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REFLECTING ON PRACTICE: using learning journals in higher and continuing education.

Introduction.
The article by A.M Langer (2000) explores the effectiveness of applying study journals in enhancing students understanding of technical courses. The author acknowledges existence of other scholarly documents evaluating the influence of journals in improving students understanding of applied courses such as mathematics and physics. He builds on the existing literature to establish a theoretical background of the study in the literature review. The literature review also identifies the knowledge gap that the study carried out by Langer seeks to fill. Langer argues that there is a significant lack of literature exploring the use of journals in enhancing the study of technical courses by nontraditional students (Langer 2000).
He carries out a research to establish the effect of using scholar journals by nontraditional students undertaking computer technology classes in the University of Columbia. The scope of the study covers a population of ten students. According to the article, the sampling technique is unbiased as it has equity in gender and utilizes a random sampling method that entails selection of every tenth student in alphephetical order as per the last name. The selected group was required to submit journals to the group of researchers. The researchers sort to meet discrete objectives defined by the study. The objectives included evaluation of the journals submitted by the students and interviewing the selected students on their perception on the use of journals to improve reflection (Langer 2000).
The main findings of the research carried out by Langer establishes the fact that journals have a significant influence on student reflections. The author also presents numerous benefits accrued by the students from using journals. He notes that a number of the respondents cited an increase in their ability to take notes. He also concludes that journals enable student to translate their theoretical studies into practical application.
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the weakness and strengths of the article by Langer (2000). The paper discusses the pitfalls in the article and offers the solutions to the most damaging weakness of the report. The paper is divided into four major parts for clarity. The first part comprises of the introduction which basically offers the summary of the article. The second part outlines the strengths. The third part gives the weakness of the article while the fourth part offers tentative recommendations that can be used to enhance the study on the use of journals to improve reflection on course material. Strengths of the article.
Langer succeeds in expressing the objective of the study. The aim and purpose of the article is discretely expressed in the introduction part of the paper. He establishes that the article is meant to understand the influence of journals as learning tools for adult students and as vehicles for promoting reflection by students. The research objective are backed by a coherent and extensive literature review. The literature review describes the concept of reflection. It also reviews the theoretical background of the study and enables the reader to clearly understand the knowledge gap that the study seeks to fill.
The author also selects an unbiased sampling method. This enables qualitative analysis of the study group which reveals accurate information in accordance to the research problem and objective. The results and findings of the study are clearly explained in the article. Langer also offers a table exhibiting the demographical variables of the students who participated in the study. The author also includes interview questions answered by the selected students. This gives the reader a perception on the material that was sort by the study. Explanation of the results in the article is done and compared to implications outlined in other literal documents. This gives a clear foundations for the results exhibited in the article. This are the main strengths of Langer (2000). However, the article exhibit major weakness that inhibits the readers understanding of the content. Weakness of Langer 2000.
One of the major weakness of Langer (2000) is ambiguity in definition of the research participants. This weakness is found in the objective statement where the research states purpose of the study. Langer fails to define the use of the term traditional students. A traditional student may be an adult. Thus the reader is left at a cross road of determining the actual definition of the term traditional student. In this paper the reviewer assumes that traditional students are adults due to the explanation offered by the article that computer technology classes are offered to adults seeking advancement or transfer of their careers.
This weakness can be improved by a conscious use of comparative terms in the paragraph. The author may also utilize a terminology table that gives a definition of terms. Conclusion.
In conclusion Langer (2002) accepts results of the study in regards to the current literature. For example, learning journals help students to enhance their knowledge base. Although some of the findings of the research were not in agreement with the literature. The understanding of critical reflection was proven to be a difficult task among the non-traditional adult students. Therefore, an expansion study on the understanding of the use of learning journals with both traditional and non-traditional students can offer quality and informative research.

References
Langer, A. M. (2002). Reflecting on practice: using learning journals in higher and continuing
Education. Teaching in Higher Education, 7(3), 338-351.