Brenda J. Byers, former member of the Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas. Journal writing is an excellent tool that allows students to actively engage the material during the encoding and rehearsal stages of processing information. The habit of recording responses or reactions to a topic on a daily basis fosters writing skills and helps the student make a more personal connection with the subject matter. Journal writing provides learners with the opportunity to engage in elaborate rehearsal which is more effective than rote repetition. Students demonstrate more class participation, exhibit more knowledge of the topic, ask more relevant questions, and express greater interest in information beyond that necessary for the test.
Students attribute less test anxiety and greater ease in test preparation to the journal writing.
Journal assignments can be used in any content area. In order to maximize learning, however, journals must also be use as an integral component in the overall learning process. Cognitive Maps Gary Taylor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Arkansas Cognitive psychology stresses the arrangement of subject content into associations and patterns so that learning is facilitated. When students are allowed to code, organize, and elaborate the content of a subject field, they cause the movement of that content from the short term memory into the long term memory. The act of coding, organizing, or elaborating increase the relevancy of the material to the students.