Using a learning log to support students' learning in biology lessons

Learning logs or reflective journals are frequently used in further and higher education to encourage students' reflection on their learning. Such approaches are rare in school. This study employed a learning log over a five-week period, with a class of 14–15 year old students learning about digestion, respiration and breathing at a Suffolk upper school in the UK. The study aimed to establish (1) how the learning log can prompt reflection on the learning benefits of classroom activities and increase cognitive control of learning strategies, and (2) how greater understanding of learning strategies may affects students' motivation to learn. The learning logs themselves formed one source of data. Student reflections on the learning benefits of classroom activities were also assessed through classroom dialogue and semi-structured interviews. Motivation was assessed at the start and at the end of the teaching sequence, using a questionnaire. The learning log did stimulate student reflection, but did not prompt...