DISPOSICIONES ADICIONALES. Primera: Situaciones especiales

3.1 Writing Styles

Some students were succinct in their writing, displaying more of a list of feelings, events and reactions or merely just reporting. Others however, chose to narrate their story in full detail. The length of the individual entries varied from one paragraph to a couple of pages. In Group A the journal entries were written either in a continuous long paragraph or divided-up into paragraphs depending on the student’s style of writing. More frequent entries were completed as previously mentioned in Group A only. For some in both groups, little care was given toward efforts in spelling and grammar. At times the reflection was more of a tirade about the student’s displeasure with the system and/or of himself or herself, while others wrote about their feelings of being encouraged and fortunate to have the exposure to the clinical training they are being afforded.

Even though Group B had been given more instruction with guided questions to help with writing the journals, it was noted that there was a difference within Group B and how they wrote their reflective journals. Few students actually used numbers indicating their responses to the guided questions as written in the explanation of the journal task. Oddly, less than half of the student’s journal entries in Group B used separate paragraphs to respond to the guided questions. It seemed many chose a more free style and wrote what came to mind, giving only a cursory thought to the guiding questions and their order. Possibly, this was due to the fact that the students felt this was just another assignment and since they were not receiving any marks for their efforts they wanted to get it out of the way and did not feel the need to refer back to the directions of the assignment and/or to follow the guided questions, as they would have if marks had been assigned.

3.2 Evidence of Self-Reflection

Was there evidence of self-reflection? Yes, both Groups A and B exhibited self-reflection in their journal entries. The reflection was not at the same level for each individual student, but nevertheless the students were found to self- reflect to some degree upon the experiences from their clinical sessions. In the

reflective category, Group B demonstrated a larger percent (8.3%), when compared

to Group A (6.7%). Some of the more reflective journals showed that students changed their thinking by internalizing their values in a variety of areas dealing with client management, such as client-centered treatment, rapport with their clients and working toward their clients’ goals when working with others.

When reflections of the students’ clinical care with their clients led to change, as a result the most profound learning occurred. Without a doubt it must be noted that Group B students did reflect more leading to change (8.3%), when compared to Group A (6.4%). So, it could be said yes, Group B (the group given the structured questions) did overall clearly reflect at a higher level than did Group A.

3.3 Evidence of Self-Assessment

When looking at the students’ quotations taken from the journals, both groups reflected equally in regards to introspection and self-assessment (see Tables 3 & 4). So, it could be said, that indeed, the instructions of the assignment did not make any difference. Students in both groups were equally reflective in this regard.

Self-assessment through reflection can benefit the students in a variety of ways. It appears that self-assessment through self-reflection provides a chance for the student to stand back and review/analyze what they have accomplished. As

reflected in one student’s writing: “To review and compare behavior, feelings, and attitudes before and after a clinical session”. Reflection and self-assessment can further promote planning and goal setting, as was described by another student: “Looking at your present state, skill levels, and needs and evaluating if they are at an acceptable level or not”. It helps keep track of progress in acquiring knowledge

and skills and stimulates further learning, as can be seen in this quote: “To jot

down all the procedures, activities, conversations, and arguments etc. one participates in & then evaluate whether you gave it your best & if you succeeded or not”. In recording the reflection of self-assessment the student can also help boost

their self-confidence and see what has been accomplished, as defined by a student

in: “A tool needed for improvement or confidence recognition that uses self- reflection”. As well, having recorded the reflections in journal entries, the student would have an organized collection of their activities stimulating their clinical

development, and demonstrating a continued commitment to learning.

All students (nine) from Group A and thirteen from Group B answered the second open-ended question: In what ways do you feel self-assessing your performance in clinic impacts on the quality of care you deliver to your clients? For the most part both groups, responded favorably in that they expressed the ways in which self-assessment positively influenced the care provided to their clients through reflection of self-awareness, self-improvement, review of cases, and end results (see Table 8).

Essentially, it is evident that the majority of students in both groups can appreciate the ways in which self-assessment of their performance in clinic can serve to increase the quality of care afforded to their clients.