Reflective Journals: A tool for Self-Reflection, Self-Awareness and Professional Development

Abstract

Professional learning is a multifaceted process with cognitive, behavioural, relational, and emotional components, with experience playing a key role. Experience, as a privileged setting for learning, sets the tone for one's activities, expands one's knowledge, and aids in the formation of a personal identity through critical reflection. Reflection is a self-improvement and deeper learning approach that involves looking back on an experience in order to learn from it and then going ahead. Reflection can help you connect theory and practise, as well as previous and current knowledge. Journals can be used to teach and guide students in the development of higher-order thinking abilities such as reflection, critical thinking, and problem solving. Journal writing can be viewed as a form of self-expression, a record of events, or a therapeutic aid, among other things. It could be a combination of these and other capabilities. One technique that requires students to assess their individual involvement with academic topic knowledge and learning processes is journaling. Journaling one's ideas becomes a journey of discovery during the course of an academic course.

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Reflective Journals: A tool for Self-Reflection, Self-Awareness and
Professional Development Dr. Seema Yadav
Assistant Professor, Department of Education
The Bhopal School of Social Sciences
407, D, IV, Habibganj railway Colony,
Near BSSS college, In front of DRM office,
Email ID: seemayadava123@gmail.com
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Abstract
Professional learning is a multifaceted process with cognitive, behavioural, relational, and
emotional components, with experience playing a key role. Experience, as a privileged setting
for learning, sets the tone for one's activities, expands one's knowledge, and aids in the
formation of a personal identity through critical reflection. Reflection is a self-improvement
and deeper learning approach that involves looking back on an experience in order to learn
from it and then going ahead. Reflection can help you connect theory and practise, as well as
previous and current knowledge. Journals can be used to teach and guide students in the
development of higher-order thinking abilities such as reflection, critical thinking, and
problem solving. Journal writing can be viewed as a form of self-expression, a record of events,
or a therapeutic aid, among other things. It could be a combination of these and other
capabilities. One technique that requires students to assess their individual involvement with
academic topic knowledge and learning processes is journaling. Journaling one's ideas
becomes a journey of discovery during the course of an academic course.
Key words: Reflective Journals, Self-Reflection, Self-Awareness and Professional
Development
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Received- 14/06/2022, Accepted -
22/07/2022, Published Date-31/07/2022
Introduction
Reflection is a technique for self-
improvement and deeper learning that
involves reflecting back on an experience in
order to learn from it and then moving
forward. Reflection can assist you in
making connections between theory and
practise, as well as between your previous
and current knowledge. Only a portion of
reflective writing involves describing what
happened and how you felt.
For many years, reflective journals have
been utilised in teaching and learning.
Reflective journals are effective tools for
promoting student autonomy and
improving learning. Reflective journals
have proven to be effective tools for
promoting autonomy and improving
student learning in the classroom.
Journaling has been shown to be effective

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in motivating students to reflect on their
own learning and improve their writing
skills, according to O'Connell and Dyment
(2006).Farrah (2011) examined into how
reflective journaling can help university
students improve their English writing
abilities, motivation, originality, and
critical thinking. Lear (2011) investigated
into how guided reflective journals affected
motivation and metacognitive awareness.
As journal writing matures into dialogue
between teacher educators and student
teachers, teacher educators must be
cautious in how they remark on student
teachers' journals, as this has an impact on
the dialog's effectiveness and significance
(Abednia et al., 2013).
Theoretical background
There are various ideas that support the use
of reflective journals in teaching and
learning. Farrell (2012) showed how
language teachers might use reflective
writing as a tool for professional
development. Reflective journals foster
strong student-teacher relationships and
provide writers with a record of their
experiences and personal progress.
Reflective learning, according to Moon
(1999) and Evans (2007), aids students in
gaining and developing a deeper learning
style. Journal writing helps pupils improve
their critical thinking skills. Students'
reflective journals assist teachers in
improving their professional knowledge
and practise. Writing reflective journals can
help students gain more learning agency
and honestly acquire knowledge.
Reflective journal writing allows students
to build self-awareness and prepare for
what they will study next by helping them
comprehend what they are learning and
how they are learning it. According to Hall,
Ramsay, and Raven (2004), a well-
designed educational process can help
students engage in deeper levels of
awareness than traditional techniques.
Learning journals have the advantage of
allowing pupils to use intelligences other
than their cognitive abilities (Gardner,
1999).Students can analyse not just how
they think, but also how they feel, by
incorporating emotional experiences into
the journaling process (Brearley,
2002).According to Hooks (1994),
reflective journaling necessitates "engaged
pedagogy," which is a reciprocal
relationship between instructor and student
that goes beyond simply empowering
students. Rather, it aims to implement a
holistic learning approach in which both
teachers and students benefit from the
experience.

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Journals can be used to teach and guide
students in the development of higher-order
thinking abilities such as reflection, critical
thinking, and problem solving. Students'
personal and professional development can
be tracked through reflective diaries,
resulting in professionals that are focused
and reflective in their work (Mahlanze &
Sibiya, 2017).
Reflective journal evaluation has been
proposed as an alternative novel technique
for enhancing the aims of student-directed
learning by encouraging students to
critically reflect on the learning process and
engage more deeply with a subject issue. In
clinical nursing education, critical
reflective journaling can be an effective
method for facilitating student learning
(Hwang et al., 2018).
What is a reflective journal?
Journal writing is a multidimensional
activity that can be done in a variety of
ways and for a variety of reasons. It can be
utilised in a variety of ways to encourage
reflection(Boud, 2001).Reflective journals
enable the writer to record events, reflect on
those events for the sake of analysis and
reassessment, and share insights with other
learners (Watson, 2010).
Journal writing can be seen from a variety
of perspectives, such as a form of self-
expression, a record of occurrences, or a
therapeutic tool. It could be a mix of these
and other functions. Journaling is one
strategy that requires students to examine
their unique involvement with academic
topic information and learning processes.
Over the course of an academic course,
journaling one's thoughts becomes a
journey of discovery. The reflective
practise journal is a teaching methodology
that enables the acquisition of professional,
attitudinal values and abilities by reflecting
on previously lived events and revealing
feelings that would otherwise be hidden
(Murillo-Llorente, Navarro-Martínez,
Valle, & Pérez-Bermejo, 2021).Dyment
and O'Connell (2003) define journal
writing as "the recording of daily
happenings, personal reflections,
environmental questions, and reactions to
experiences."
A journal, according to the University of
South Australia's Learning Advisors
(2005), is a record of a learner's ideas about
learning in a course or professional setting.
It is a piece of writing that is written on a
regular basis over a certain length of time in
which the learner describes, analyses, and
reflects on experiences, events, and topics
related to his or her studies or professional
practise. Students were encouraged to
reframe learning experiences in light of
clarifying questions, evaluating the
assumptions that underpinned previous

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understandings of the situation, and
beginning to rethink the range of possible
solutions.(Watson, 2010)
Student teachers can become reflective
practitioners by keeping a journal. A
journal can be used for a variety of
purposes, including professional activities
like teaching. Journaling is beneficial
because it allows student teachers to
become more self-aware of their
experiences and observations by reflecting
on and clarifying their feelings, thoughts,
and perceptions (Learning Advisors,
University of South Australia, 2005).
Keeping a reflective journal allows a
student to not only document what
happened or was observed, but also to
generate new thoughts and insights to help
you make sense of the events and
experiences you've had.The journal allows
student teachers to keep a reflective record
of their own experiences and observations,
study and better understand them, and make
educated decisions about how to deal with
them. As a result, reflective writing can
assist student instructors in developing
thoughtful, critical, and constructive
learning skills.
The journal serves as a tool for self-
reflection, both on himself and on his
relationships with others, at the very
moment the writer reflects on what
transpired(Silvia, Valerio, & Lorenza,
2012). The importance of teaching practise
reflective diaries has been recognised by
student teachers. However, in order to
improve and strengthen the reflective
process and instil trust in student teachers,
flaws in the reflective journal method and
the privacy issue must be addressed
(Mariko, 2011).
Student teachers reflect about a variety of
classroom teaching and learning
experiences, difficulties, and occurrences.
They use the reflective notebook as a
window into the realities and challenges
that they will face in their teaching
careers(Mariko, 2011).
Reflective journals and personal &
professional development
The reflective practise journal aided
learning, self-criticism, and the
development of values and respect for
traditions and ideas(Murillo-Llorente et al.,
2021).
each student has the opportunity to reflect
on the development of competences in the
face of real-life situations that arise in
practise every day, offering their personal
point of view, observations, feelings,
interpretations, hypotheses, and
explanations that may lead them to consider
changes in their actions to mitigate certain
risky or inappropriate situations in the

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course of their profession.The findings
demonstrate that the reflective practise
diary aided students in their learning.
Reflexivity is a useful tool for supporting
meaningful learning. The diary aided
students in developing professional skills
and ideals, as well as improving their ability
to self-criticize (Murillo-Llorente et al.,
2021).
The teacher's understanding of each
student's progress improved as the quality
of individual and group assessments
improved. Furthermore, the practicum
reports received excellent grades, with
affective aspects of learning interwoven,
providing a humanistic perspective to our
educational practise (Murillo-Llorente et
al., 2021).Reflective Journals aid in the
development of the student's self-awareness
and problem-solving abilities (Murillo-
Llorente et al., 2021).
Students utilise reflective notebooks to
express their thoughts on daily activities.
Reflective diaries are meant to assist
students in observing and recording as
many details about their daily practise as
they see fit (Mahlanze & Sibiya, 2017).It
aids in the development of self-assurance,
self-awareness, critical thinking, improved
conflict resolution, and awareness of flaws.
It also allows the teacher to be aware of
their pupils' inadequacies and to implement
solutions to address them in real
time(Murillo-Llorente et al., 2021).
The teacher has access to the student's
reflections, experiences, and sentiments
allowing to know in depth if they are
achieving the intended learning outcomes
and marking ideas for continuing growth in
real time (Murillo-Llorente et al.,
2021).Multiple assessment feedback
practise that includes active conversation
between teacher and learners, or amongst
peers, about assessment criteria and
individual learning progress can be
particularly beneficial in increasing student
motivation for and interest in self-directed
learning skills (Kim, 2013).
(Kim, 2013) discusses the relevance of
assessment design tactics, which include
aligning assessment criteria with course
objectives, dealing with students' individual
diversity and needs, and encouraging self-
directed and active engagement with the
teacher-student assessment feedback
process.
Objectives of reflective journals
 To improve the quality of learning
through critical thinking and the
development of a questioning
mentality.
 To help students comprehend their
own learning process

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 To allow students to observe their
own learning processes, explain
their emotions to specific topics,
and thereby engage deeply with
course content,
 To encourage active learning
participation and personal learning
ownership
 To improve one's professional
practise or one's professional self in
practise.
 To improve personal self-esteem
and self-empowerment through
increasing personal self-worth.
 To improve creativity by utilising
intuitive understanding more
effectively
 to allow for more freedom in
writing and learning representation
 To encourage students to reflect on
their own values, beliefs,
perspectives, and experiences.
 Students will be encouraged to
question, contextualise, and explain
their values, beliefs, and points of
view.
 To provide individuals who have
trouble expressing themselves a
different 'voice.'
 To encourage group discussion that
is both contemplative and creative
 Students will be able to differentiate
between different degrees of
reflective practises i.e. reflection
and self-reflexivity
 To provide students with the
resources and opportunity they need
to succeed for transformative action
Advantages of reflective journals
Writing a reflective journal can help
students enhance their learning in general,
as well as their writing abilities and lesson
memorization in particular. Reading the
journals of students aids the teacher in
improving the efficacy of her instruction in
particular and her professional knowledge
in general.
Journal writing has a significant impact on
what is produced and the ability of authors
to participate in critical reflection. If
journals are to be utilised in classes, the way
they connect to graded work must be
carefully considered(Boud, 2001).
 Self-reflection assists in developing
a questioning approach toward a
variety of difficulties and issues.
 Provides a platform for people to
share their ideas, opinions, and
knowledge.
 Assist in problem-solving through
stretching thinking
 Assisting in the development of
writing skills for those who have
never written before

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 Encourage self-directed learning
 Enhance students engagement
 Provide continuous feedback to the
learners
 Increases active involvement and
ownership of learning
 Encourage self-directed learning
 Encourages focused and directed
learning
 Improve communication
 It improves self-esteem through
learning.
 It encourages professional
development
 It encourages holistic,
individualistic and flexible
approach of learning
 It validates the importance of
practice and practical knowledge
 It encourages critical thinking and
decision making
 Enhance critical thinking and
creativity
Disadvantages of reflective journals
 It takes time since you have to write
multiple perspectives for different
issues utilising different concepts.
 Consider adverse issues on a regular
basis.
 Stressful to the mind
 Reflective assignments are
subjective, making it difficult for
assessors to be fair and consistent in
their marking.
 Reflective writing generally takes
place in a broad context,
encompassing a wide range of
topics, issues, and viewpoints. As a
result, reading and grading students'
work takes a long time for assessors.
 Teachers must provide students
with clear instructions on what
should be included in reflective
journals, as well as what may be
learned from writing them and how
they will be scored.
 Because students are required to
provide personal and private
thoughts and facts in their
reflections, some students may be
hesitant to openly share their true
perspectives.
Conclusion
Learning journals are thus a method of
organising students' efforts to become more
linked to their academic subject and, more
importantly, to their own self-awareness.
These journals empower students to
communicate their thoughts, feelings, and
experiences about the classroom content
and processes in order to introduce self-
awareness into our educational system.
Keeping a journal allows them to think

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more deeply, adjust, and enhance their
practises (Boud, 2001).
Journaling becomes a narrative practise that
uses the subject, the experience, and one's
relationships with others to build the
meaning of one's own experience when
reflectivity is considered a skill that
contributes to the ability to form a critical
professional conscience capable of
questioning the meaning of the experience.
This level of reflection is critical because
understanding one's own or another's
feelings let a person realise they are both
part of the same emotional universe. (Silvia
et al., 2012).
Reflective journaling improves critical
thinking skills and motivates students to go
deeper into their studies. Journaling is
beneficial to students since it enhances
future learning. They stimulate creativity in
reflection by focusing student thought
inside the learning process. Journaling
exercises can help students build critical
thinking skills and improve their learning.
Communication skills, self-learning, self-
and social awareness, empathy, and cultural
sensitivity can all be improved by
journaling. Teacher educators facilitate the
writing of reflective journals so that student
teachers are encouraged to express
themselves freely, critically assess their
teaching beliefs and values, and, as a result,
constructively modify them (Abednia,
Hovassapian, Teimournezhad, & Ghanbari,
2013).
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Citation of this Article
Seema Yadav. (2022). Reflective Journals: A tool for Self-Reflection, Self-Awareness and
Professional Development. Educational Resurgence Journal, 5(1), 109–118.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6908641