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This guide describes how to successfully complete specif ic assignments commonly assigned in social sciences
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Annotated Reflective writing is a process of identifying, questioning, and critically
Bibliography evaluating course-based learning opportunities, integrated with your own
Analyzing a observations, experiences, impressions, beliefs, assumptions, or biases, and
Scholarly Journal which describes how this process stimulated new or creative understanding
Article about the content of the course. A reflective paper describes and explains in
an introspective, f irst person narrative, your reactions and feelings about
Giving an Oral
either a specif ic element of the class [e.g., a required reading; a f ilm shown in
Presentation
class] or more generally how you experienced learning throughout the course.
Grading Someone Reflective writing assignments can be in the form of a single paper, essays,
Else's Paper portfolios, journals, diaries, or blogs.

How to Manage
Group Projects How to Write a Reflection Paper. Academic Skills, Trent University; Writing a
Reflection Paper. Writing Center, Lewis University; Critical Reflection. Writing
Leading a Class
and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo; Tsingos-Lucas et al.
Discussion
"Using Reflective Writing as a Predictor of Academic Success in Different
Writing a Book Assessment Formats." American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 81
Review (2017): Article 8.

Writing a Case
Analysis Paper
Benef its of Reflective Writing Assignments
Writing a Case
Study As the term implies, a reflective paper involves looking inward at oneself
in contemplating and bringing meaning to the relationship between course
Writing a Field
content and the acquisition of new knowledge. Educational research
Report
[Bolton, 2010; Ryan, 2011; Tsingos-Lucas et al., 2017] demonstrates that
Writing a Policy assigning reflective writing tasks enhances learning because it challenges
students to confront their own assumptions, biases, and belief systems
 students to confront their own assumptions, biases, and belief systems
Memo
around what is being taught in class and, in so doing, stimulate student’s
Writing a decisions, actions, attitudes, and understanding about themselves as learners
Reflective Paper and in relation to having mastery over their learning. Reflection assignments
are also an opportunity to write in a f irst person narrative about elements of
Writing a
the course, such as the required readings, separate from the exegetic and
Research Proposal
analytical prose of academic research papers.
Acknowledgments
Reflection writing often serves multiple purposes simultaneously. In no
particular order, here are some of reasons why professors assign reflection
papers:

Enhances learning from previous knowledge and experience in

order to improve future decision-making and reasoning in
practice. Reflective writing in the applied social sciences enhances
decision-making skills and academic performance in ways that can
inform professional practice. The act of reflective writing creates
self-awareness and understanding of others. This is particularly
important in clinical and service-oriented professional settings.
Allows students to make sense of classroom content and overall
learning experiences in relation to oneself, others, and the
conditions that shaped the content and classroom experiences.
Reflective writing places you within the course content in ways that
can deepen your understanding of the material. Because reflective
thinking can help reveal hidden biases, it can help you critically
interrogate moments when you do not like or agree with discussions,
readings, or other aspects of the course.
Increases awareness of one’s cognitive abilities and the evidence
for these attributes. Reflective writing can break down personal
doubts about yourself as a learner and highlight specif ic abilities that
may have been hidden or suppressed due to prior assumptions about
the strength of your academic abilities [e.g., reading comprehension;
problem-solving skills]. Reflective writing, therefore, can have a
positive affective [i.e., emotional] impact on your sense of self-
worth.
Applying theoretical knowledge and frameworks to real
experiences. Reflective writing can help build a bridge of relevancy
between theoretical knowledge and the real world. In so doing, this
form of writing can lead to a better understanding of underlying
theories and their analytical properties applied to professional
practice.
Reveals shortcomings that the reader will identify. Evidence
suggests that reflective writing can uncover your own shortcomings
as a learner, thereby, creating opportunities to anticipate the
 as a learner, thereby, creating opportunities to anticipate the
responses of your professor may have about the quality of your
coursework. This can be particularly productive if the reflective
paper is written before f inal submission of an assignment.
Helps students identify their tacit [a.k.a., implicit] knowledge
and possible gaps in that knowledge. Tacit knowledge refers to
ways of knowing rooted in lived experience, insight, and intuition
rather than formal, codif ied, categorical, or explicit knowledge. In so
doing, reflective writing can stimulate students to question their
beliefs about a research problem or an element of the course content
beyond positivist modes of understanding and representation.
Encourages students to actively monitor their learning processes
over a period of time. On-going reflective writing in journals or
blogs, for example, can help you maintain or adapt learning
strategies in other contexts. The regular, purposeful act of reflection
can facilitate continuous deep thinking about the course content as it
evolves and changes throughout the term. This, in turn, can increase
your overall conf idence as a learner.
Relates a student’s personal experience to a wider perspective.
Reflection papers can help you see the big picture associated with
the content of a course by forcing you to think about the connections
between scholarly content and your lived experiences outside of
school. It can provide a macro-level understanding of one’s own
experiences in relation to the specif ics of what is being taught.
If reflective writing is shared, students can exchange stories
about their learning experiences, thereby, creating an opportunity
to reevaluate their original assumptions or perspectives. In most
cases, reflective writing is only viewed by your professor in order to
ensure candid feedback from students. However, occasionally,
reflective writing is shared and openly discussed in class. During
these discussions, new or different perspectives and alternative
approaches to solving problems can be generated that would
otherwise be hidden. Sharing student's reflections can also reveal
collective patterns of thought and emotions about a particular
element of the course.

Bolton, Gillie. Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development.

London: Sage, 2010; Chang, Bo. "Reflection in Learning." Online Learning 23
(2019), 95-110; Cavilla, Derek. "The Effects of Student Reflection on Academic
Performance and Motivation." Sage Open 7 (July-September 2017): 1–13;
McCabe, Gavin and Tobias Thejll-Madsen. The Reflection Toolkit. University of
Edinburgh; The Purpose of Reflection. Introductory Composition at Purdue
University; Practice-based and Reflective Learning. Study Advice Study
University; Practice-based and Reflective Learning. Study Advice Study
Guides, University of Reading; Ryan, Mary. "Improving Reflective Writing in
Higher Education: A Social Semiotic Perspective." Teaching in Higher
Education 16 (2011): 99-111; Tsingos-Lucas et al. "Using Reflective Writing as a
Predictor of Academic Success in Different Assessment Formats." American
Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 81 (2017): Article 8; What Benefits Might
Reflective Writing Have for My Students? Writing Across the Curriculum
Clearinghouse; Rykkje, Linda. "The Tacit Care Knowledge in Reflective Writing:
A Practical Wisdom." International Practice Development Journal 7
(September 2017): Article 5; Using Reflective Writing to Deepen Student
Learning. Center for Writing, University of Minnesota.

How to Approach Writing a Reflection Paper

Thinking About Reflective Thinking

Educational theorists have developed numerous models of reflective

thinking that your professor may use to frame a reflective writing assignment.
These models can help you systematically interpret your learning experiences,
thereby ensuring that you ask the right questions and have a clear
understanding of what should be covered. A model can also represent the
overall structure of a reflective paper. Each model establishes a different
approach to reflection and will require you to think about your writing
differently. If you are unclear how to f it your writing within a particular
reflective model, seek clarif ication from your professor. There are generally
two types of reflective writing assignments, each approached in slightly
different ways.

1. Reflective Thinking about Course Readings

This type of reflective writing focuses on thoughtfully thinking about the

course readings that underpin how most students acquire new knowledge and
understanding about the subject of a course. Reflecting on course readings is
often assigned in freshmen-level, interdisciplinary courses where the required
readings examine topics viewed from multiple perspectives and, as such,
provide different ways of analyzing a topic, issue, event, or phenomenon. The
purpose of reflective thinking about course readings in the social and
behavioral sciences is to elicit your opinions, beliefs, and feelings about the
research and its signif icance. This type of writing can provide an opportunity
to break down key assumptions you may have and, in so doing, reveal
potential biases in how you interpret the scholarship.

If you are assigned to reflect on course readings, consider the following

methods of analysis as prompts that can help you get started:
 Examine carefully the main introductory elements of the reading,
including the purpose of the study, the theoretical framework being
used to test assumptions, and the research questions being
addressed. Think about what ideas stood out to you. Why did they?
Were these ideas new to you or familiar in some way based on your
own lived experiences or prior knowledge?

Develop your ideas around the readings by asking yourself, what do I

know about this topic? Where does my existing knowledge about this
topic come from? What are the observations or experiences in my life
that influence my understanding of the topic? Do I agree or disagree
with the main arguments, recommended course of actions, or
conclusions made by the author(s)? Why do I feel this way and what
is the basis of these feelings?

Make connections between the text and your own beliefs, opinions,
or feelings by considering questions like, how do the readings
reinforce my existing ideas or assumptions? How the readings
challenge these ideas or assumptions? How does this text help me to
better understand this topic or research in ways that motivate me to
learn more about this area of study?

2. Reflective Thinking about Course Experiences

This type of reflective writing asks you to critically reflect on locating yourself
at the conceptual intersection of theory and practice. The purpose of
experiential reflection is to evaluate theories or disciplinary-based analytical
models based on your introspective assessment of the relationship between
hypothetical thinking and practical reality; it offers a way to consider how
your own knowledge and skills f it within professional practice. This type of
writing also provides an opportunity to evaluate your decisions and actions, as
well as how you managed your subsequent successes and failures, within a
specif ic theoretical framework. As a result, abstract concepts can crystallize
and become more relevant to you when considered within your own
experiences. This can help you formulate plans for self-improvement as you
learn.

If you are assigned to reflect on your experiences, consider the following

questions as prompts to help you get started:

Contextualize your reflection in relation to the overarching purpose of

the course by asking yourself, what did you hope to learn from this
course? What were the learning objectives for the course and how did
 I f it within each of them? How did these goals relate to the main
themes or concepts of the course?

Analyze how you experienced the course by asking yourself, what did
I learn from this experience? What did I learn about myself? About
working in this area of research and study? About how the course
relates to my place in society? What assumptions about the course
were supported or refuted?

Think introspectively about the ways you experienced learning during

the course by asking yourself, did your learning experiences align
with the goals or concepts of the course? Why or why do you not feel
this way? What was successful and why do you believe this? What
would you do differently and why is this important? How will you
prepare for a future experience in this area of study?

NOTE: If you are assigned to write a journal or other type of on-going

reflection exercise, a helpful approach is to reflect on your reflections by re-
reading what you have already written. In other words, review your previous
entries as a way to contextualize your feelings, opinions, or beliefs regarding
your overall learning experiences. Over time, this can also help reveal hidden
patterns or themes related to how you processed your learning experiences.
Consider concluding your reflective journal with a summary of how you felt
about your learning experiences at critical junctures throughout the course,
then use these to write about how you grew as a student learner and how the
act of reflecting helped you gain new understanding about the subject of the
course and its content.

ANOTHER NOTE: Regardless of whether you write a reflection paper or a

journal, do not focus your writing on the past. The act of reflection is intended
to think introspectively about previous learning experiences. However,
reflective thinking should document the ways in which you progressed in
obtaining new insights and understandings about your growth as a learner
that can be carried forward in subsequent coursework or in future
professional practice. Your writing should reflect a furtherance of increasing
personal autonomy and conf idence gained from understanding more about
yourself as a learner.

How to Write a Reflection Paper. Academic Skills, Trent University; A Short

Guide to Reflective Writing. Library Services, Academic Skills Centre,
University of Birmingham; Hatton, Neville, and David Smith. "Reflection in
Teacher Education: Towards Def inition and Implementation." Teaching and
Teacher Education 11 (January 1995): 33-49; Critical Reflection. Writing and
Communication Centre, University of Waterloo; Reflective Writing/Reflective
Frameworks. SkillGuides, University of Hull; Reflective Writing. Skills Centre,
University College Cork, Ireland; Reflective Writing. Academic Skills Kit.
Newcastle University; The Reflection Toolkit. University of Edinburgh;
Reflective Writing. Skills@Library. University of Leeds; Pete Watton, Jane
Collings, and Jenny Moon. Reflective Writing: Guidance Notes for Students.
University of Exeter;

Structure and Writing Style

There are no strict academic rules for writing a reflective paper. Reflective
writing may be assigned in any class taught in the social and behavioral
sciences and, therefore, requirements for the assignment can vary depending
on disciplinary-based models of inquiry and learning. The organization of
content can also depend on what your professor wants you to write about or
based on the type of reflective model used to frame the writing assignment.
Despite these possible variations, below is a basic approach to organizing and
writing a good reflective paper, followed by a list of problems to avoid.

Pre-flection

In most cases, it's helpful to begin by thinking about your learning experiences
and outline what you want to focus on before you begin to write the paper.
This can help you organize your thoughts around what was most important to
you and what experiences [good or bad] had the most impact on your
learning. As described by the University of Waterloo Writing and
Communication Centre, preparing to write a reflective paper involves a
process of self-analysis that can help organize your thoughts around
signif icant moments of in-class knowledge discovery.

1. Using a thesis statement as a guide, note what experiences or

course content stood out to you, then place these within the
context of your observations, reactions, feelings, and opinions. This
will help you develop a rough outline of key moments during the
course that reflect your growth as a learner. To identify these
moments, pose these questions to yourself: What happened? What
was my reaction? What were my expectations and how were they
different from what transpired? What did I learn?
2. Critically think about your learning experiences and the course
content. This will help you develop a deeper, more nuanced
understanding about why these moments were signif icant or relevant
to you. Use the ideas you formulated during the f irst stage of
reflecting to help you think through these moments from both an
academic and personal perspective. From an academic perspective,
 academic and personal perspective. From an academic perspective,
contemplate how the experience enhanced your understanding of a
concept, theory, or skill. Ask yourself, did the experience conf irm my
previous understanding or challenge it in some way. As a result, did
this highlight strengths or gaps in your current knowledge? From a
personal perspective, think introspectively about why these
experiences mattered, if previous expectations or assumptions were
conf irmed or refuted, and if this surprised, confused, or unnerved
you in some way.
3. Analyze how these experiences and your reactions to them will
shape your future thinking and behavior. Reflection implies looking
back, but the most important act of reflective writing is considering


how beliefs, assumptions, opinions, and feelings were transformed in

ways that better prepare you as a learner in the future. Note how this
reflective analysis can lead to actions you will take as a result of your
experiences, what you will do differently, and how you will apply
what you learned in other courses or in professional practice.

Basic Structure and Writing Style

Reflective Background and Context

The f irst part of your reflection paper should briefly provide background and
context in relation to the content or experiences that stood out to you.
Highlight the settings, summarize the key readings, or narrate the experiences
in relation to the course objectives. Provide background that sets the stage for
your reflection. You do not need to go into great detail, but you should provide
enough information for the reader to understand what sources of learning you
are writing about [e.g., course readings, f ield experience, guest lecture, class
discussions] and why they were important. This section should end with an
explanatory thesis statement that expresses the central ideas of your paper
and what you want the readers to know, believe, or understand after they
f inish reading your paper.

Reflective Interpretation

Drawing from your reflective analysis, this is where you can be personal,
critical, and creative in expressing how you felt about the course content and
learning experiences and how they influenced or altered your feelings, beliefs,
assumptions, or biases about the subject of the course. This section is also
where you explore the meaning of these experiences in the context of the
course and how you gained an awareness of the connections between these
moments and your own prior knowledge.

Guided by your thesis statement, a helpful approach is to interpret your

Guided by your thesis statement, a helpful approach is to interpret your
learning throughout the course with a series of specif ic examples drawn from
the course content and your learning experiences. These examples should be
arranged in sequential order that illustrate your growth as a learner.
Reflecting on each example can be done by: 1) introducing a theme or
moment that was meaningful to you, 2) describing your previous position
about the learning moment and what you thought about it, 3) explaining how
your perspective was challenged and/or changed and why, and 4)
introspectively stating your current or new feelings, opinions, or beliefs about
that experience in class.

It is important to include specif ic examples drawn from the course and placed
within the context of your assumptions, thoughts, opinions, and feelings. A
reflective narrative without specif ic examples does not provide an effective
way for the reader to understand the relationship between the course content
and how you grew as a learner.

Reflective Conclusions

The conclusion of your reflective paper should provide a summary of your

thoughts, feelings, or opinions regarding what you learned about yourself as a
result of taking the course. Here are several ways you can frame your
conclusions based on the examples you interpreted and reflected on what
they meant to you. Each example would need to be tied to the basic theme
[thesis statement] of your reflective background section.

Your reflective conclusions can be described in relation to any

expectations you had before taking the class [e.g., “I expected the
readings to not be relevant to my own experiences growing up in a
rural community, but the research actually helped me see that the
challenges of developing my identity as a child of immigrants was not
that unusual...”].
Your reflective conclusions can explain how what you learned about
yourself will change your actions in the future [e.g., “During a
discussion in class about the challenges of helping homeless people,
I realized that many of these people hate living on the street but lack
the ability to see a way out. This made me realize that I wanted to
take more classes in psychology...”].
Your reflective conclusions can describe major insights you
experienced a critical junctures during the course and how these
moments enhanced how you see yourself as a student learner [e.g.,
"The guest speaker from the Head Start program made me realize
why I wanted to pursue a career in elementary education..."].
Your reflective conclusions can reconf igure or reframe how you will
approach professional practice and your understanding of your future
 career aspirations [e.g.,, "The course changed my perceptions about
seeking a career in business f inance because it made me realize I
want to be more engaged in customer service..."]
Your reflective conclusions can explore any learning you derived from
the act of reflecting itself [e.g., “Reflecting on the course readings
that described how minority students perceive campus activities
helped me identify my own biases about the benef its of those
activities in acclimating to campus life...”].

NOTE: The length of a reflective paper in the social sciences is usually less
than a traditional research paper. However, don’t assume that writing a
reflective paper is easier than writing a research paper. A well-conceived
critical reflection paper often requires as much time and effort as a research
paper because you must purposeful engage in thinking about your learning in
ways that you may not comfortable with or used to. This is particular true
while preparing to write because reflective papers are not as structured as a
traditional research paper and, therefore, you have to think deliberately about
how you want to organize the paper and what elements of the course you want
to reflect upon.

ANOTHER NOTE: Do not limit yourself to using only text in reflecting on your
learning. If you believe it would be helpful, consider using creative modes of
thought or expression such as, illustrations, photographs, or material objects
that reflects an experience related to the subject of the course that was
important to you [e.g., like a ticket stub to a renowned speaker on campus].
Whatever non-textual element you include, be sure to describe the object's
relevance to your personal relationship to the course content.

Problems to Avoid

A reflective paper is not a “mind dump”. Reflective papers document your

personal and emotional experiences and, therefore, they do not conform to
rigid structures, or schema, to organize information. However, the paper
should not be a disjointed, stream-of-consciousness narrative. Reflective
papers are still academic pieces of writing that require organized thought,
that use academic language and tone, and that apply intellectually-driven
critical thinking to the course content and your learning experiences and their
signif icance.

A reflective paper is not a research paper. If you are asked to reflect on a

course reading, the reflection will obviously include some description of the
research. However, the goal of reflective writing is not to present extraneous
ideas to the reader or to "educate" them about the course. The goal is to share
a story about your relationship with the learning objectives of the course.
a story about your relationship with the learning objectives of the course.
Therefore, unlike research papers, you are expected to write from a f irst
person point of view which includes an introspective examination of your own
opinions, feelings, and personal assumptions.

A reflection paper is not a book review. Descriptions of the course readings

using your own words is not a reflective paper. Reflective writing should focus
on how you understood the implications of and were challenged by the course
in relation to your own lived experiences or personal assumptions, combined
with explanations of how you grew as a student learner based on this internal
dialogue. Remember that you are the central object of the paper, not the
research materials.

A reflective paper is not an all-inclusive meditation. Do not try to cover

everything. The scope of your paper should be well-def ined and limited to
your specif ic opinions, feelings, and beliefs about what you determine to be
the most signif icant content of the course and in relation to the learning that
took place. Reflections should be detailed enough to covey what you think is
important, but your thoughts should be expressed concisely and coherently
[as is true for any academic writing assignment].

Critical Reflection. Writing and Communication Centre, University of

Waterloo; Critical Reflection: Journals, Opinions, & Reactions. University
Writing Center, Texas A&M University; Connor-Greene, Patricia A. “Making
Connections: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Journal Writing in Enhancing
Student Learning.” Teaching of Psychology 27 (2000): 44-46; Good vs. Bad
Reflection Papers, Franklin University; Dyment, Janet E. and Timothy S.
O’Connell. "The Quality of Reflection in Student Journals: A Review of Limiting
and Enabling Factors." Innovative Higher Education 35 (2010): 233-244: How
to Write a Reflection Paper. Academic Skills, Trent University; Amelia
TaraJane House. Reflection Paper. Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence,
University of Arkansas; Ramlal, Alana, and Désirée S. Augustin. “Engaging
Students in Reflective Writing: An Action Research Project.” Educational
Action Research 28 (2020): 518-533; Writing a Reflection Paper. Writing
Center, Lewis University; McGuire, Lisa, Kathy Lay, and Jon Peters. “Pedagogy
of Reflective Writing in Professional Education.” Journal of the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning (2009): 93-107; Critical Reflection. Writing and
Communication Centre, University of Waterloo; How Do I Write Reflectively?
Academic Skills Toolkit, University of New South Wales Sydney; Reflective
Writing. Skills@Library. University of Leeds; Walling, Anne, Johanna Shapiro,
and Terry Ast. “What Makes a Good Reflective Paper?” Family Medicine 45
(2013): 7-12; Williams, Kate, Mary Woolliams, and Jane Spiro. Reflective
Writing. 2nd edition. London: Red Globe Press, 2020; Yeh, Hui-Chin, Shih-
hsien Yang, Jo Shan Fu, and Yen-Chen Shih. “Developing College Students’
Critical Thinking through Reflective Writing.” Higher Education Research and
Development (2022): 1-16.

Writing Tip

Focus on Reflecting, Not on Describing

Minimal time and effort should be spent describing the course content you are
asked to reflect upon. The purpose of a reflection assignment is to
introspectively contemplate your reactions to and feeling about an element of
the course. Deflecting the focus away from your own feelings by concentrating
on describing the course content can happen particularly if "talking about
yourself" [i.e., reflecting] makes you uncomfortable or it is intimidating.
However, the intent of reflective writing is to overcome these inhibitions so as
to maximize the benef its of introspectively assessing your learning
experiences. Keep in mind that, if it is relevant, your feelings of discomfort
could be a part of how you critically reflect on any challenges you had during
the course [e.g., you realize this discomfort inhibited your willingness to ask
questions during class, it fed into your propensity to procrastinate, or it made
it diff icult participating in groups].

Writing a Reflection Paper. Writing Center, Lewis University; Reflection Paper.

Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence, University of Arkansas.
 Another Writing Tip

Helpful Videos about Reflective Writing

These two short videos succinctly describe how to approach a reflective

writing assignment. They are produced by the Academic Skills department at
the University of Melbourne and the Skills Team of the University of Hull,
respectively.

Re#ective writing

Re#ective Writing - 1

Last Updated: Jan 25, 2023 10:12 AM URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/assignments

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