Chronicle Paper 1

Running Head: ADOLESCENT CHRONICLE

Learning Adolescent Development: The Adolescent Chronicle Paper

M Cecil Smith

Northern Illinois University

June 16, 2008

Word count: 1,316

Contact information:

M Cecil Smith, Ph.D.

Department of LEPF
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
(815) 753-8448
(815) 753-8750 (f)
mcsmith@niu.edu
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Abstract

A four-part journaling assignment requires graduate students in a course on adolescent

development to reflect upon their interests in and goals for working with adolescents –

whether as teacher, counselors and therapists, or youth workers. The journal writing

assignment requires a series of observations of, reflections on, and analyses of adolescent

behavior and development – in response to assigned readings, class discussions, or out-

of-class stimuli (e.g., newspaper articles). Student responses to the journal assignment

indicate that students find this to be both an enjoyable and valued learning experience,

and one which increases their interest in adolescents, and helps improve their writing.
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Learning Adolescent Development: The Adolescent Chronicle Paper

Several learning benefits that result from having students write reflective journals

have been described in the literature on the teaching of psychology (Cisero, 2006; Mayo,

2003; Miller, 1979). These benefits include opportunities for students to “connect ideas

and knowledge acquired from course material to the experiences...surrounding their own

lives” (Mayo, 2003, p. 234), making sense of what they are learning, increasing the

relevance of course content, developing analytical and creative thinking skills, enhancing

students’ motivation for learning, and – for average-achieving students – improveing

course performance (Cisero, 2006).

Bolin, Khramtsova, and Saarnio (2005) have suggested that, in addition to desired

cognitive outcomes, journal writing can help to achieve important (but often overlooked)

affective objectives in psychology courses, such as self-understanding, and motivation for

behavioral change and personal growth. They found that learning in an introductory

psychology course was strongly related to the affective outcomes (e.g., extent to which

journal assignments had a personally relevant impact) evident in students’ journals, but

unrelated to the cognitive outcomes (e.g., extent to which journal assignments helped

students learn the course material). Intriguingly, students’ affective outcomes also

predicted their evaluations of the course. Thus, journal writing assignments appear to

have benefits for both students and instructors.

I have used a journal writing activity in an adolescent development course that

has proven to be very effective in helping students make connections between course

contents and their out-of-class experiences, enhanced their understanding of the course
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material, and deepened their appreciation of the value of theory in interpreting

adolescents’ behaviors.

Graduate course in adolescent development. The course is an entry-level graduate

course that is intended for secondary education students. Typically, about 75% of the

enrolled students are young adults who are returning to school to obtain secondary

teacher certification, with plans to teach middle or high school. The remainder are

enrolled in psychology, educational psychology, or counseling programs. Thus, these

students lack teaching or clinical experience with teens, although some may have spent

time observing in classrooms, or have had limited work as substitute teachers.

Because they had few direct interactions with adolescents, the journal writing

assignment is designed to help students to think about their motivations for working with

adolescents, analyze the situations in which they observe adolescents in various settings,

and to reflect upon what the course contents in regards to adolescent development. I refer

to this writing assignment as an adolescent chronicle paper.

The Adolescent Chronicle Paper. The chronicle is a 4-part paper, and each part is

due at different times throughout the semester. The purpose of Part 1 is for students’ to

briefly describe their educational and employment background and personal interests as

these pertain to working with adolescents. They are asked to describe any experiences

they have had with adolescents (e.g., sibling, camp counselor, softball coach, Big

Brother/BigSister), and to describe any concerns they have about adolescents (e.g.,

disrespectful to adults). They also state what they want or expect to learn from the course.

Parts 2 and 3 each consist of five periodic observations, commentaries, and/or reflections

regarding some aspects of adolescents’ learning, behavior development, and/or schooling.

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These comments can be based upon the course reading assignments, lectures, discussions,

or any outside-of-course source materials, such as news and magazine articles or

websites, observations of or interviews with teens, recent classroom observations or

teaching experiences, or consumption of novels, movies, or TV programs having an

adolescent protagonist. Each entry is dated and there are ten entries across these two parts

of the chronicle. Each of the three chronicle parts is qualitatively evaluated as

“satisfactory, “needs improvement,” or “unsatisfactory.” Students are encouraged to

revise the parts that are not satisfactory.

For Part 4, students briefly summarize the most important facts, concepts, and

ideas have learned in the course, drawing upon their prior reflections and observations

(Parts 2 & 3). They also state their conclusions about how they can best integrate, apply,

adopt or otherwise employ their knowledge of adolescent development into their

teaching, counseling, parenting, or other interactions with adolescents. Part 4 is submitted

along with Parts 1, 2, and 3 as a final single document. A scoring rubric is used to

evaluate the chronicle along the following dimensions: grammar and mechanics; APA

style; demonstrates understanding of relevant psychological theories, contemporary

social issues, or research findings; and, demonstrates ability to reflect upon, analyze, and

interpret the adolescent experience in contemporary culture, respond to adolescents as

individuals and as learners, and one’s role in teaching, counseling, and guiding

adolescents in schools and other settings.

Students’ Performance

Students typically respond very positively to this writing assignment, as reflected

in the average score for the assignment over several semesters for more than 80 students.
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On a 100 point scale, the average score has equaled 93, with scores ranging from 74 -

100.

What do students write about?

A content analysis of the 10 required journal entries (Parts 2 and 3) in the

Chronicle paper among revealed that students wrote about their observations and

interactions with adolescents in- and outside of school (25%), reactions to newspaper,

magazine, and online articles about adolescents (16%), and ideas about social-

psychological issues affecting teens (ranging from teens’ coffee consumption to sexual

activities, and depression; 15%). Descriptions of movies, television programs, and fiction

having teenaged protagonists accounted for another 13% of students’ written comments.

The remainder of journal entries consisted of comments regarding their teaching

experiences, reflections on their own adolescent experiences, or responses to course

assignments or required reading materials.

Students’ written comments captured a wide range of ideas, experiences, and

responses to the course materials, as well as their perceptions of their readiness to teach

or counsel adolescents. One student wrote:

Being a parent who has successfully reared two boys did not prepare me to teach

adolescents. This class has exposed me to many facets of teens’ lives that I would

not have believed existed had I not taken this class.

Another commented:

Understanding how adolescents perceive their peers, parents, and teachers is the

most valuable thing I have learned…I better understand how my actions will be
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perceived by my students and how to get the results I want…I feel more confident

as a young adult working with teens.

Many students wrote about the value of the course in altering their views about their

professional responsibilities, increasing their understanding of adolescents’ behaviors, or

influencing their beliefs about adolescents’ characteristics, as reflected in the following

comments:

Before this class, I would have said my job is to teach my students art. Now,

would say that I also need to include in my lessons attention to students’ identity,

self-esteem, and morality.

By taking this class, I was forced to observe my students and get a better

understanding why they exhibit behaviors such as a lack of motivation or school

avoidance – the most frequent self-defeating behaviors I see as a counselor.

Many of the myths I had previously believed about teens are not true, such as

‘storm and stress.’

Student evaluations of Chronicle paper. Data from an end-of-course survey found

overwhelmingly positive views of the value of the Chronicle writing project (Table 1).

The majority of students indicated “somewhat” to “strong” agreement that the project

was not only enjoyable, but also increased their interest in and understanding of

adolescent development. An added benefit was that four of five students believed that this

assignment helped them to improve their writing skills – an asset that was strongly

emphasized in the course.

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Conclusion

Journal writing is a valuable assignment in psychology courses because it

provides multiple opportunities for students to think deeply about the facts and ideas they

are learning, to integrate this new knowledge with existing knowledge, beliefs, and

opinions, and to gain insights into their goals, behaviors, and attitudes. The adolescent

chronicle paper is a useful journaling assignment that helps students make connections

between theory and practice, increases students’ interest in learning about adolescents,

and is viewed by students as both interesting and enjoyable.

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Table 1.

Student evaluations of Chronicle paper project

Item Percent
agreeing
The Adolescent Chronicle paper… Mean (S.D.) with
statement

was enjoyable 4.33 (1.29) 73

increased my interest in adolescent development 4.20 (1.21) 80
was a valuable learning activity 4.60 (0.99) 93
helped me connect theories of adolescence to 93

educational or clinical practice 4.67 (1.05)

increased my understanding of adolescent 4.67 (1.11) 87

development
helped me think about my views and beliefs 4.60 (0.98) 93

regarding adolescents
helped me to improve my writing skills 4.73 (1.34) 80
helped me to improve my memory for 4.47 (1.13) 53

information about adolescent development

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References

Bolin, A., Khramtsova, I., & Saarnio, D. (2005). Using student journals to stimulate

authentic learning: Balancing Bloom’s cognitive and affective domains. Teaching

of Psychology, 32(3), 154-159.

Cisero, C.A. (2006). Does reflective journal writing improve course performance?

College Teaching, 54(2), 231-236.

Mayo, J.A. (2003). Observational diary: The merits of journal writing as case-based

instruction in introductory psychology. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 16,

233-247.

Miller, S.U. (1979). Keeping a psychological journal. Gifted Child Quarterly, 23, 168-

175.