motivation reflection essay

• Essay Topic Generator
• Essay Grader
• Reference Finder
• AI Outline Generator
• Paragraph Expander
• Essay Expander
• Literature Review Generator
• Thesis Generator
• Text Editing Tools
• AI Rewording Tool
• AI Sentence Rewriter
• AI Article Spinner
• AI Grammar Checker
• Spell Checker
• PDF Spell Check
• Paragraph Checker
• Free AI Essay Writer
• Paraphraser
• Grammar Checker
• Citation Generator
• Plagiarism Checker
• AI Detector
• AI Essay Checker
• Proofreading Service
• Editing Service
• AI Writing Guides
• AI Detection Guides
• Citation Guides
• Grammar Guides
• Paraphrasing Guides
• Plagiarism Guides
• Summary Writing Guides
• STEM Guides
• Humanities Guides
• Language Learning Guides
• Coding Guides
• Top Lists and Recommendations
• AI Detectors
• AI Writing Services
• Coding Homework Help
• Citation Generators
• Editing Websites
• Essay Writing Websites
• Language Learning Websites
• Math Solvers
• Paraphrasers
• Plagiarism Checkers
• Reference Finders
• Spell Checkers
• Summarizers
• Tutoring Websites
• Essay Checkers
• Essay Topic Finders

Most Popular

11 days ago

Survey Reveals High Cost of Course Materials Stops Students from Success

Professors share 5 myths students believe about college, how to write a character analysis essay, anxiety among students: what do teachers think about it, dorm overbooking and transitional housing: problems colleges are trying to solve, motivation essay sample, example.

Since I am a twin, a sense of competition is hardwired into my brain. Healthy competition can push us to do fantastic things. It makes us strive for a certain goal and gets us to do things faster. However, I do not think competition should become toxic. When anger, frustration, and depression is a result of competition, it is not healthy. Yet, competition can bring about respect, camaraderie, and mutual gain. In the case with my twin brother, we have pushed ourselves to be good at sports, music, school, and even at work. This competitive spirit has leaked into my life without my twin around. In a sense, I replicate my twin brother in other people. I always try to be number one at whatever I do—or at least in the top three. There are times this attitude becomes unhealthy, as I get frustrated if I give everything to a competition or activity and yield mediocre results. But as the years passed, I have gotten better at handling failure and defeat. All in all, I think I finish and do well in many areas of my life for the simple fact that I want to do well in them. Thriving in competition-based environments has made me do well in many tournaments and other events that engage in achieving top places. But, just the feeling of doing well against competent opponents is gratifying.

As I came from a childhood of low self-esteem due to bullying, medical problems, and stigmatization, achieving greatness has always been one of my goals. Like my goal of being in the top places of competitions, the yearning to achieve the heights of a discipline is a way for my self-esteem to get a boost. From a tender age, I wanted to be one of the greats in something: writing, music, sports. I just happen to be a writer now—so, I do my best to attain a high place among people of the written word. It is difficult to say, though, who will be labeled as “great” or “major” in the annals of history. Most famous writers die and then they became renowned worldwide. There are rare occasions when writers are famous in their lifetimes and much after. However, by the work I do, I hope that one day, my poems, essays, and stories will be in textbooks for school and I will be named as a “major poet” and such. Though I mostly write for the enjoyment of it, this concept of being remembered long after I have passed does have a potent motivating factor.

Besides wanting to be remembered and to show well at competitions, I also revel in the feeling of completing an important project. For instance, last year, I finished a poetry collection with my late father’s poems and my own poems. It was a tribute to him and his work. In a way, I felt that his death was not in vain and that his work was validated even more through this compilation. It is hard to describe the moment of knowing when such a prominent project is set to rest: it is almost like you are ready to die. You sense that a chapter of your life has closed and you are now a new person. These deep sentiments motivate me to complete projects on a regular basis.

The last, and most simple, factor that motivates me to do something is enjoyment. There are people who do activities they do not enjoy for decades. I am not one of those people. I can work on tasks I do not like for a while, but in the end, my main focus should be on something that I enjoy. If I find joy in doing a certain work, I engage in it for a large part of the day, or even all day without tiring. Tiredness in most cases, in my life, is due to a lack of enjoyment in the work being done.

Each person has his or her own motivating factors. For me, it happens to be competition, a desire for greatness, a want to complete projects, and enjoyment. I hope this reflection has allowed you to delve deeper into your true nature.

Follow us on Reddit for more insights and updates.

Comments (0)

Welcome to A*Help comments!

We’re all about debate and discussion at A*Help.

We value the diverse opinions of users, so you may find points of view that you don’t agree with. And that’s cool. However, there are certain things we’re not OK with: attempts to manipulate our data in any way, for example, or the posting of discriminative, offensive, hateful, or disparaging material.

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

More from Reflective Essay Examples and Samples

Jun 13 2023

Latin American Women in Politics Essay Sample, Example

Combating money laundering in the uae essay sample, example.

May 08 2023

Things that make me happy Essay Sample, Example

Remember Me

Is English your native language ? Yes No

What is your profession ? Student Teacher Writer Other

Forgotten Password?

Username or Email

• TemplateLab

Reflective Essay Examples

50 best reflective essay examples (+topic samples).

If you have ever read reflective essay examples, you would know that these types of written works examine the writer’s life experiences . When you write a reflective paper example, you write about your own experiences and explore how you’ve changed, grown or developed because of those experiences. There’s no standard format for this essay as it may vary depending on the target audience.

Table of Contents

• 1 Reflective Essay Examples
• 2 What is a reflective essay?
• 3 Reflective Paper Examples
• 4 Format of reflective essay
• 5 Creating the outline of reflective essay examples
• 6 Reflective Paper Samples
• 7 Tips for writing reflective essay
• 8 Reflective Essay Samples

What is a reflective essay?

A reflective essay is a type of written work which reflects your own self. Since it’s about yourself, you already have a topic to write about. For reflective essay examples, readers expect you to evaluate a specific part of your life. To do this, you may reflect on emotions, memories, and feelings you’ve experienced at that time.

Since you’re writing reflection essay samples about yourself, make sure that they’re interesting and exciting. This is very important so that your readers don’t get bored with what you’ve written. Reflective essays are very personal thus, they’re a special type of essay. As you write one, you need to reflect, think, and explain.

In the essay, you should demonstrate and describe different feelings or emotions which you’ve felt in the past. These statements breathe life into your essay as your readers start picturing what you’ve written in their minds. Reflective essays are very honest, personal, and emotional, especially those which describe painful experiences.

Reflective Paper Examples

Format of reflective essay

As aforementioned, reflective essay examples don’t have a standard format. They seem easy enough to write but once you’ve sat down to start writing, you may suddenly find the task very challenging! Besides the format, you must think about the life experience you want to write about and remember everything about it.

A reflective paper example is a lot like a personal journal or diary. Of course, the difference is that other people will read your essay. Therefore, you must write it with good structure and coherence. In this regard, reflective essays are a lot like the other types of essays too.

When writing a reflective essay, you will have to examine your own life experiences. The purpose of writing such an essay is to provide yourself with a platform to share your most meaningful life experiences with other people. You can also use it as a way to explore how your experiences have changed you as a person.

You can present reflective writing in different formats. Most of the time though, people use a learning log or a diary entry format. You can use these formats and others. Just make sure that your essay has a good flow and that it’s easy for other readers to understand.

The format to use for your reflection essay samples would depend on your target audience. You can make an academic reflective essay or you can make it as a general and informal piece of writing. If you need to write the essay for a class assignment, follow the format given to you by your teacher.

No matter what format you choose, you may write an essay which:

• Focuses on your personal growth Such an essay helps you learn how to evaluate and analyze the experiences you have had in your personal life. This helps promote emotional development and growth. It also helps you understand yourself and your behaviors better.
• Focuses on literature For this type of essay, you may have to include references to literature and apply these to your own life experiences. Such essays are commonly given as assignments to students in school.

Creating the outline of reflective essay examples

Before you write your reflective essay examples, you must create an outline for them. Although you’d write about your own life, creating an outline gives structure to your essay to serve as a guide for what you want to write about.

Whether you need to write an essay for school, for a magazine or for any other reason, creating an outline is the very first step. With a good outline, you have a better idea of how your essay will flow from one paragraph to the next all the way to the conclusion.

When creating the outline of your reflective paper example, keep it organized. Develop the outline gradually and put a lot of thought into it. In doing this, you make the writing process much easier. Here is a rundown of the steps involved in the essay-writing process:

• Choose a topic (a significant life experience you want to write about)
• Gather information
• Create an outline
• Write a draft
• Finalize your essay

Reflective Paper Samples

Tips for writing reflective essay

As you think about the content of your reflection essay samples, remember that the important thing is that such an essay must be highly personal but also engaging to readers. There’s so much more to reflective essays than just writing your story. You must also reflect on your experiences to engage your audiences.

For your starting point, think about the most significant experiences you had in your life. Those which had either a negative or a positive impact on you as a person. If the reflective essay is a school assignment, your professor would probably specify what you must write about. Here are some tips for you for writing your reflective paper example:

• Reflection The most important part of writing your reflective essay is the reflective process. Think about the personal experience you want to write about. Focus on what happened, how this experience made you feel, and how it affected your life. Explore your memories and emotions for this part of the process. As you’re recalling and reflecting on your life experience, take a lot of notes . Write down all the details you remember and try to be as clear and as detailed as you possibly can. Take as much time as you need for reflection. You can even close your eyes as you try to remember those experiences vividly. When you’re confident that you have recalled all of the details of your life experience, it’s time to write your essay. To make it more meaningful, try to answer some important questions about your life experience including: Did you learn anything new about yourself because of this experience? Have you grown or developed because of this experience? If so, in what way? Did this experience impact your life positively or negatively? If you had the chance to experience this all over again, would you do anything differently? Why did you behave in such a way at the time of this experience? Did you make the right choices? What are your general thoughts and feelings about this experience? Can you say that you learned from this experience? Did you gain any new perspectives or skills because of this experience? These are “signpost questions” which can help you write a more meaningful essay. These are just some examples, you can also think of your own questions to ask yourself. The point of these questions is to make sure that you think critically and deeply about the experience you’re writing about.
• Planning After you’ve reflected on your life experience, it’s time to start planning your essay. When it’s time to start, you might feel as if you’re not adequately prepared even though you’ve done a lot of reflection. This is a normal feeling, especially if you want to create a written piece which people will love reading. To ease your anxiety and doubt, come up with a well-rounded and comprehensive plan. The best way to do this is through an outline. With an outline to guide your writing process, you can come up with an essay that’s more coherent and which has a clear structure. An outline or plan is important for reflective essays. Since you’re writing about an emotionally-charged topic, you might find yourself getting “lost” along the way. This is especially true if you’re writing about a painful experience which still affects you until now. The outline serves as a map for you to keep your thoughts organized. In your outline, make sure to establish all of the fundamental details you wish to include in your essay. This helps you pick out and remove any superfluous information to make it easier to read and understand. Planning the points you want to write about makes it easier for you to stay on point. As such, your writing becomes a lot clearer and your readers can follow your line of thought. An outline also prevents you from missing out any relevant information. It’s very difficult and frustrating to go back after you’ve written the whole essay just to fit in this information! Planning your essay also saves you a lot of time. Coming up with the structure makes you more familiar with your essay even before you start writing it. Thus, you can spend more time writing, revising, and proofreading your essay to make it the best version possible.

Reflective Essay Samples

More Templates

Binder Cover Templates

Graph Paper Templates

Cover Page Templates

Essay Outline Templates

Statement Of Purpose

Persuasive Essay Examples

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

• Annotated Bibliography
• Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
• Group Presentations
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Types of Structured Group Activities
• Group Project Survival Skills
• Leading a Class Discussion
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Works
• Writing a Case Analysis Paper
• Writing a Case Study
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Reflective Paper
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Generative AI and Writing
• Acknowledgments

Reflective writing is a process of identifying, questioning, and critically evaluating course-based learning opportunities, integrated with your own observations, experiences, impressions, beliefs, assumptions, or biases, and which describes how this process stimulated new or creative understanding about the content of the course.

A reflective paper describes and explains in an introspective, first person narrative, your reactions and feelings about either a specific element of the class [e.g., a required reading; a film shown in class] or more generally how you experienced learning throughout the course. Reflective writing assignments can be in the form of a single paper, essays, portfolios, journals, diaries, or blogs. In some cases, your professor may include a reflective writing assignment as a way to obtain student feedback that helps improve the course, either in the moment or for when the class is taught again.

How to Write a Reflection Paper . Academic Skills, Trent University; Writing a Reflection Paper . Writing Center, Lewis University; Critical Reflection . Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo; Tsingos-Lucas et al. "Using Reflective Writing as a Predictor of Academic Success in Different Assessment Formats." American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 81 (2017): Article 8.

Benefits of Reflective Writing Assignments

As the term implies, a reflective paper involves looking inward at oneself in contemplating and bringing meaning to the relationship between course content and the acquisition of new knowledge . Educational research [Bolton, 2010; Ryan, 2011; Tsingos-Lucas et al., 2017] demonstrates that assigning reflective writing tasks enhances learning because it challenges students to confront their own assumptions, biases, and belief systems around what is being taught in class and, in so doing, stimulate student’s decisions, actions, attitudes, and understanding about themselves as learners and in relation to having mastery over their learning. Reflection assignments are also an opportunity to write in a first person narrative about elements of the course, such as the required readings, separate from the exegetic and analytical prose of academic research papers.

Reflection writing often serves multiple purposes simultaneously. In no particular order, here are some of reasons why professors assign reflection papers:

• Enhances learning from previous knowledge and experience in order to improve future decision-making and reasoning in practice . Reflective writing in the applied social sciences enhances decision-making skills and academic performance in ways that can inform professional practice. The act of reflective writing creates self-awareness and understanding of others. This is particularly important in clinical and service-oriented professional settings.
• Allows students to make sense of classroom content and overall learning experiences in relation to oneself, others, and the conditions that shaped the content and classroom experiences . Reflective writing places you within the course content in ways that can deepen your understanding of the material. Because reflective thinking can help reveal hidden biases, it can help you critically interrogate moments when you do not like or agree with discussions, readings, or other aspects of the course.
• Increases awareness of one’s cognitive abilities and the evidence for these attributes . Reflective writing can break down personal doubts about yourself as a learner and highlight specific abilities that may have been hidden or suppressed due to prior assumptions about the strength of your academic abilities [e.g., reading comprehension; problem-solving skills]. Reflective writing, therefore, can have a positive affective [i.e., emotional] impact on your sense of self-worth.
• Applying theoretical knowledge and frameworks to real experiences . Reflective writing can help build a bridge of relevancy between theoretical knowledge and the real world. In so doing, this form of writing can lead to a better understanding of underlying theories and their analytical properties applied to professional practice.
• Reveals shortcomings that the reader will identify . Evidence suggests that reflective writing can uncover your own shortcomings as a learner, thereby, creating opportunities to anticipate the responses of your professor may have about the quality of your coursework. This can be particularly productive if the reflective paper is written before final submission of an assignment.
• Helps students identify their tacit [a.k.a., implicit] knowledge and possible gaps in that knowledge . Tacit knowledge refers to ways of knowing rooted in lived experience, insight, and intuition rather than formal, codified, categorical, or explicit knowledge. In so doing, reflective writing can stimulate students to question their beliefs about a research problem or an element of the course content beyond positivist modes of understanding and representation.
• Encourages students to actively monitor their learning processes over a period of time . On-going reflective writing in journals or blogs, for example, can help you maintain or adapt learning strategies in other contexts. The regular, purposeful act of reflection can facilitate continuous deep thinking about the course content as it evolves and changes throughout the term. This, in turn, can increase your overall confidence as a learner.
• Relates a student’s personal experience to a wider perspective . Reflection papers can help you see the big picture associated with the content of a course by forcing you to think about the connections between scholarly content and your lived experiences outside of school. It can provide a macro-level understanding of one’s own experiences in relation to the specifics of what is being taught.
• If reflective writing is shared, students can exchange stories about their learning experiences, thereby, creating an opportunity to reevaluate their original assumptions or perspectives . In most cases, reflective writing is only viewed by your professor in order to ensure candid feedback from students. However, occasionally, reflective writing is shared and openly discussed in class. During these discussions, new or different perspectives and alternative approaches to solving problems can be generated that would otherwise be hidden. Sharing student's reflections can also reveal collective patterns of thought and emotions about a particular element of the course.

Bolton, Gillie. Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development . London: Sage, 2010; Chang, Bo. "Reflection in Learning." Online Learning 23 (2019), 95-110; Cavilla, Derek. "The Effects of Student Reflection on Academic Performance and Motivation." Sage Open 7 (July-September 2017): 1–13; Culbert, Patrick. “Better Teaching? You Can Write On It “ Liberal Education (February 2022); McCabe, Gavin and Tobias Thejll-Madsen. The Reflection Toolkit . University of Edinburgh; The Purpose of Reflection . Introductory Composition at Purdue University; Practice-based and Reflective Learning . Study Advice Study Guides, University of Reading; Ryan, Mary. "Improving Reflective Writing in Higher Education: A Social Semiotic Perspective." Teaching in Higher Education 16 (2011): 99-111; Tsingos-Lucas et al. "Using Reflective Writing as a Predictor of Academic Success in Different Assessment Formats." American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 81 (2017): Article 8; What Benefits Might Reflective Writing Have for My Students? Writing Across the Curriculum Clearinghouse; Rykkje, Linda. "The Tacit Care Knowledge in Reflective Writing: A Practical Wisdom." International Practice Development Journal 7 (September 2017): Article 5; Using Reflective Writing to Deepen Student Learning . Center for Writing, University of Minnesota.

How to Approach Writing a Reflection Paper

Thinking About Reflective Thinking

Educational theorists have developed numerous models of reflective thinking that your professor may use to frame a reflective writing assignment. These models can help you systematically interpret your learning experiences, thereby ensuring that you ask the right questions and have a clear understanding of what should be covered. A model can also represent the overall structure of a reflective paper. Each model establishes a different approach to reflection and will require you to think about your writing differently. If you are unclear how to fit your writing within a particular reflective model, seek clarification from your professor. There are generally two types of reflective writing assignments, each approached in slightly different ways.

1.  Reflective Thinking about Course Readings

This type of reflective writing focuses on thoughtfully thinking about the course readings that underpin how most students acquire new knowledge and understanding about the subject of a course. Reflecting on course readings is often assigned in freshmen-level, interdisciplinary courses where the required readings examine topics viewed from multiple perspectives and, as such, provide different ways of analyzing a topic, issue, event, or phenomenon. The purpose of reflective thinking about course readings in the social and behavioral sciences is to elicit your opinions, beliefs, and feelings about the research and its significance. This type of writing can provide an opportunity to break down key assumptions you may have and, in so doing, reveal potential biases in how you interpret the scholarship.

If you are assigned to reflect on course readings, consider the following methods of analysis as prompts that can help you get started :

• Examine carefully the main introductory elements of the reading, including the purpose of the study, the theoretical framework being used to test assumptions, and the research questions being addressed. Think about what ideas stood out to you. Why did they? Were these ideas new to you or familiar in some way based on your own lived experiences or prior knowledge?
• Develop your ideas around the readings by asking yourself, what do I know about this topic? Where does my existing knowledge about this topic come from? What are the observations or experiences in my life that influence my understanding of the topic? Do I agree or disagree with the main arguments, recommended course of actions, or conclusions made by the author(s)? Why do I feel this way and what is the basis of these feelings?
• Make connections between the text and your own beliefs, opinions, or feelings by considering questions like, how do the readings reinforce my existing ideas or assumptions? How the readings challenge these ideas or assumptions? How does this text help me to better understand this topic or research in ways that motivate me to learn more about this area of study?

2.  Reflective Thinking about Course Experiences

This type of reflective writing asks you to critically reflect on locating yourself at the conceptual intersection of theory and practice. The purpose of experiential reflection is to evaluate theories or disciplinary-based analytical models based on your introspective assessment of the relationship between hypothetical thinking and practical reality; it offers a way to consider how your own knowledge and skills fit within professional practice. This type of writing also provides an opportunity to evaluate your decisions and actions, as well as how you managed your subsequent successes and failures, within a specific theoretical framework. As a result, abstract concepts can crystallize and become more relevant to you when considered within your own experiences. This can help you formulate plans for self-improvement as you learn.

If you are assigned to reflect on your experiences, consider the following questions as prompts to help you get started :

• Contextualize your reflection in relation to the overarching purpose of the course by asking yourself, what did you hope to learn from this course? What were the learning objectives for the course and how did I fit within each of them? How did these goals relate to the main themes or concepts of the course?
• Analyze how you experienced the course by asking yourself, what did I learn from this experience? What did I learn about myself? About working in this area of research and study? About how the course relates to my place in society? What assumptions about the course were supported or refuted?
• Think introspectively about the ways you experienced learning during the course by asking yourself, did your learning experiences align with the goals or concepts of the course? Why or why do you not feel this way? What was successful and why do you believe this? What would you do differently and why is this important? How will you prepare for a future experience in this area of study?

NOTE: If you are assigned to write a journal or other type of on-going reflection exercise, a helpful approach is to reflect on your reflections by re-reading what you have already written. In other words, review your previous entries as a way to contextualize your feelings, opinions, or beliefs regarding your overall learning experiences. Over time, this can also help reveal hidden patterns or themes related to how you processed your learning experiences. Consider concluding your reflective journal with a summary of how you felt about your learning experiences at critical junctures throughout the course, then use these to write about how you grew as a student learner and how the act of reflecting helped you gain new understanding about the subject of the course and its content.

ANOTHER NOTE: Regardless of whether you write a reflection paper or a journal, do not focus your writing on the past. The act of reflection is intended to think introspectively about previous learning experiences. However, reflective thinking should document the ways in which you progressed in obtaining new insights and understandings about your growth as a learner that can be carried forward in subsequent coursework or in future professional practice. Your writing should reflect a furtherance of increasing personal autonomy and confidence gained from understanding more about yourself as a learner.

Structure and Writing Style

There are no strict academic rules for writing a reflective paper. Reflective writing may be assigned in any class taught in the social and behavioral sciences and, therefore, requirements for the assignment can vary depending on disciplinary-based models of inquiry and learning. The organization of content can also depend on what your professor wants you to write about or based on the type of reflective model used to frame the writing assignment. Despite these possible variations, below is a basic approach to organizing and writing a good reflective paper, followed by a list of problems to avoid.

Pre-flection

In most cases, it's helpful to begin by thinking about your learning experiences and outline what you want to focus on before you begin to write the paper. This can help you organize your thoughts around what was most important to you and what experiences [good or bad] had the most impact on your learning. As described by the University of Waterloo Writing and Communication Centre, preparing to write a reflective paper involves a process of self-analysis that can help organize your thoughts around significant moments of in-class knowledge discovery.

• Using a thesis statement as a guide, note what experiences or course content stood out to you , then place these within the context of your observations, reactions, feelings, and opinions. This will help you develop a rough outline of key moments during the course that reflect your growth as a learner. To identify these moments, pose these questions to yourself: What happened? What was my reaction? What were my expectations and how were they different from what transpired? What did I learn?
• Critically think about your learning experiences and the course content . This will help you develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding about why these moments were significant or relevant to you. Use the ideas you formulated during the first stage of reflecting to help you think through these moments from both an academic and personal perspective. From an academic perspective, contemplate how the experience enhanced your understanding of a concept, theory, or skill. Ask yourself, did the experience confirm my previous understanding or challenge it in some way. As a result, did this highlight strengths or gaps in your current knowledge? From a personal perspective, think introspectively about why these experiences mattered, if previous expectations or assumptions were confirmed or refuted, and if this surprised, confused, or unnerved you in some way.
• Analyze how these experiences and your reactions to them will shape your future thinking and behavior . Reflection implies looking back, but the most important act of reflective writing is considering how beliefs, assumptions, opinions, and feelings were transformed in ways that better prepare you as a learner in the future. Note how this reflective analysis can lead to actions you will take as a result of your experiences, what you will do differently, and how you will apply what you learned in other courses or in professional practice.

Basic Structure and Writing Style

Reflective Background and Context

The first part of your reflection paper should briefly provide background and context in relation to the content or experiences that stood out to you. Highlight the settings, summarize the key readings, or narrate the experiences in relation to the course objectives. Provide background that sets the stage for your reflection. You do not need to go into great detail, but you should provide enough information for the reader to understand what sources of learning you are writing about [e.g., course readings, field experience, guest lecture, class discussions] and why they were important. This section should end with an explanatory thesis statement that expresses the central ideas of your paper and what you want the readers to know, believe, or understand after they finish reading your paper.

Reflective Interpretation

Drawing from your reflective analysis, this is where you can be personal, critical, and creative in expressing how you felt about the course content and learning experiences and how they influenced or altered your feelings, beliefs, assumptions, or biases about the subject of the course. This section is also where you explore the meaning of these experiences in the context of the course and how you gained an awareness of the connections between these moments and your own prior knowledge.

Guided by your thesis statement, a helpful approach is to interpret your learning throughout the course with a series of specific examples drawn from the course content and your learning experiences. These examples should be arranged in sequential order that illustrate your growth as a learner. Reflecting on each example can be done by: 1)  introducing a theme or moment that was meaningful to you, 2) describing your previous position about the learning moment and what you thought about it, 3) explaining how your perspective was challenged and/or changed and why, and 4) introspectively stating your current or new feelings, opinions, or beliefs about that experience in class.

It is important to include specific examples drawn from the course and placed within the context of your assumptions, thoughts, opinions, and feelings. A reflective narrative without specific examples does not provide an effective way for the reader to understand the relationship between the course content and how you grew as a learner.

Reflective Conclusions

The conclusion of your reflective paper should provide a summary of your thoughts, feelings, or opinions regarding what you learned about yourself as a result of taking the course. Here are several ways you can frame your conclusions based on the examples you interpreted and reflected on what they meant to you. Each example would need to be tied to the basic theme [thesis statement] of your reflective background section.

• Your reflective conclusions can be described in relation to any expectations you had before taking the class [e.g., “I expected the readings to not be relevant to my own experiences growing up in a rural community, but the research actually helped me see that the challenges of developing my identity as a child of immigrants was not that unusual...”].
• Your reflective conclusions can explain how what you learned about yourself will change your actions in the future [e.g., “During a discussion in class about the challenges of helping homeless people, I realized that many of these people hate living on the street but lack the ability to see a way out. This made me realize that I wanted to take more classes in psychology...”].
• Your reflective conclusions can describe major insights you experienced a critical junctures during the course and how these moments enhanced how you see yourself as a student learner [e.g., "The guest speaker from the Head Start program made me realize why I wanted to pursue a career in elementary education..."].
• Your reflective conclusions can reconfigure or reframe how you will approach professional practice and your understanding of your future career aspirations [e.g.,, "The course changed my perceptions about seeking a career in business finance because it made me realize I want to be more engaged in customer service..."]
• Your reflective conclusions can explore any learning you derived from the act of reflecting itself [e.g., “Reflecting on the course readings that described how minority students perceive campus activities helped me identify my own biases about the benefits of those activities in acclimating to campus life...”].

NOTE: The length of a reflective paper in the social sciences is usually less than a traditional research paper. However, don’t assume that writing a reflective paper is easier than writing a research paper. A well-conceived critical reflection paper often requires as much time and effort as a research paper because you must purposeful engage in thinking about your learning in ways that you may not be comfortable with or used to. This is particular true while preparing to write because reflective papers are not as structured as a traditional research paper and, therefore, you have to think deliberately about how you want to organize the paper and what elements of the course you want to reflect upon.

ANOTHER NOTE: Do not limit yourself to using only text in reflecting on your learning. If you believe it would be helpful, consider using creative modes of thought or expression such as, illustrations, photographs, or material objects that reflects an experience related to the subject of the course that was important to you [e.g., like a ticket stub to a renowned speaker on campus]. Whatever non-textual element you include, be sure to describe the object's relevance to your personal relationship to the course content.

Problems to Avoid

A reflective paper is not a “mind dump” . Reflective papers document your personal and emotional experiences and, therefore, they do not conform to rigid structures, or schema, to organize information. However, the paper should not be a disjointed, stream-of-consciousness narrative. Reflective papers are still academic pieces of writing that require organized thought, that use academic language and tone , and that apply intellectually-driven critical thinking to the course content and your learning experiences and their significance.

A reflective paper is not a research paper . If you are asked to reflect on a course reading, the reflection will obviously include some description of the research. However, the goal of reflective writing is not to present extraneous ideas to the reader or to "educate" them about the course. The goal is to share a story about your relationship with the learning objectives of the course. Therefore, unlike research papers, you are expected to write from a first person point of view which includes an introspective examination of your own opinions, feelings, and personal assumptions.

A reflection paper is not a book review . Descriptions of the course readings using your own words is not a reflective paper. Reflective writing should focus on how you understood the implications of and were challenged by the course in relation to your own lived experiences or personal assumptions, combined with explanations of how you grew as a student learner based on this internal dialogue. Remember that you are the central object of the paper, not the research materials.

A reflective paper is not an all-inclusive meditation. Do not try to cover everything. The scope of your paper should be well-defined and limited to your specific opinions, feelings, and beliefs about what you determine to be the most significant content of the course and in relation to the learning that took place. Reflections should be detailed enough to covey what you think is important, but your thoughts should be expressed concisely and coherently [as is true for any academic writing assignment].

Critical Reflection . Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo; Critical Reflection: Journals, Opinions, & Reactions . University Writing Center, Texas A&M University; Connor-Greene, Patricia A. “Making Connections: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Journal Writing in Enhancing Student Learning.” Teaching of Psychology 27 (2000): 44-46; Good vs. Bad Reflection Papers , Franklin University; Dyment, Janet E. and Timothy S. O’Connell. "The Quality of Reflection in Student Journals: A Review of Limiting and Enabling Factors." Innovative Higher Education 35 (2010): 233-244: How to Write a Reflection Paper . Academic Skills, Trent University; Amelia TaraJane House. Reflection Paper . Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence, University of Arkansas; Ramlal, Alana, and Désirée S. Augustin. “Engaging Students in Reflective Writing: An Action Research Project.” Educational Action Research 28 (2020): 518-533; Writing a Reflection Paper . Writing Center, Lewis University; McGuire, Lisa, Kathy Lay, and Jon Peters. “Pedagogy of Reflective Writing in Professional Education.” Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (2009): 93-107; Critical Reflection . Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo; How Do I Write Reflectively? Academic Skills Toolkit, University of New South Wales Sydney; Reflective Writing . Skills@Library. University of Leeds; Walling, Anne, Johanna Shapiro, and Terry Ast. “What Makes a Good Reflective Paper?” Family Medicine 45 (2013): 7-12; Williams, Kate, Mary Woolliams, and Jane Spiro. Reflective Writing . 2nd edition. London: Red Globe Press, 2020; Yeh, Hui-Chin, Shih-hsien Yang, Jo Shan Fu, and Yen-Chen Shih. “Developing College Students’ Critical Thinking through Reflective Writing.” Higher Education Research and Development (2022): 1-16.

Writing Tip

Focus on Reflecting, Not on Describing

Minimal time and effort should be spent describing the course content you are asked to reflect upon. The purpose of a reflection assignment is to introspectively contemplate your reactions to and feeling about an element of the course. D eflecting the focus away from your own feelings by concentrating on describing the course content can happen particularly if "talking about yourself" [i.e., reflecting] makes you uncomfortable or it is intimidating. However, the intent of reflective writing is to overcome these inhibitions so as to maximize the benefits of introspectively assessing your learning experiences. Keep in mind that, if it is relevant, your feelings of discomfort could be a part of how you critically reflect on any challenges you had during the course [e.g., you realize this discomfort inhibited your willingness to ask questions during class, it fed into your propensity to procrastinate, or it made it difficult participating in groups].

Writing a Reflection Paper . Writing Center, Lewis University; Reflection Paper . Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence, University of Arkansas.

Another Writing Tip

Helpful Videos about Reflective Writing

These two short videos succinctly describe how to approach a reflective writing assignment. They are produced by the Academic Skills department at the University of Melbourne and the Skills Team of the University of Hull, respectively.

• << Previous: Writing a Policy Memo
• Next: Writing a Research Proposal >>
• Last Updated: Jun 3, 2024 9:44 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/assignments

• Link to facebook
• Link to linkedin
• Link to twitter
• Link to youtube
• Writing Tips

How to Write a Reflective Essay

• 3-minute read
• 29th August 2018

If you think that a “reflective essay” is a college paper written on a mirror, this post is for you. That’s because we’re here to explain exactly what a reflective essay is and how to write one. And we can tell you from the outset that no mirrors are required to follow our advice.

What Is Reflective Writing?

The kind of “reflection” we’re talking about here is personal. It involves considering your own situation and analyzing it so you can learn from your experiences. To do this, you need to describe what happened, how you felt about it, and what you might be able to learn from it for the future.

This makes reflective writing a useful part of courses that involve work-based learning . For instance, a student nurse might be asked to write a reflective essay about a placement.

When writing a reflective essay, moreover, you may have to forget the rule about not using pronouns like “I” or “we” in academic writing. In reflective writing, using the first person is essential!

The Reflective Cycle

There are many approaches to reflective learning, but one of the most popular is Gibb’s Reflective Cycle . This was developed by Professor Graham Gibbs and can be applied to a huge range of situations. In all cases, though, it involves the following steps:

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

• Description – You will need to describe your experiences in detail. This includes what happened, where and when it happened, who else was involved, and what you did.
• Feelings – How you felt before, during, and after the experience you describe.
• Evaluation and Analysis – Think about what went well and what could be improved upon based on your experience. Try to refer to ideas you’ve learned in class while thinking about this.
• Conclusions – Final thoughts on what you’ve learned from the experience.
• Action – How you will put what you’ve learned into practice.

If your reflective essay addresses the steps above, you are on the right track!

Structuring a Reflective Essay

While reflective essays vary depending upon topic and subject area, most share a basic overall structure. Unless you are told otherwise, then, your essay should include the following:

• Introduction – A brief outline of what your essay is about.
• Main Body – The main part of your essay will be a description of what happened and how it made you feel . This is also where you will evaluate and analyze your experiences, either as part of the description or as a separate section in the essay.
• Conclusion – The conclusion of your essay should sum up what you have learned from reflecting on your experiences and what you would do differently in the future.
• Reference List – If you have cited any sources in your essay, make sure to list them with full bibliographic information at the end of the document.

Finally, once you’ve written your essay, don’t forget to get it checked for spelling and grammar errors!

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Got content that needs a quick turnaround? Let us polish your work. Explore our editorial business services.

5-minute read

Free Email Newsletter Template

Promoting a brand means sharing valuable insights to connect more deeply with your audience, and...

6-minute read

How to Write a Nonprofit Grant Proposal

If you’re seeking funding to support your charitable endeavors as a nonprofit organization, you’ll need...

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

4-minute read

Five Creative Ways to Showcase Your Digital Portfolio

Are you a creative freelancer looking to make a lasting impression on potential clients or...

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

• Our Mission

Motivation: Reflecting On What To Do When It’s Not There

The issue of how to motivate students is an essential one for educators and parents to explore and one that's core to the success of our children. We all know that if students aren't motivated, their journeys will be long and hard. As with so much, sometimes if we start with ourselves -- with reflecting on our own issues with motivation -- we can gain useful insights. I hope to offer some thoughts that may provoke personal reflection and suggest strategies for helping kids to gain motivation.

This blog is inspired by my own lack of motivation right now to write this. This blog is (right now) overdue and I've procrastinated long enough. As I lie on my deck this morning contemplating my lack of motivation and mounting guilt that it isn't done, I start remembering how many times as a student I didn't want to write something, or how many times as a teacher, I felt no motivation to lesson plan or grade papers. "I'm just not feeling motivated," I kept thinking, and then a more useful thought came into my mind: "It doesn't matter. Get it done."

That's Lesson Number One that I wish I knew as a student: Sometimes you aren't going to be motivated but do it anyway -- such a simple lesson that has propelled me into action. Maybe motivation is overrated. Maybe in order to be successful we don't really need a whole lot of it.

Really it's just a shift in perspective: I'm not feeling motivated to write right now. I'm just returning from vacation where I devoured mystery novels, (I'm halfway through one now and it's calling to me to finish it), I hiked and hung out with my husband and son, slept a lot, and worked diligently on my "Play PD." I've started a photography course and a sketchbook class and I'm honoring my commitments to myself to play and create and relax. And then there's this blog -- and other things I've got to do.

Here's the shift in perspective: I'm not particularly motivated to write right now, but I am motivated to honor my commitments (such as this blog). I'm motivated to get it done. And when I say that, I feel a little jolt of energy. Let's do it.

I learned this a long time ago (I just forget it a lot). Some might call what I think I've learned "time management," or "discipline," or something to do with motivation. I call it, "getting things done." As a writer, and someone with a full time job and family, I learned that I might not often feel super motivated to write, the muse is often nowhere to be found and sometimes I might even hate writing. But I do it anyway. I show up, close down my Internet browsers (deadly distractions) and I put my fingers on the keys and I write. I also set a timer for 45-minute blocks and during that time I don't allow myself to get up or do anything other than what I'm supposed to do. After the time is up, I can have a 15-minute break and then I'm on for another 45. That's how I get things done.

Sometimes I think that in schools we focus too much on building intrinsic motivation for learning, or we're working too hard at it. Learning is rewarding and we're all going to feel a certain amount of motivation and reward in different content areas and with different tasks. Sometimes I think it would be useful if teachers helped kids find motivation in getting something done. In balance, of course -- I'm vehemently opposed to all learning being about memorization or rote learning or just getting things done. But sometimes you need your students to just write a persuasive essay and maybe it's not something they really care much about but they could be motivated to just do it. Add it to the list of things they know how to do and that they've done. And if they can do it in a reasonable amount of time, and the quality is decent, then that's fantastic.

Another thing I know about getting things done: They don't always have to be done really well. I am grateful that I've never been plagued by perfectionism. If I'm tasked with doing something for which I struggle to feel motivated then I'm quite satisfied if the outcome is satisfactory or decent. If it's something I pour my heart and soul into, then I hope the outcome is really good. But I'm the judge of this; I evaluate my own input and product. I don't get caught up on "Is it perfect?" I ask myself, "Is this good enough, right now, given what you've invested?" And usually the answer is "Yes."

And so, if this blog isn't amongst the best I've ever written, I'm okay with that (in contrast to my recent, "How to Divorce Your District," which I worked on intensively.) Sometimes you just got to get something done.

This is liberating, this idea. You don't always have to feel inundated with creative juices and motivation. You just have to honor your commitments to yourself and others. Agonizing over what you have to do and how you don't want to do it and how you just want to wait until you feel motivated is a waste of time and energy. Just do it. Set a timer, think about how great it'll feel when you're done, and do it.

And with that, I'm done! And I feel good! And now I can return to my mystery novel. For those of you needing a distracting summer read, I highly recommend the Ruth Galloway series written by Elly Griffiths. Set in England, the protagonist is a compelling forensic archaeologist who gets caught up in detective work. They're easy to read, light on violence, and incorporate interesting tidbits of history.

What are your thoughts and ideas on this blog post? Please share in the comments section below.

Essay Service Examples Psychology Motivation

Motivation Reflective Essay

Introduction

Section 1: self-reflection, a) motivation.

• Proper editing and formatting
• Free revision, title page, and bibliography
• Flexible prices and money-back guarantee

B) Teamwork

Section 2: smart goals, a) strength. smart. description of goal #1, results-oriented, b) development area. smart. description of goal #2.

• Becton, C. et al., n.d. Building Teamwork and the Importance of Trust in a Business Environment. [Online] Available at: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/HR/HR01800.pdf [Accessed 7 October 2019].
• Illes, K. & Mathews, M., 2015. Leadership, Trust, and Communication: Building Trust in Companies through Effective Leadership Communication. [Online] Available at: https://www.allthingsic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Trustreport-1.pdf [Accessed 7 October 2019].
• K., S.-L., P. & Williams, 2018. Management: A Practical Introduction, Sydney: McGraw-Hill Education (Australia).
• Lai, E. R., 2011. Motivation: A Literature Review. [Online] Available at: https://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/Motivation_Review_final.pdf [Accessed 9 October 2019].
• Shahzadi, I. et al., 2014. Impact of Employee Motivation on Employee Performance. 6(23), pp. 159-166.

Our writers will provide you with an essay sample written from scratch: any topic, any deadline, any instructions.

Cite this paper

Related essay topics.

Get your paper done in as fast as 3 hours, 24/7.

Related articles

Most popular essays

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The objective of the option 2 case study 5-6 was to develop a motivational plan for Susan Smith to...

Employee motivation is considered to be the motivating force for employees to achieve specific...

One of the most intricate concepts to grasp in human psychology is the concept of motivation. It...

• Sleep Deprivation

No one knows precisely what the main function of sleep serves, what we do know is that on average...

National Careers Service website describe newspaper journalists as those who investigate and write...

• Procrastination
• Self-efficacy

Ancient Egyptians had two verbs which had the translation of procrastination. The two meanings...

'Motivation is a profound inward drive to accomplish an objective while an objective is perfect...

Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation considers different concept than other motivation-based...

• Performance

Billionaire founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma said that people should not compete with artificial...

Join our 150k of happy users

• Get original paper written according to your instructions
• Save time for what matters most

Fair Use Policy

EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any violation of the academic standards. Should you have any questions regarding our Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected].

We are here 24/7 to write your paper in as fast as 3 hours.

Provide your email, and we'll send you this sample!

By providing your email, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy .

Say goodbye to copy-pasting!

Get custom-crafted papers for you.

Enter your email, and we'll promptly send you the full essay. No need to copy piece by piece. It's in your inbox!

Motivation Importance in Our Daily Lives Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Theories on motivation, psychologists’ view on origin of motivation.

The complexity of motivation due to unpredictability and fluctuation from one individual to another and at different times has led to various theories being postulated to explain its causes. However, these psychologists agree that in way or another motivation is influenced by both biological and external factors.

Goal-setting theory

Postulates that some individuals are driven to success by the goals they set. The success is measured by reaching the desired definite end. Such people set specific goals which are moderate in nature.

The goals have close proximity and limited security of success. Moderate goals limit the chances of quitting or becoming complacence which are characteristics of tough or easily-achieved goals. Thus, such goals generate optimal drive to success.

Setting of goals is only possible because human beings have self determination to succeed. This is what is postulated by the self-determination theory which explains what drives human beings to achieve. This theory opines that humans are inherently driven to grow and develop and hence our source of motivation inborn. However, these inherent motivators are activated by external factors.

This primary innate needs include; the need to control the events of our lives in order to feel connected to others and be competent in our skills. Thus, since we are able to control these primary inherent needs by controlling our thoughts and conscious, we can channel them towards striving for excellence. We are able to control our desires for success, and feelings of pleasure and acceptance.

The Need Hierarchy theory

This theory states that human beings are only driven to success by those needs which they have not satisfied. Have complex needs, we satisfy our needs from bottom up with those on the higher levels satisfied first. As one moves up the hierarchy of needs, the drive to achieve increases.

Thus, the drive that an individual has for quenching his thirst or filling an empty stomach is lower compared to that of achieving his full potential or self actualization which is the highest level of need.

The Incentive theory

This theory incorporates various aspects of the other theories and proposes that human beings are driven by incentives. These incentives can both be intrinsic or extrinsic and bring satisfaction in the form of physical rewards, pleasure and acceptance. Even though the rewards of pleasure and acceptance are intrinsic, their achievement is usually activated by external stimuli.

However, it has to be noted that external and internal stimuli sometimes work antagonistically. Continued usage of external stimuli as a source of motivation may eventually replace the innate drive to succeed. Such external stimuli become part us and may even turn into ‘innate’ stimuli. Since our autonomy is very important, usage of external stimuli should limited less they replace our intrinsic stimuli.

Self-efficacy and self-esteem as motivators

Self evaluation of capabilities and comparing it with the task at hand is a source of intrinsic stimuli which can drive us to success despite the challenges. High levels of self-efficacy will lead to high levels of motivation and vice versa. This is because it only by believing in ourselves that we can take on challenges.

The motivation resulting from self-esteem or feeling good about one’s self is not strong enough to enable us complete a goal despite the challenges. Ego and goal-orientation are also internal stimuli which can provide incentives which can motivate us.

Motivation plays a critical role in our daily lives including planning our goals in life. Hence, more evidence based research should be done on it. The research studies should include such areas as religion. Moreover, the motivation factors and psychology of athletes who use high performance drugs should also be studied.

• Psychological Contract
• The Procedure of Conducting the Convergent and Divergent Validation for the Construct Personality
• Critique the Theory of Self-Efficacy Using the Internal and External Criticism
• Types of Motivation: Extrinsic and Intrinsic
• Self-Efficacy: Implications for Organizational Behavior and HRM
• Personal Action Research Plan
• Cognitive, Psychosocial, Psychosexual and Moral Development
• Ethical Standards and Codes
• Princess Cleves and her Psychical Statues
• Fisher's Personal Transition Curve
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, May 29). Motivation Importance in Our Daily Lives. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-motivation/

"Motivation Importance in Our Daily Lives." IvyPanda , 29 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-motivation/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Motivation Importance in Our Daily Lives'. 29 May.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Motivation Importance in Our Daily Lives." May 29, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-motivation/.

1. IvyPanda . "Motivation Importance in Our Daily Lives." May 29, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-motivation/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Motivation Importance in Our Daily Lives." May 29, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-motivation/.

• Undergraduate
• High School
• Architecture
• American History
• Asian History
• Antique Literature
• American Literature
• Asian Literature
• Classic English Literature
• World Literature
• Creative Writing
• Linguistics
• Criminal Justice
• Legal Issues
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Political Science
• World Affairs
• African-American Studies
• East European Studies
• Latin-American Studies
• Native-American Studies
• West European Studies
• Family and Consumer Science
• Social Issues
• Women and Gender Studies
• Social Work
• Natural Sciences
• Pharmacology
• Earth science
• Agriculture
• Agricultural Studies
• Computer Science
• IT Management
• Mathematics
• Investments
• Engineering and Technology
• Engineering
• Aeronautics
• Medicine and Health
• Alternative Medicine
• Communications and Media
• Advertising
• Communication Strategies
• Public Relations
• Educational Theories
• Teacher's Career
• Chicago/Turabian
• Company Analysis
• Education Theories
• Shakespeare
• Canadian Studies
• Food Safety
• Relation of Global Warming and Extreme Weather Condition
• Movie Review
• Admission Essay
• Annotated Bibliography
• Application Essay
• Article Critique
• Article Review
• Article Writing
• Book Review
• Business Plan
• Business Proposal
• Capstone Project
• Cover Letter
• Creative Essay
• Dissertation
• Dissertation - Abstract
• Dissertation - Conclusion
• Dissertation - Discussion
• Dissertation - Hypothesis
• Dissertation - Introduction
• Dissertation - Literature
• Dissertation - Methodology
• Dissertation - Results
• GCSE Coursework
• Grant Proposal
• Marketing Plan
• Multiple Choice Quiz
• Personal Statement
• Power Point Presentation
• Power Point Presentation With Speaker Notes
• Questionnaire
• Reaction Paper
• Research Paper
• Research Proposal
• SWOT analysis
• Thesis Paper
• Online Quiz
• Literature Review
• Movie Analysis
• Statistics problem
• Math Problem
• All papers examples
• How It Works
• Money Back Policy
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• We Are Hiring

Motivation, Reflection, and Professional Aspiration, Essay Example

Pages: 5

Words: 1392

Hire a Writer for Custom Essay

Use 10% Off Discount: "custom10" in 1 Click 👇

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

I always feel a dire obligation to preserve the integrity of our environment and strengthen communities’ resolve to embrace sustainable development goals. For this reason, my career path has been skewed toward fields that revolve around protecting the global ecosystem and enhancing the capacity for human civilization and the earth’s biosphere to co-exist. In light of biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, overconsumption, climate change, society’s pursuit of unlimited economic growth in a closed system, and population surge especially in the urban areas, I have developed a strong interest and gained wide professional experience in the built environment and physical and spatial aspects of cites. As a believer in sustainable development, I seek to improve my knowledge in urban economics and finance.  I am familiar with the two topics but a deeper understanding of urban and regional economics, as well as development-oriented financial investments, will complement my design-oriented thinking. The search for a conceptually synthetic framework that valorizes, equally, both design and economics was the motivation for my application to the SPURS/Humphrey program at MIT. The program will embolden my understanding of sustainable development especially in urban and regional planning, finance and banking, and economic development. Besides, the analytical and philosophical framework of suitability that forms the basis for the SPURS/Humphrey program at MIT connects many fields and disciplines, which will position me well to face contemporary sustainability challenges such as ethical consumerism and align my ideals with futuristic concepts such as changing the built environment to develop more sustainable cities that embrace such ideas as circular flow land use management, zero-emission housing, sustainable transport, and sustainable architecture.

Tremendously broadening and transforming my perspectives on development and urban planning are the benefits of SPURS to me. As a result, I started to reflect, rethink, and realize that I need to build up sounder knowledge of economic development and social equity in addition to environmental sustainability. SPURS seminar with various topics on international development and North American planning such as equity challenges, anti-racism, equitable resilience, has given me a thought-provoking journey and added vibrant colors to my then black-and-while structure-based picture of urban design. Hence, my perceptions have been evolving in many areas including relationships among humans, cities, and nature, roles of multiple stakeholders such as policymakers, planners, engineers, NGOs, and all the links to history, cultural backgrounds.

Moreover, taking courses at DUSP has been profoundly valuable. My critical thinking about urban planning has been vastly improved. Course 11.256 helped me to articulate my strong sentiment on a city, a place, and explore the dynamic interrelationship and interaction between humans and cities. That intrigues my curiosity about human well-being in urbanization, particularly informal settlements, and other vulnerable groups. Course 11.433 provided me with fascinating insights that clearly explain my previous innocent observations on the real estate market. These social and economic aspects of cities that I learned actively and unexpectedly at DUSP supplement my missing pieces and strengthen my core practice. SPURS turned out, not only effectively fulfill my expectations but also leverage my aspiration to pursue further education and to broaden my horizon.

My interests could be encapsulated in the climate adaptation capacity of (healthier, more prosperous, greener) communities. On the one hand, I have been developing an avid interest in HCED group research areas, which emphasize economic development and comprehensive community engagement. On the other hand, my attention also links to IDG, where I will be able to acquire valuable knowledge and research associated with tackling climate change, promoting inclusion, connection, and equitable well-being.

HCED offers a number of topics that I aspire to pour my time and energy into. For one instance, I have been encountering multiple significant cost-benefit-related challenges of sustainability investment, course 11.350, for example, is in perfect alignment with the expertise and skill set that I would like to sharpen. Since my own background is green building development, which is associated with environmental sustainability, I believe it will be a solid ground for me to continue with housing community and economic development study; and dovetail to form a cohesive whole to foster an all-inclusive sustainability focus.

Most of my previous training and experience was about designing new buildings, starting new neighborhoods, however, working in the industry has been wrestling me with the question of how to improve the current situations and integrate adaptive capacities for long-standing cities, where the majority of the population inhabit, especially under climate change threats. This work is much harder but more important in my opinion. Adaptation efforts should benefit both climate vulnerability reduction as well as regional economic development. Similarly, sustainability cannot be approached without economic opportunity and social justice because eventually, cities are designed to meet now and long-term human needs. But the stories do not just stop here. Every city, every neighborhood is unique, therefore, the cultural, economic, human, political, social histories of the city must be taken into account to develop adaptive solutions.

By attending course EM.425 at MIT SDM, I have a wonderful opportunity to participate in one of the SDM research projects. A new neighborhood and transit development project in an insignificant part of Denver, where there are social issues such as crime, is attempting sustainable goals. That includes enhancing resource efficiency, reducing material footprint, enabling housing revitalization, avoiding future economically and socially divided communities. Hence, community engagement is currently studied aiming to eliminate negative impacts of gentrification, and benefit all stakeholders including under-served residents, as well as small business owners, but also addressing the financial interests of investors.

The second opportunity that was opened to me is the Zero Net Carbon (ZNC) Building Zoning Initiative of Boston Planning Development Agency (BPDA), where I will start joining in January 2022. The project is not only about technical aspects of the ZNC building, but also about translating these requirements to proper housing/ zoning policy for the city of Boston to reflect reality. Stakeholder and public engagement also play an important role.

Both exciting opportunities will require a high level of competence and expertise that go beyond my engineering background. Therefore, all reflective learning and practical opportunities here at DUSP resonate and inspire me to widen and deepen my understandings, to offer more rational and conscious contributions to any work that I will carry out. It’s fascinating that MIT DUSP is the place where I can attend courses and have real-world practice at the same time. Inter-department, city-academic institution collaborations are happening right here. DUSP has allowed me to access the extraordinarily excellent network which will enrich me with insights and opportunities at the most related level.

At DUSP , I have been studying thoroughly MCP curriculum, the set of required courses will prepare me with sufficient fundamentals to thrive. Furthermore, thanks to SPURS experience, I started being familiar with navigating MIT settings to tailor tremendous resources to me and serve my interests. With MCP, pursuing urban planning education is an essential goal, more importantly, however, I avidly seek active engagement in identifying issues and improving urban economics and communities toward sustainable goals.

I firmly believe that DUSP will direct me to focus on highly practical and important problems within the area of my interest. The uniqueness of DUSP that I have never found elsewhere (or at least in places that I had experienced) is that DUSP addresses many crucial issues about racial justice and economic inequality, history, post-colonialism (that often be overlooked), and in a variety of regions, right here in America as well as in the Global South. I am inescapably encouraged to apply to MCP to extend and make the most out of this enlightening journey of enhanced collective learning. Additionally, I look forward to learning from the cohort and in turn, adding my combination of experience and training to the diversity of the MCP program.

I first arrived at MIT as a SPURS fellow without any plan of getting another master’s degree, and like everyone else, I was excitedly amazed by the remarkable amount of resources at MIT. Being here in the immense intellectual candy store, to me, it’s no longer only about a degree or certificate, it’s about my desire, fascination, and ambition, which have been simmering and marinating and now boiling up inside of me to explore, learn, engage, and thrive. Being well-equipped by DUSP, I envision myself striving to be an impeccably educated practitioner, a more thoughtful engineer, a more rational, conscious, and competent planner, a more sharpened and effective contributor, and a better self.

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Neurobiology of Kleptomania, Case Study Example

DreamWorks Animation Company Evaluation, Case Study Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Voting as a civic responsibility, essay example.

Pages: 1

Words: 287

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

Words: 356

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 448

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Pages: 8

Words: 2293

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 999

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

Words: 371

Guide on How to Write a Reflection Paper with Free Tips and Example

A reflection paper is a very common type of paper among college students. Almost any subject you enroll in requires you to express your opinion on certain matters. In this article, we will explain how to write a reflection paper and provide examples and useful tips to make the essay writing process easier.

Reflection papers should have an academic tone yet be personal and subjective. In this paper, you should analyze and reflect upon how an experience, academic task, article, or lecture shaped your perception and thoughts on a subject.

Here is what you need to know about writing an effective critical reflection paper. Stick around until the end of our guide to get some useful writing tips from the writing team at EssayPro — a research paper writing service

What Is a Reflection Paper

A reflection paper is a type of paper that requires you to write your opinion on a topic, supporting it with your observations and personal experiences. As opposed to presenting your reader with the views of other academics and writers, in this essay, you get an opportunity to write your point of view—and the best part is that there is no wrong answer. It is YOUR opinion, and it is your job to express your thoughts in a manner that will be understandable and clear for all readers that will read your paper. The topic range is endless. Here are some examples: whether or not you think aliens exist, your favorite TV show, or your opinion on the outcome of WWII. You can write about pretty much anything.

There are three types of reflection paper; depending on which one you end up with, the tone you write with can be slightly different. The first type is the educational reflective paper. Here your job is to write feedback about a book, movie, or seminar you attended—in a manner that teaches the reader about it. The second is the professional paper. Usually, it is written by people who study or work in education or psychology. For example, it can be a reflection of someone’s behavior. And the last is the personal type, which explores your thoughts and feelings about an individual subject.

However, reflection paper writing will stop eventually with one very important final paper to write - your resume. This is where you will need to reflect on your entire life leading up to that moment. To learn how to list education on resume perfectly, follow the link on our dissertation writing services .

Unlock the potential of your thoughts with EssayPro . Order a reflection paper and explore a range of other academic services tailored to your needs. Dive deep into your experiences, analyze them with expert guidance, and turn your insights into an impactful reflection paper.

Free Reflection Paper Example

Now that we went over all of the essentials about a reflection paper and how to approach it, we would like to show you some examples that will definitely help you with getting started on your paper.

Reflection Paper Format

Reflection papers typically do not follow any specific format. Since it is your opinion, professors usually let you handle them in any comfortable way. It is best to write your thoughts freely, without guideline constraints. If a personal reflection paper was assigned to you, the format of your paper might depend on the criteria set by your professor. College reflection papers (also known as reflection essays) can typically range from about 400-800 words in length.

Here’s how we can suggest you format your reflection paper:

Reflection Paper - How to Video Guide

Our experts have created a video guide on how to write a reflection paper step-by-step:

How to Start a Reflection Paper

The first thing to do when beginning to work on a reflection essay is to read your article thoroughly while taking notes. Whether you are reflecting on, for example, an activity, book/newspaper, or academic essay, you want to highlight key ideas and concepts.

You can start writing your reflection paper by summarizing the main concept of your notes to see if your essay includes all the information needed for your readers. It is helpful to add charts, diagrams, and lists to deliver your ideas to the audience in a better fashion.

After you have finished reading your article, it’s time to brainstorm. We’ve got a simple brainstorming technique for writing reflection papers. Just answer some of the basic questions below:

• How did the article affect you?
• How does this article catch the reader’s attention (or does it all)?
• Has the article changed your mind about something? If so, explain how.
• Has the article left you with any questions?
• Were there any unaddressed critical issues that didn’t appear in the article?
• Does the article relate to anything from your past reading experiences?
• Does the article agree with any of your past reading experiences?

Here are some reflection paper topic examples for you to keep in mind before preparing to write your own:

• How my views on rap music have changed over time
• My reflection and interpretation of Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• Why my theory about the size of the universe has changed over time
• How my observations for clinical psychological studies have developed in the last year

The result of your brainstorming should be a written outline of the contents of your future paper. Do not skip this step, as it will ensure that your essay will have a proper flow and appropriate organization.

Another good way to organize your ideas is to write them down in a 3-column chart or table.

Do you want your task look awesome?

If you would like your reflection paper to look professional, feel free to check out one of our articles on how to format MLA, APA or Chicago style

Writing a Reflection Paper Outline

Reflection paper should contain few key elements:

Introduction

Your introduction should specify what you’re reflecting upon. Make sure that your thesis informs your reader about your general position, or opinion, toward your subject.

• State what you are analyzing: a passage, a lecture, an academic article, an experience, etc...)
• Briefly summarize the work.
• Write a thesis statement stating how your subject has affected you.

One way you can start your thesis is to write:

Example: “After reading/experiencing (your chosen topic), I gained the knowledge of…”

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs should examine your ideas and experiences in context to your topic. Make sure each new body paragraph starts with a topic sentence.

Your reflection may include quotes and passages if you are writing about a book or an academic paper. They give your reader a point of reference to fully understand your feedback. Feel free to describe what you saw, what you heard, and how you felt.

Example: “I saw many people participating in our weight experiment. The atmosphere felt nervous yet inspiring. I was amazed by the excitement of the event.”

As with any conclusion, you should summarize what you’ve learned from the experience. Next, tell the reader how your newfound knowledge has affected your understanding of the subject in general. Finally, describe the feeling and overall lesson you had from the reading or experience.

There are a few good ways to conclude a reflection paper:

• Tie all the ideas from your body paragraphs together, and generalize the major insights you’ve experienced.
• Restate your thesis and summarize the content of your paper.

We have a separate blog post dedicated to writing a great conclusion. Be sure to check it out for an in-depth look at how to make a good final impression on your reader.

Need a hand? Get help from our writers. Edit, proofread or buy essay .

How to Write a Reflection Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: create a main theme.

After you choose your topic, write a short summary about what you have learned about your experience with that topic. Then, let readers know how you feel about your case — and be honest. Chances are that your readers will likely be able to relate to your opinion or at least the way you form your perspective, which will help them better understand your reflection.

For example: After watching a TEDx episode on Wim Hof, I was able to reevaluate my preconceived notions about the negative effects of cold exposure.

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas and Experiences You’ve Had Related to Your Topic

You can write down specific quotes, predispositions you have, things that influenced you, or anything memorable. Be personal and explain, in simple words, how you felt.

For example: • A lot of people think that even a small amount of carbohydrates will make people gain weight • A specific moment when I struggled with an excess weight where I avoided carbohydrates entirely • The consequences of my actions that gave rise to my research • The evidence and studies of nutritional science that claim carbohydrates alone are to blame for making people obese • My new experience with having a healthy diet with a well-balanced intake of nutrients • The influence of other people’s perceptions on the harm of carbohydrates, and the role their influence has had on me • New ideas I’ve created as a result of my shift in perspective

Step 3: Analyze How and Why These Ideas and Experiences Have Affected Your Interpretation of Your Theme

Pick an idea or experience you had from the last step, and analyze it further. Then, write your reasoning for agreeing or disagreeing with it.

For example, Idea: I was raised to think that carbohydrates make people gain weight.

Analysis: Most people think that if they eat any carbohydrates, such as bread, cereal, and sugar, they will gain weight. I believe in this misconception to such a great extent that I avoided carbohydrates entirely. As a result, my blood glucose levels were very low. I needed to do a lot of research to overcome my beliefs finally. Afterward, I adopted the philosophy of “everything in moderation” as a key to a healthy lifestyle.

For example: Idea: I was brought up to think that carbohydrates make people gain weight. Analysis: Most people think that if they eat any carbohydrates, such as bread, cereal, and sugar, they will gain weight. I believe in this misconception to such a great extent that I avoided carbohydrates entirely. As a result, my blood glucose levels were very low. I needed to do a lot of my own research to finally overcome my beliefs. After, I adopted the philosophy of “everything in moderation” as a key for having a healthy lifestyle.

Step 4: Make Connections Between Your Observations, Experiences, and Opinions

Try to connect your ideas and insights to form a cohesive picture for your theme. You can also try to recognize and break down your assumptions, which you may challenge in the future.

There are some subjects for reflection papers that are most commonly written about. They include:

• Book – Start by writing some information about the author’s biography and summarize the plot—without revealing the ending to keep your readers interested. Make sure to include the names of the characters, the main themes, and any issues mentioned in the book. Finally, express your thoughts and reflect on the book itself.
• Course – Including the course name and description is a good place to start. Then, you can write about the course flow, explain why you took this course, and tell readers what you learned from it. Since it is a reflection paper, express your opinion, supporting it with examples from the course.
• Project – The structure for a reflection paper about a project has identical guidelines to that of a course. One of the things you might want to add would be the pros and cons of the course. Also, mention some changes you might want to see, and evaluate how relevant the skills you acquired are to real life.
• Interview – First, introduce the person and briefly mention the discussion. Touch on the main points, controversies, and your opinion of that person.

Writing Tips

Everyone has their style of writing a reflective essay – and that's the beauty of it; you have plenty of leeway with this type of paper – but there are still a few tips everyone should incorporate.

Before you start your piece, read some examples of other papers; they will likely help you better understand what they are and how to approach yours. When picking your subject, try to write about something unusual and memorable — it is more likely to capture your readers' attention. Never write the whole essay at once. Space out the time slots when you work on your reflection paper to at least a day apart. This will allow your brain to generate new thoughts and reflections.

• Short and Sweet – Most reflection papers are between 250 and 750 words. Don't go off on tangents. Only include relevant information.
• Clear and Concise – Make your paper as clear and concise as possible. Use a strong thesis statement so your essay can follow it with the same strength.
• Maintain the Right Tone – Use a professional and academic tone—even though the writing is personal.
• Cite Your Sources – Try to cite authoritative sources and experts to back up your personal opinions.
• Proofreading – Not only should you proofread for spelling and grammatical errors, but you should proofread to focus on your organization as well. Answer the question presented in the introduction.

'If only someone could write my essay !' you may think. Ask for help our professional writers in case you need it.

Do You Need a Well-Written Reflection Paper?

Then send us your assignment requirements and we'll get it done in no time.

How To Write A Reflection Paper?

How to start a reflection paper, how long should a reflection paper be.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

Home / Essay Samples / Psychology / Child Development / Motivation

Motivation Essay Examples

Attribution theory in organizational behavior.

Attribution theory, a prominent concept in social psychology, has significant implications in organizational behavior. This psychological framework explores how individuals attribute causes to behavior, events, and outcomes, and its application in the workplace helps us understand employee motivation, performance, and interpersonal dynamics. In this essay,...

The Necessity of Self-motivation

'You can motivate by fear. And you can motivate by reward. But both of these methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.' - Homer Rice. In self motivation essays authors usually share pure tips how to motivate yourself, but they sometimes forget...

What Motivates You in Life - the Biggest Dreams

I will excel in my studies throughout my college education to ensure the fulfillment of my dream to be a leader in the industry of eco-friendly products and goods. I chose to write what motivates you in life essay to show what can be motivation...

What Motivates Me: a Personal Reflection

Every individual is driven by unique motivations that shape their aspirations, decisions, and actions. Understanding what motivates us provides insight into our passions, values, and goals. In this essay, I will reflect on what motivates me and delve into the factors that ignite my drive...

Personal Experience of Helping Someone: What Drives Me to Do This

My task for this paper was to 'narrate your personal experience of helping someone', that is the main topic for this paper. Here my personal experience of helping will be introduced. Then, the motivations of helping and the reason why I would be the only...

An Ideal Learning Community: Plc and Teacher Empowerment

Usually teachers are habituated to perform his or her duties individually within the work place. But in the last decade of twenty century this old approach turn into modern approach that is more effective for the teacher professional development through creating collaboration, sharing ideas and...

Motivation in Learning Second Language

Motivation is a process that makes people determined to achieve their goals. It totally depends on the firmness of our decisions. Theories about motivation explains about the efforts of the people to achieve their desired things. Many motivational speakers give their views differently about motivation...

My Motivation to Get Summer Program in China

“Seeing something once is better than hearing about it a hundred times. Doing something once is better than seeing it a hundred times. ” This adage by Lisa See is what I’ve been a strong believer of and live by. Having the privilege of travelling...

Motivation in Second Language Learning: a Historical Overview

The concept of motivation always regarded in human societies particularly for scholars and educational experts.  In this paper, we review the theoretical perspectives that have been submitted over the past 4 decades and associated with language acquisition, this review also covers the important results of...

Theories of Motivation: Analysis of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory

Numerous psychologists have contributed to the theories of motivation which most organizations use as a tool to aid in efficiency and effectiveness of employees. The theory of motivation can be approached from various perspective, however, they all share common factors that there is a link...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!

You may also like

• Growth Mindset Essays
• Morality Essays
• Operant Conditioning Essays
• William James Essays
• Procrastination Essays
• Big Five Personality Traits Essays
• Phobias Essays
• Emotional Intelligence Essays
• Problem Solving Essays
• Archetype Essays

About Motivation

Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is what causes you to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge. Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior.

There are four main tyoes of motivation: Intrinsic, extrinsic, unconscious, and conscious.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory, Alderfer's ERG theory, Self-Determination Theory, Drive theory.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->