Video Journaling for Adult Learners: Benefits and Learning Styles
This paper examines video journaling as a reflective learning tool for adult learners, situating it within the framework of transformative learning theory. Drawing on Kolb's experiential learning cycle, the paper argues that video journals accommodate diverse learning preferences — activist, pragmatist, theorist, and reflector — by shifting instructional power toward the learner. The paper describes how video-sharing platforms can be integrated into classroom practice, reviews real-world implementations at Birmingham City University and West Texas A&M University, and concludes that video journaling meaningfully enhances collaboration, self-reflection, and deeper engagement with course content across varied student populations.
- Introduction: Reflection, journaling, and video journals introduced
- Rationale for Video Journaling in Adult Education: Digital natives and web 2.0 in learning contexts
- Video Journaling and Learning Styles: Kolb's theory applied across four learner types
- How Video Journaling Works: Platforms, setup, and instructor facilitation explained
- Video Journaling in Practice: Case studies at two universities reviewed
- Conclusion: Video journaling summarized as effective learning tool
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its argument in an established theoretical framework — Kolb's (1984) experiential learning cycle — and applies it systematically to video journaling, giving the analysis academic credibility.
- A well-organized comparison table mapping each learning style to specific video journaling affordances translates abstract theory into concrete pedagogical application.
- Real-world case studies (Birmingham City University and West Texas A&M University) anchor the theoretical discussion in documented institutional practice, strengthening the argument's persuasiveness.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of a theoretical lens to evaluate a pedagogical tool. By filtering video journaling through Kolb's four-element learning cycle, the author avoids making unsupported claims and instead shows systematically how the tool addresses a recognized educational challenge. This "theory-to-application" structure is a strong model for education and instructional design papers at the undergraduate level.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a literature-grounded introduction establishing the problem (diverse learning styles and reflective practice), then provides rationale for video journaling in the context of digital-native adult learners. The central analytical section applies Kolb's framework through a structured table. A practical "how it works" section follows, and two brief case studies illustrate real institutional use before the conclusion synthesizes the argument. The progression moves logically from theory to practice to evidence.
Introduction
It is a widely accepted fact that reflection is a fundamental construct of transformative learning, allowing learners to make deeper meaning of their life experiences, attitudes, and assumptions by linking them to the conceptual models and theories of their actual practice (Lamb, Lane & Aldous, 2013). Researchers contend that nurturing learners' abilities by exposing them to new knowledge in their areas of practice has consistently been a challenge for trainers and supervisors, particularly because of the different learning styles that exist in the classroom setting. There is consensus, however, that the best way to instill new knowledge is to let learners engage with theoretical concepts in the context of their own life experiences.
Journaling has conventionally been used to facilitate this process. Written journals have been commonplace in this regard, but video journals are fast gaining prominence — particularly in the context of adult learners, who, as research indicates, "prefer that their mode of reflection be verbal, rather than writing" (Parikh & Janson, 2012, p. 313). This paper examines the specifics of video journaling, outlining how it supports the process of learning and how it addresses the challenge of diverse learning styles.
Rationale for Video Journaling in Adult Education
The 21st-century adult learner — commonly referred to as a digital native — represents a group that has grown up in a digital era and therefore enjoys living in the public arena of cyberspace. Since technology has been able to cater to this group's many needs, its members have grown to become much more demanding regarding their educational needs and expectations. It is therefore the educator's role to identify students' learning preferences and adapt teaching methods to yield academic benefits for all students. This, according to researchers, explains why web 2.0 technologies have continued to gain prominence in learning settings. Worryingly, however, most of these innovations have focused on improving the academic domain (the teaching process) and have largely ignored the student's domain (the learning process) (Kuhn, Russell-Bennett, & Rundle-Thiele, 2010).
Judging from the dramatic rise in the popularity of YouTube, it is evident that today's adult learner finds pleasure in making videos of their life experiences and sharing them with others. Educators could therefore adopt the use of self-produced online videos as reflective journals in order to respond to the broad range of learning styles in their classrooms. The technique has been used to boost informal and active learning in teacher education (Clarke, 2009) as well as in hospital ICUs (Brandt & Hillgren, 2005). It is worth noting, however, that video per se does not reinforce active learning; it only does so when used in a manner that allows for student interactivity and therefore suits an individual learner's preferences and style. This perhaps explains why techniques such as video-delivered lectures (Karns, 2006) and lecture webcasting, though quite popular, often have only insignificant effects on learning outcomes. The sections that follow demonstrate how video journaling helps educators address the challenge of diverse learning preferences.
Video Journaling and Learning Styles
According to Kolb's (1984) learning theory, learning is a cyclic process composed of four elements — active experimentation (AE), abstract conceptualization (AC), reflective observation (RO), and concrete experience (CE) — the interplay of which determines an individual's learning preference. Because different learners possess different combinations of these four elements, there are naturally variations in learning preferences and intelligences within any classroom. In order to ensure effective, learner-centered education, educators ought to "adopt a variety of teaching approaches and methods of assessment to accommodate different learning preferences" (Kuhn, Russell-Bennett, & Rundle-Thiele, 2010, p. 3).
As shown in the table below, video journaling can cater to different learning styles and preferences. It does so by shifting power to the student and making the instructor more of a facilitator than a director in the learning process (Kuhn, Russell-Bennett, & Rundle-Thiele, 2010). Students can make, view, and share their videos online, thereby demonstrating their level of understanding. Instructors, moreover, can use these self-constructed videos to identify individual students' learning styles and assess their comprehension of specific concepts.
Activist — Students of this kind learn best by doing and do not necessarily think things through first; they often prefer tasks that are daring and flexible. Video journaling allows students to speak their minds without necessarily planning their thoughts in advance. Flexibility is introduced by the fact that the format of the video is determined solely by the learner, who has the opportunity to make themselves the center of the video.
Pragmatist — Learners of this kind prefer to apply techniques, theories, and ideas practically, and often prefer tasks that require practical experiments and research. Video journaling provides platforms for students to share their personal experiences with others; moreover, the use of video enables them to experiment with technology and communicate their ideas effectively.
Theorist — Learners of this kind prefer to solve problems in an objective, rational, and logical manner, often focusing on building theories from their ideas by organizing them in a structured way. Video journaling allows students to arrange their past and present observations logically and to develop theories and models that contextualize their life experiences.
Reflector — Learners of this kind prefer to observe situations critically, gather data, and then analyze it in their own time to draw their own conclusions. Video journaling allows students to develop their videos at their own pace and tailor them to their own specifications. Students can also be provided with a list of reflection questions that offer guidance and structure, thereby increasing their confidence and certainty in carrying out the task.
(Source: Kuhn, Russell-Bennett, & Rundle-Thiele, 2010, p. 5)
Beyond accommodating varied learning styles, the technique is likely to improve students' collaboration and dialogue skills while expanding their opportunities for deeper learning. It allows learners to keep records of their personal learning experiences, track the development of their insights and ideas, and reflect on both their learning process and course content (Kuhn, Russell-Bennett, & Rundle-Thiele, 2010).
Conclusion
Technology is changing humanity in many ways, and education is one of the key fields to benefit. Video technology, for instance, has substantially increased collaboration between learners and their instructors. Video journaling — a specific application of video technology — has proven to be an effective way of engaging students with the theoretical concepts of their discipline in the context of their own life experiences. Furthermore, by accounting for the learning preferences of different students, it is a valuable tool for helping instructors address the perennial challenge of diverse learning styles.
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