students. Its use depends on the objectives of the teacher

and the student and it can take di erent forms. Teachers use journals to sharpen students'

academic skills through a variety of methods. This article will present the methods and studies

conducted in relation to the use of diaries by pupils and students and how this tool a ects

their academic upbringing, self-improvement as well as the way it is refl ected during writing.

Also the purpose of this article will be to introduce the process of using journals to encourage

refl ection in the student. It will present student’s experiences in di erent areas during the

writing which in order to be learned correctly, they (the students) need to refl ect whereas

teachers, as educators, should use all possible means to instill the student's refl ective abilities

in order for the studetnes to mature and grow academically.

Keywords: writing, journal, vocabulary, refl ection, language.

Introduction

Throughout the learning process teachers and educators aim for their pupils

and students not only to acquire di erent knowledge but also to refl ect on this

knowledge. The process of refl ection is defi ned as a process that is related to thinking

and exploring an issue being addressed which starts driven by a certain experience.

Leaver-Dunn et al (states that “... refl ection distinguishes between professionals and

others ..”. Students during their academic progress they need to practice, improve

and repeatedly use their refl ection skills. Regardless of strategies to promote this

process one way of learning used to encourage refl ection is to keep a diary or journal.

The purpose of this article is to examine the process of using diaries as a technique

that can be used to promote refl ection in student writing. This article will discuss the

refl ection process, the research done on it and the di erent strategies that can be used

to include it in the English language curriculum in classrooms and auditoriums.

2. Literature Review

The use of diaries as a tool to aid the learning process constitutes the theme of various

studies. According to these researchers, a journal is a supportive tool of the learning

process which stimulates the refl ection activity of students and during which thinking

skills are taught and explained (Francis, 1995). According to O'Connell and Dyment

(2006), who have studied the e ects of student writing on diary use, they indicate an

improvement in writing and the learning process in general. Kerka, (1996) explains

that students' responses can be used "in order to make connections between new