Exploring how feedback through questioning may influence reflective thinking skills based on association rules mining technique

Abstract

Reflective thinking skills are essential to empower students with 21st century skills. Nevertheless, lack of feedback support has caused students to struggle in developing their reflective thinking skills. Despite the abundance of literature related to feedback practices, the notion of how feedback should be tailored and creatively delivered requires further research. Hence, this study aims to ascertain about how the provision of specific feedback through questioning approach can trigger specific reflective thinking skills using innovative analytical analysis technique, that is, association rules mining. An explorative case study qualitative design was employed and the study was conducted for 14 weeks. Six case-based activities that reflect real-world scenarios were created for students to critically discuss and solve in the blogging environment. Association rules data mining technique was utilised on qualitative data of reflections on both course and individual blogs, to model how feedback through questioning may influence the direction of reflective thinking skills. The findings revealed 16 important association rules and from that only Limited Focal, Open Focal, Brainstorming and Application types of feedback were discovered to lead to important reflective thinking skills development. It was also found that students’ reflective discussion cannot simply move beyond reportive/descriptive thinking and decision-making, despite being pressed by higher level feedback. The overall findings of this study also have implications towards parties like students, instructors, and syllabus and materials designers in terms of how to creatively develop and teach reflective thinking skills via the feedback through questioning approach in educational blogging environments.