Comparing Traditional Journal Writing with Journal Writing Shared over E-mail List Serves as Tools for Facilitating Reflective Thinking: A Study of Preservice Teachers

To determine the conditions that would best encourage reflection in journal writing of preservice teachers in field-based reading internships, the degree of reflective content found in self-contained traditional journals was compared to the reflective content found in journal entries shared over e-mail list serves. Participants were 56 preservice teachers enrolled in reading internships in public schools operating in a variety of journal writing conditions in 1 of 5 semesters from fall 1999 through spring 2001. Results indicate that journals written under shared interactive e-mail conditions were significantly more likely to contain evidence of reflections than traditional journals. Reflections observed were also categorized into types described by Hatton and Smith (1995). Suggestions for implications for encouraging reflectivity during field-based internships in teacher education programs are presented.