DETERMINING DIMENSIONS OF PERCEPTION ON REFLECTIVE JOURNAL WRITING: PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF IMPORTANCE-PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Although reflective journal writing (RJW) has become a popular way to evaluate learning, little is known about participants’ perceptions upon this educational activity. The purpose of this research paper was to utilize Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to determine the dimension of pre-registered student nurses’ perception on reflective journal writing. A total of thirty conveniently selected participants contributed to the study. Data was collected based on an adapted survey questionnaire. Data was analyzed through SPSS (V. 24) as well as importance-performance matrix. By using IPA matrix, participants rated the importance attribute in the “ideal” reflective journal writing and how satisfied they were with their performance in the actual setting. With a two-dimensional grid of importance and performance, the location of these attributes would determine what the participants’ ideas were regarding RJW and how the educators would take necessary action accordingly. For the most parts, the results indicated that participants were satisfied with the academic practice. IPA proved to be a useful evaluation tool enabling curriculum and syllabus designers to identify the strength and weaknesses of RJW as perceived by participants.