Journaling in Education: Nurturing Growth in Writing Proficiency and Metacognition

In the ever-evolving landscape of academia, the task of writing is both inevitable and prominent across all studies. And yet, as continual as this task is, how thoroughly are students actually comprehending the content they are being asked to write about? How well are students connecting it to their own lives, to the external world, or to other classroom material? And most importantly, are students being challenged and encouraged to grow in their writing proficiency- or are they just writing to write? The purpose of this research synthesis seeks to explore the efficacy of journaling, as a multifaceted tool that provides students with the skills and support necessary to become better writers. This implementation of journaling in pedagogy transcends classroom content and seeks a focus on student comprehension. Or in other words- metacognition- which allows students to gain control of their own learning (Hart & Sezgin-Memnun, 2015; Rhodes, 2019), allowing for a deeper understanding of what a student is understanding. Through qualitative case studies, research methods, and findings on classroom implementations - this research synthesis examines various formats, prompts, and techniques that have proven successful in enhancing students' writing proficiency. By first delving into theoretical foundations that support this integration into pedagogical practices, followed by researched data and case studies- this paper seeks to advocate for the implementation of journaling as a necessity in contemporary education- proving positive impact on both cognitive and metacognitive aspects of student learning.