Learner Metacognitive Insights from Writing Professional Clinical Practicum Reflections: An Instrumental Case Study...

MLS curricula often focus on factual theory and skills-based competencies. Evolving practitioners also need professional reflection skills to continually improve. The problem giving rise to the need for this intervention was that learners were not reflecting on their practicum experiences beyond thinking of tasks completed. The purpose of this qualitative case was to explore learner insight that arose from writing professional reflections across clinical practica during a university-based MLS program. Two elaborating research questions asked what metacognitive insights MLS learners described in their reflections and how learners perceived their clinical practica experiences.

The instrumental case is bounded by a 1-year MLS professional program in a Midwestern academic health science center that required the 2017-18 cohort of 43 students to complete graded, written reflections over clinical practicum experiences.

Data analyzed for this study included up to 21 reflections over an academic year for each of 25 learners, who were selected for analysis due to the richness of their written reflections.

Based on iterative categorization, themes derived from the data included academic pace, technical dislikes, frustration, nervousness, identifying weaknesses, critical thinking and identifying technical errors, comfort, and embracing challenges.

The study's practical implications for MLS educators are that learners need to be required to write reflections to promote deep learning.