Background: Research methodology courses are a component of teacher education; they are essential for fostering evidence-based practice and critical thinking. However, these courses are often perceived as unhelpful, with many students reporting anxiety about research methodology. Traditional lecture-based formats remain common, despite their limitations. Purpose: This case study examined the extent to which journaling, implemented within an experiential learning framework, facilitated engagement with all stages of Kolb's experiential learning cycle and supported the transformation of student research anxiety into a productive starting point for learning. The study further explored the potential of this approach to enable preservice teachers to progress from affective experience toward conceptual and analytical competence in research methodology. Method: A case study design was employed, using questionnaires, classroom observations, instructor reflections, and analysis of student work. Findings: The findings indicate that journaling enabled students to engage with each stage of Kolb's experiential learning cycle, beginning with concrete experience rooted in anxiety and uncertainty. The productive transformation of experience depended on continuous instructor scaffolding, which prompted reflection and supported abstract conceptualization through the introduction of conceptual frameworks. Implications: This approach offers a viable classroom-based model for experiential learning in large higher education settings.
Background: Design education encompasses both active studio-based courses and theoretical classes, such as architectural history, cultural heritage, and spatial continuity. Recent discussions have highlighted the challenge of sustaining student engagement and achieving durable learning outcomes in these theoretical modules. Purpose: This study examines the effectiveness of a gamified fieldwork model based on Kolb's experiential learning cycle in strengthening interior architecture students’ relationship with theoretical and historical knowledge. The concept of palimpsest has been incorporated into the workshop as a dynamic educational tool. Method: Qualitative research methods were adopted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software and evaluated for descriptive and content characteristics. Findings: The findings reveal that experiential design supports learning of the palimpsest concept, increases students’ active participation, and it contributes to the interpretation of theoretical knowledge through spatial experience. Implications: This research contributes to the growing literature on experiential and gamified learning in architectural education by offering a replicable model that unites theory, practice, and place. It demonstrates how architectural history and cultural heritage can be taught through interactive, embodied, and reflective experiences rather than solely through lectures or static visuals.
Background Grounded in positive psychology and entrepreneurship-education theory, we treat start-up internships as laboratories where relational climates cultivate—or constrain—strengths and entrepreneurial competence. Purpose This study tests how attachment style to supervisors and gratitude toward the internship shape flourishing and functioning in entrepreneurial settings. Method This study was conducted online, collecting data from 276 interns across 117 startups, with supervisor ratings for 253 of them, using adapted measures of attachment, gratitude, satisfaction, and performance. Findings Secure attachment was associated with higher gratitude, which in turn was linked to interns’ satisfaction and supervisors’ performance ratings. Conversely, anxious and avoidant styles were associated with lower gratitude, reduced satisfaction, and poorer performance; however, mediation analyses indicated that interns’ gratitude levels mediated these associations. Implications Implications extend to internship curriculum design, mentor coaching, and workplace interventions aimed at promoting the fulfillment and success of interns and possibly junior employees.
Background Mindfulness retreats are widely used to support experiential learning through embodied practice and reflective engagement. Increasingly, retreats are offered online, yet little is known about how different retreat contexts shape learning experiences. Purpose This qualitative study explores how online and in-person retreat formats influence experiential learning processes of retreatants and teachers. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants: 11 retreatants and 11 teachers. Inductive thematic analysis was used to examine the experiential, contextual and pedagogical dimensions of their accounts. Findings Both groups described online retreats as effective, valuing their accessibility and ease of participation with minimal technological difficulties. Participants identified differences in learning affordances across settings: in-person retreats supported deeper immersion and embodied practice, whereas online retreats encouraged the integration of mindfulness into everyday life through context-embedded application. Online formats were also perceived as needing clearer guidance, stronger safeguarding and more intentional attention to group processes. Implications Online retreats constitute distinct but meaningful learning environments rather than direct equivalents of in-person formats. Recognising these differences can inform retreat design, training and ethical delivery across modalities.
