ERIC Number: EJ1136443
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jan
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1931-4744
EISSN: N/A
In-Class Reflective Group Discussion as a Strategy for the Development of Students as Evolving Professionals
Tsang, Annetta Kit Lam
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, v5 n1 Article 7 Jan 2011
The primary aim of this study was to determine perceptions of three cohorts of third year undergraduate students (n = 65) on in-class reflective group discussion as a critical reflective approach for evolving professionals. Reflective group discussions were embedded into a final year course within the University of Queensland Bachelor of Oral Health program iteratively over three years. Reflective practices were integrated with clinical practice, and were linked with assessment requirements. Students' perceptions of reflective group discussions were obtained via questionnaires and reflective essays. The key benefits of reflective group discussions perceived by students included peer learning, peer and/or tutor support and multi-perspective critical thinking. Students welcomed the inclusion of reflective group discussions into their curriculum, not as a substitute of, but rather, complementary to reflective writing. Students invoked that reflective writing and reflective group discussions were beneficial in different ways. The interactive, supportive and multi-perspective nature of reflective group discussions was particularly appealing to students.
Descriptors: Group Discussion, Reflection, Undergraduate Students, Dentistry, Health Education, Teaching Methods, Questionnaires, Student Satisfaction, Professional Development, Transformative Learning, Classroom Techniques, Likert Scales, Clinical Experience, Instructional Effectiveness, Educational Strategies, Foreign Countries
Centers for Teaching & Technology at Georgia Southern University. IJ-SoTL, Georgia Southern University, Henderson Library 1301, Statesboro, GA 30460. e-mail: sotlij@georgiasouthern.edu; Web site: http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ij-sotl/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A