Engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice through the share your research ideas project: students’ and tutors’ reflective accounts

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the retrospective reflective accounts of three master’s alumni and their tutor who openly shared their thoughts on their experience of engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice through the ‘Share Your Research Ideas’ (SYRI) project. This project ran at the University of Manchester during the second half of the academic year 2019–2020, a time of the COVID-19 pandemic. It consisted of a series of online seminar sessions, which offered a space for students to reflect individually and in groups upon their experience of undertaking educational research. The contribution of this reflective piece is threefold, it aims to: 1) illustrate how the ‘Peer-Led Group Reflective Practice’ (PLGRP) pedagogical approach can be monitored and facilitated in an online learning environment, 2) identify the influence of such a pedagogical approach on those students who engaged in the project and, 3) show how reflective conversations between tutor and students over time as well as the learnings obtained from them can inform course design and shape subsequent learning experience. Thus, our goals are to document how the reflective conversations undertaken during and after the SYRI project contributed to significant student experience and life-long learning and to draw implications for future practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Reflection
• group reflective practice
• reflective learning online
• peer-led reflection
• researcher reflexivity

1. Introduction

The relevance of the role of reflection in learning to plan and conduct research in Higher Education has been widely discussed in the literature (e.g. Attia & Edge, 2017; Wilson et al., 2022). Some of the benefits of engaging in reflection whilst undertaking research through techniques like journal writing, creative and diagrammatic representation (e.g. story writing, images, and concept maps) involve knowledge development, self-awareness, critical thinking, motivation, and decision-making (Smith, 2011). However, it is often the case that reflection is left to the students to do in their own time, and it is rarely socialised with others in formal academic settings with the purpose of obtaining peer-feedback (ibid). Recent research has shown that group reflective practice enables the development of lifelong learning skills such as communication, problem-solving, autonomy, leadership, independent and interdependent learning (Palacios et al., 2021). Moreover, peer-led group reflection can act as feedback for improving coursework and subsequent learning experiences (e.g. Chang, 2019; Kurtz, 2020). Hence, educators need to think of ways of fostering and implementing appropriate pedagogical approaches that can contribute to the development of group reflective practice led by peers. With the purpose of addressing this concern and an identified gap in master’s programmes, which typically offer few opportunities for students to share their research ideas and reflect on their research process, the lead author of this paper, designed and implemented an online seminar-based project called ‘Share Your Research Ideas’ (SYRI). This project ran at the University of Manchester, and it took place during the summer of the 2019/2020 academic year which is a time when students are expected to work mostly independently (with supervisory support) in their research projects. Moreover, it was the time of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the on-campus learning experience. Thus, SYRI offered a space for students to meet remotely and share their research projects.

In this paper, we three master’s alumni and their tutor, present our retrospective reflective accounts of the conversations we had during and after engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice through the SYRI project. We openly shared our reflections on this experience and considered it important to document them to show how such reflective conversations can contribute to significant student experience and life-long learning and to draw implications for future practice. In that sense, the relevance of reflective accounts lies in that they illustrate how the online Peer-Led Group Reflective Practice (PLGRP) pedagogical approach can be monitored and facilitated in Higher Education and how it influences those students who engage with it. The reflective accounts also show how the learnings emerging from the reflective conversations can inform course design and shape subsequent learning experiences.

The first part of this paper provides an overview of the design of the SYRI project. The second part provides information on the reflective conversations that took place during the project and the written retrospective accounts presented in this paper. The third part presents students’ and tutor’s reflective accounts and provides both initial and recent understandings of them. The last part presents the implications of such reflections for course design and future practice.

2. Project design and pedagogical approach

SYRI consisted of nine online seminars where students operationalised their researcher reflexivity whilst planning, conducting, and reporting educational research. The project aimed to enable students to reflect on their research project, articulate their reflexivity to others, and provide and receive peer feedback. Students from across four master’s programmes in the Institute of Education voluntarily attended the online seminar sessions which took place in April, May, June, July and August of 2020. These were difficult months for students as COVID-19 restrictions required them to work remotely. Notwithstanding, throughout the SYRI project, students had the opportunity to build and maintain new relationships, as attendees came from various countries and possessed various educational and professional experiences. The nine seminars comprising the SYRI project took place online via Zoom, the videoconferencing tool adopted by the university. The first three sessions, undertaken in April and May encouraged students to reflect upon their research topic, research context, research questions and data collection tools. The next three sessions, undertaken in June and July, aimed for students to reflect upon their experiences of engaging with relevant literature, doing fieldwork, and data analysis. The last three sessions, undertaken in July-August, asked students to reflect upon their research findings, the process of writing their research report and any challenges encountered whilst conducting research.

Seminar sessions were formally designed and monitored by a staff member and informally peer-led by students who acted as facilitators of group work (Figure 1). A combination of pedagogical frameworks underpinned SYRI. The ‘Peer-Led Group Reflective Practice’ (PLGRP) approach (Palacios et al., 2022), for instance, involved a series of individual and group reflective tasks. SYRI’s online learning pedagogy adopted the flipped classroom approach as its three phases -before, during and after class- enabled to organise the different reflective tasks in pre-task, in-task and post-task.

Figure 1. SYRI’s formal and informal learning, staff-led and peer-led interactions.

Moreover, following the five-stage model of online learning (Salmon et al., 2010) the tutor of the SYRI project who acted as e-moderator invited students to take part in the project (stage 1), promoted online socialisation by asking students to share their experiences and research ideas (stage 2), chaired information exchange between student groups (stage 3), encouraged students to complete their research projects (stage 4), and looked at continuing to develop SYRI through reflective conversations with participating students.

The engagement process in online peer-led group reflective practice was as follows: before each session, the monitor sent students via Edmodo a handout (pre-task) which contained a series of reflective questions that would help them prepare for the online interaction in Zoom. Edmodo is the virtual learning environment adopted by SYRI; its social media-like interface enabled students to exchange information. During the online sessions, groups chose a facilitator whose role was to manage group reflection. Facilitators were guided by a handout (in-class task) that had three phases: 1) eliciting students’ responses to the pre-task; 2) promoting peer feedback and 3) arriving at a group conclusion on the topic to share with the rest of the class. After the session (post-task), the monitor invited students to share in Edmodo their individual and group reflections on the session with the purpose of continuing the reflective conversation.

3. From reflective conversations to written retrospective accounts on them

As part of the course design of SYRI, there were two planned meetings (one in May and one in August 2020) for the tutor (i.e. e-moderator) and those students acting as facilitators to reflect on the seminar sessions, and the roles they were undertaking. Student facilitators, for instance, reflected on how they were feeling in the role, the issues and challenges they had encountered and how they were dealing with them. In turn, the tutor reflected on the student-facilitator experiences with the purpose of providing further support and guidance. Hence, these reflective conversations aided in evaluating the elements that were working well or not so well in the project. Such information was relevant to shape the future of SYRI.

The issues student facilitators brought to the reflective conversations were openly shared with the tutor. For the purposes of this paper, we, the authors, decided to revisit those issues and write retrospective reflections on them. For this, we are relying on our thorough reflective process (described next), our reflective notes, journals, materials and memories of these events. This means that the reflections presented here should not be taken as accurate representations of the dialogues that we had in 2020, but rather as accounts that revisit the various matters that we, student facilitators and the tutor, dealt with whilst engaging in the SYRI project.

Adopting the model of reflection as a meaning-making process over time (Palacios et al., 2021), our reflections describe the unique situations or experiences we encountered, our initial understandings of them, the actions that were undertaken to deal with those situations and any additional understandings made of these situations after performing such actions. Moreover, because we have written these accounts retrospectively and have had the opportunity to engage with relevant literature on the issues raised, we also present our recent understanding of these situations. We believe that both initial and recent understandings of the shared situations are important because the knowledge we gained over time and experience can help draw implications for SYRI and similar projects, as well as shape future teaching and learning practices.

The trustworthiness and credibility of the accounts presented here have been mitigated by our (i.e. the authors’) thorough reflective process guided by the model of reflection as a meaning-making process over time (Palacios et al., 2021). This reflective process enabled us to revisit relevant SYRI materials and refresh our memory (e.g. we accessed the virtual learning environment used, we looked at our reflective journals, online posts and notes from our reflective conversations) as well as check with one another the details that were shared in conversation.

4. Revisited experiences: initial and recent understandings

We, Eirini, Rumana and Yuan, undertook our MA TESOL studies in 2019/2020 and decided to participate in the SYRI project for two reasons. First, we were drawn to the concept of peer-led group reflection as it was novel to us and seemed like a good opportunity to experience a leadership role in Higher Education whilst obtaining valuable feedback that could help us improve our research projects. Second, on an emotional level, we sought support to mitigate feelings of isolation and stress during the challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to establish deep connections with other fellow novice researchers and develop a sense of belongingness. Individually and voluntarily, we attended seven out of nine seminar sessions. This section presents our initial and recent understandings of the experiences we encountered and shared in open conversation. Our reflections are followed by the tutor’s own reflections and responses to the issues raised.

4.1. Eirini’s reflection on facilitating online peer-led group reflective practice

4.1.1. Initial understandings of the situation

My role in the SYRI project was twofold, I was both a facilitator and participant of the reflective sessions. This account reflects on how I facilitated the sessions overall and dealt with the challenging issue of passive participation. Virtually in all sessions, I encountered attendees who would stay in the breakout room for the entire session without actively interacting. For instance, their camera and/or microphones would be off and they would not share their research ideas, and thoughts or provide peer feedback. As Rose (2016) suggests reflection is a social phenomenon, it’s active and collaborative (p.785). Therefore, to tackle the issue of passive engagement I followed three main actions, 1) created a welcoming atmosphere, 2) modelled the reflective process and, 3) mediated interactions. I detail these three actions in the following paragraphs.

Given that reflection thrives in a safe, positive and ‘blame-free’ environment, as a facilitator my first task was to create such an environment (Marshall et al., 2022, p. 487). Therefore, at the start of each session, I would have a ‘check-in’ phase whereby I first gave attentiveness to attendees and invited each attendee to introduce themselves. Then, I reminded attendees of the stages of interaction (e.g. presentation of ideas, peer feedback and developing concluding thoughts), and assigned turns in presenting our research ideas. By doing this, it aided in reducing attendees’ stress as well as preparing them for the group reflective session. At this stage, I would also kindly encourage passive attendees to turn their cameras and microphones on, respecting their comfort zones at the same time, though.

To ensure a smooth transition to our group reflective practice, which was the presentation of our research ideas, I found it particularly useful to model the process outlined by the in-class task to attendees (Marshall et al., 2022, p. 490). Consequently, my presentations would come first accompanied by short PowerPoint presentations. Completing the pre-task in preparation for the session and using the reflective prompts given the in-class task guided me in my presentations. Furthermore, keeping a written record of the attendees’ presentations was good practice. I also encouraged all attendees, active or passive to do the same. First, it helped me probe further and guide the reflective discussions afterwards. Second, it promoted ‘ownership of the group’ as attendees shared the responsibility for keeping notes of what was said in the sessions (Kurtz, 2020, p. 61). As a result, passive participants found a way to join in. I would encourage passive participants to use the tools that the Zoom platform afforded, more specifically, the chat box for any comments or questions or comments they had. As a facilitator, I would mediate by reading out the passive attendees’ perspectives or questions to the rest of the group, and their contributions. Overall, these were the steps I followed to deal with passive engagement.

4.1.2. Recent understandings of the situation

Reflecting further on how I, as a facilitator, dealt with the issue of passive participation and informed by relevant literature; it is vital to take the potential reasons underlying passive participation into consideration. Second, it is necessary to think of ways to maximise participants’ commitment to the SYRI project (Kurtz, 2020, p. 28). Studies on online learning describe participants who are merely observers of what is happening as ‘lurkers’ (Rose, 2016). This is in line with the notion that lurking is a ‘common behaviour in online communities as participants tend to benefit from the community’s wisdom’ (Gong et al., 2021, p. 141) by observing and obtaining information rather than sharing it. Now I understand that by adopting this common behaviour some SYRI attendees may have benefited from the ‘vicarious learning’ (Denne, 2008, p.1926) taking place, that is, learning from the experience of others. Other potential reasons for lurking include thinking that there is nothing of great significance to share with others and wanting to learn more about the group before engaging actively (Preece et al., 2004).

With this information, as a facilitator, I learned that it is vital to consider the behaviours and attitudes participants have towards the project and ensure they understand what the project entails, why they partake, and what they want from it. In this way, facilitators can empower and encourage attendees to take ownership of this experience and consequently become aware of their own commitment to the project (Kurtz, 2020; Marshall et al., 2022). To enhance commitment and active participation, attendees can receive training beforehand to familiarise themselves with the concept of reflection, define its purpose and understand the aims of the sessions. In addition to this, establishing rules of participation could prove to be useful. For instance, make completion of the pre-task compulsory as well as having cameras and microphones on. As a result, participants will know what is expected of them and it is more likely that they become less passive and move into a state of active participation.

4.2. Rumana’s reflection on the challenges of engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice

4.2.1. Initial understandings of the situation

The following reflection focuses on three challenges I encountered as a participant and facilitator of the SYRI project: 1) the inadequate sense of belongingness, 2) the discomfort in talking with peers’ camera off, and 3) managing conversation during group reflection. Firstly, during the initial seminars, I often sensed receiving inadequate support and responses from my peers regarding my research ideas which made me feel I was only talking to myself. I eventually became diffident as I did not sense the warmth of belongingness that I had expected before joining the sessions. Similarly, talking to black screens in Zoom with my peers’ long silence made me clueless about handling that situation as well as discouraged me. My immediate reaction, then, was to turn off my camera too. As a facilitator, I found this issue still persistent which challenged me to manage peer interaction. Despite providing frequent prompts and asking questions about their research projects, it seemed rather demanding to initiate conversations among group members. It also appeared that the same few people interacted which made the group work limited.

Regarding the first and third issues, I speculated, at that time that my group members were perhaps not familiar with my discipline and hence, could not offer feedback. Some students also seemed uncertain about their specific roles and activities during group reflection (Chen et al., 2019) as some came only to observe and experience these sessions without much contribution. As for the second issue, as an introverted person, I could realise that people might feel uncomfortable turning their cameras on, despite affecting the group learning environment (Baber, 2022). Although I was willing to challenge myself, my introverted nature made it difficult to facilitate the sessions as taking the lead in such a way was a new experience for me.

At the time, my response and actions to these situations were informed by my engagement with another course unit ‘Teaching and Learning Online’ (TLO) which I took simultaneously. As I was learning online about online teaching and learning, I decided to utilise the techniques I observed there. For instance, I was encouraged to turn my cameras on more often in breakout rooms which made me more confident despite my initial discomfort. Then, I utilised opportunities to share my research ideas and then encouraged others to share theirs by calling out their names directly. Further, the chat box proved to be useful particularly when I received feedback from people who otherwise would not speak up during the sessions. As a facilitator, I utilised the in-class task or handouts to facilitate the reflective interaction. These handouts included reflective prompts themed differently for each session. To explain, some of my peers in ‘Session 5’ had much to share about their ‘experiences and challenges of conducting research’ which led the discussion to digress and left others unable to find opportunities to speak. Providing reflective prompts then became valuable because it helped me ensure equal participation in group discussions and make them more purposeful. I noticed that sharing my research project often encouraged others to share theirs and give each other feedback.

4.2.2. Recent understandings of the situation

In retrospect and after engaging with relevant literature, I was able to understand various aspects of my experience of online learning and ways to support students as a facilitator. For example, I eventually realised that students could be politely encouraged to turn their cameras on if feasible which would create a real sense of group work as they would see each other during the interaction. As Roth and Gafni (2021, p.151) affirmed, seeing others’ gestures and expressions without sharing the same physical space enables the sense of ‘being part of a realistic community’ in online learning. Alongside increased interaction, it would help learners with low self-esteem take initiative in the learning process. Truhlar’s et al. (2018) ideas on student engagement in online environments helped me further understand the value of active participation and commitment during group reflection since the purpose of interaction remains unfulfilled and loses focus if questions are unanswered. Baber (2022) affirmed that the lack of social interaction leading to a lack of sense of community might discourage learners from participating in online learning groups, which happened to me. In this case, allocating more time in breakout room sessions and actively monitoring and encouraging participation by reiterating and revoicing prompts or questioning might be beneficial. Agreeing with Chen et al. (2019), I also observed that directly indicating peers to share ideas often helped them interact more, although this might be intimidating particularly when they are unprepared and unwilling to participate in group reflection actively. In such cases, providing space and allocating more time for these students to be more accustomed to the learning environment might prove useful. Besides, using the chat box would be more flexible as some students may be more comfortable with voicing opinions through text messages over speaking up. Overall, encouraging students frequently through prompts and by asking open-ended questions can ensure increased participation in group reflection.

4.3. Yuan’s reflection on the influence of engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice

4.3.1. Initial understanding of the situation

When the SYRI project started, I struggled to decide on a research topic for my dissertation and turned to my SYRI peers for help. During a session, I presented tentative options and expressed my struggles with formulating clear research questions. The presenting process, coupled with feedback from peers, helped me think more clearly and identify researchable points. Additionally, the conversation with my peers helped me realise that my uncertainty about the research aim was the underlying cause of ambiguity in establishing research questions. And then I was recommended a mind-map tool during the session. Despite previous failed attempts at visualising my thoughts, I decided to give the tool a go. With the help of the built-in diagram, it was easier to see links and relationships between various aspects of a research topic. Thus, I was able to distinguish the central theme from related ideas which radiate out from the centre. So, I successfully formulated two research questions and identified my true research aim. I was also able to articulate my ideas to my peers. Without their help, it would have probably taken me a bit longer to get there. As my project went back on track, my confidence in my planning research improved, and my anxiety was partially alleviated.

I believe I learned from my SYRI peers. I became aware of what I call ‘indirectly inspired change’ in me. More explicitly, it was a shift in my attitude towards engaging in educational research and being a researcher, and the shift became noticeable until I reflected on it and discussed it during the online seminars. For instance, before sharing my ideas with my peers, I had thought that MA studies should be aimed at becoming an independent researcher. I had narrowly defined the word ‘independent’ to be situations where I should and could only rely on myself to finish the project rather than on others. Frequently consulting others (besides my supervisor) about my research ideas, to me, was a sign of academic incapability. However, this outlook changed, and I saw my research project as the culmination of my graduate studies which of course would include my involvement and interactions with others.

Undoubtedly, adopting people’s suggestions prompted the progress of my project. After seeing the advantage, I stepped back to reflect on the relationship between me and my project. The suggestions from my peers filled holes in my fieldwork with their perspectives and personal experiences distinct from mine. These were the possibilities that I could not otherwise know. Although my peers remained outsiders to my research project in the sense that it was only me who could make the final decision on whether I would take on their suggestions, I appreciated their role in shaping (or not) my decision-making process. I also realised that I was always the only gatekeeper and insider of my research work. With this reflection, I was more comfortable offering comments and advice to others and no longer felt like an ‘intruder’ in their fieldwork.

4.3.2. Recent understandings of the situation

In reviewing the literature on the relationship between reflective practice and the researcher’s reflexivity, I started to develop an understanding of why I did what I did through conducting my research study. The aforementioned support from the SYRI peers is living proof of the ‘restorative’ and ‘formative’ functions of a reflective practice group (Loveder, 2017, p. 73). Reflection has a built-in value of raising awareness of the researcher and working environment (Attia & Edge, 2017, p. 42). It was this self-awareness that encouraged me to get over my unwillingness to ask for help and to adopt an active posture toward my issues. After benefitting from group reflection, I became more aware of the ‘centrality’ (ibid) of myself to the research process. This in turn promoted my autonomy to discern methodological possibilities in my research environment including SYRI.

On delving deeper, I can plot the aforementioned unwillingness back to my school time. Whenever I had to face unfamiliar situations or tasks, I would first start the mode of thinking through the matter carefully on my own. This routine which has long been internalised, until now, can inexplicably help me to relieve part of the stress and anxiety that emerged from unfamiliarity. As explained in the literature on the connection between researchers’ previous and current experiences (e.g. Attia & Edge, 2017), all of their lived experiences, beyond the professional knowledge, may well have produced associate, unconscious responses to the current research process. In making meaning over time, researchers’ knowledge, beliefs, behaviours and attitudes, to mention some examples, are shaped by the experienced learnings which in turn will inform subsequent experiences (Palacios et al., 2021). As in my case, my converted attitude towards research has fed back into and enriched my praxes with open-mindedness about a new environment and what that might entail. To make sense of future unique situations, I have to bear in mind that ‘professionals are constantly reflecting-in-practice’ (ibid, p.606).

4.4. Nahielly’s reflection on monitoring SYRI and the issues raised by students

4.4.1. Initial understanding of the situation

As the tutor of the SYRI project, I aimed to actively listen to student facilitators’ reflections on their experience of engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice in order to provide relevant support and advise. The challenges discussed by Eirini and Rumana in one of our meetings are common when it comes to distance and online learning. Often distance and online students go through a process of adaptation, as they become more aware of the relevance of being active and independent participants, their behaviours start to change (Baber, 2022). This process takes time, effort and practice, for that reason, I reassured facilitators by saying that the type of behaviours they encountered in our online seminars were expected. Moreover, drawing on pedagogical literature on distance education (e.g. Redmond et al., 2018), as well as on my experiences in the field of teaching and learning online, I explained that passive and active engagement are valuable in the learning process. For example, passive students continue to attend the sessions because they may feel intrigued by the topics (affective engagement) or because they might find the discussions useful as they make an effort to understand (cognitive engagement) their own experiences (Redmond et al., 2018).

I added that like them, for other students this could also be the first time that they were asked to lead and initiate activities, be responsible for the development of group work and become creators of knowledge rather than consumers of it. Hence, it could take some time for attendees to become more confident, independent and self-directed while engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice. To continue to foster online socialisation (Salmon et al., 2010), I asked facilitators to keep modelling the online etiquette expected during the seminars (e.g. encouraging the use of the camera in breakout rooms rather than requesting it at all times), to share their research ideas first to encourage others to do the same and to promote the values of the project (e.g. there is no right or wrong answer all experience, observations and feelings are equally valuable).

Yuan’s reflection is more on the influence of the pedagogical approach promoted in SYRI. She talks about experiencing progress in the development of her research ideas after receiving peer feedback. Hence, emphasising the shaping influence of group work. She also talks about becoming more aware of her role as a researcher and her decision-making process embedded in research. I noticed that Yuan’s account involved a series of attitudes and behaviours that contributed to the changes experienced. For instance, she was open to sharing her experiences and curious about other people’s experiences. She also took ownership of her new role as a researcher and voiced her own decisions. In drawing on literature on group work and peer-led learning (e.g. Streitwieser & Light, 2010), such attitudes and behaviours are necessary to engage in deep reflective processes, spur discussion, develop critical thinking, and enhance both independent and interdependent learning skills (Palacios et al., 2022). Moreover, openness, curiosity as well as taking ownership of one’s role and the decision-making process involved in research, contribute to the development of researcher reflexivity. This is because the researcher begins to recognise the influence of her role on the research and the influence of the research on the researcher (Attia & Edge, 2017). Therefore, I encouraged Yuan to keep note of the mutual shaping influence of the internal (cognitive) and external (social) factors involved in her research process and raise these as key points for discussion during group reflective practice. This would help others to become aware of their own reflexivity as researchers.

4.4.2. Recent understandings of the situation

Revisiting my reflections on the conversations I had with the student facilitators has helped me to understand better the shaping influence of the pedagogical approach involved in online peer-led group reflective practice. For instance, students emphasised the idea of taking ownership of their own learning as they communicated and reflected on their research ideas and developing a sense of belonging as they learned to peer-led their group work. Students also highlighted an increased awareness of their role in research and their researcher reflexivity (e.g. the influence of the decisions they made and the influence of the research context on these decisions). Moreover, given the constraints of online learning, I was able to provide extra support to student facilitators and attendees throughout the project. I also realised that extra seminar sessions where the reflective focus is on literature about online learning and peer-led group reflective practice can help students to become aware of the issues they might encounter in such learning environments and the potential strategies to overcome them (Salmon et al., 2010). This, in turn, will give them tools to navigate through their own new learning experience and have confidence in the process. Drawing on our shared reflections and the learnings emerging from them, the following section details their implication in course design and subsequent learning experience.

5. Implications for course design and future learning experience

Our experiences of engaging in online peer-led group reflective practice both as student facilitators and tutor, as well as our further engagement with relevant literature have enabled us to draw implications for course design and future engagement in the SYRI project. Regarding the former, in online learning, it is crucial to continue respecting participants’ comfort zones and to balance ‘the needs of individuals’ to facilitate group interactions (Thomas, 2012, p. 710). For this purpose, creating a pleasant, safe and comfortable space to draw students’ attention is a feature that the SYRI project will carry on developing the subsequent seminar sessions. The matter of keeping the camera on/off needs careful consideration as it might create an anxious and uncomfortable atmosphere for participants (Gherhes et al., 2021). This can be mutually agreed upon at the beginning of the sessions through an introduction to online socialisation. In situations where people prefer keeping their cameras off despite pre-established guidelines, participants can be encouraged to turn their cameras on to reduce the lack of physical presence.

Regarding future engagement with online PLGRP, we recognise that more support should be given to students, to make them aware of how the seminar sessions are organised and how they can effectively engage in them (e.g. clarifying tutor’s and students’ expectations). More specifically, it is vital to ensure that participants understand the purpose of the seminars and their key role in sharing and reflecting on their research ideas and academic experiences. To help in the development of students’ researcher reflexivity the project will promote attitudes that encourage self-awareness, curiosity, openness, and rigorousness in the process of reflecting on the process and progress of their research project as well as themselves as researchers (Attia & Edge, 2017). Finally, maintaining reflective conversations between tutor and student facilitators, throughout the implementation of the project, will enable real-time student feedback (Chang, 2019) which in turn can aid course improvement and, hence, subsequent teaching and learning experiences.

The reflections presented in this paper contribute to illustrating how PLGRP as a pedagogical approach can be monitored and facilitated in online learning environments. They also helped to identify some of the influences of PLGRP on students engaging with this type of pedagogy and finally, they show how reflective conversations between students and tutors can inform and shape course design and subsequent learning experience.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nahielly Palacios

Nahielly Palacios is a Lecturer in Education at the Manchester Institute of Education at The University of Manchester. She specialises in the areas of academic and research reflective practice, researcher reflexivity, teaching and learning online as well as language learning and technology. Her research interests involve teacher professional development, reflection, narration and intercultural sojourns.

Yuan Gao

Yuan Gao is an English teacher and runs a small English school in China. She teaches in the areas of English as a foreign language (EFL). Her research interests include individualised teaching in a large-size class, teaching and learning online, designing course materials and reflective practice.

Eirini Mourelatou

Eirini Mourelatou is a Teaching Assistant linked to the English faculty of a Secondary school in Manchester. She supports students with learning difficulties within and outside the classroom context. Her research interests include utilising Twitter as a Professional development tool for teachers and reflective practice.

Rumana Rafique

Rumana Rafique is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She teaches in the areas of English for academic purpose (EAP), academic writing, and practicum for pre-service teachers. Her research interest includes the use of learning technology in higher education, CALL teacher education, and reflective practice.