Abstract

Among all the elements likely to be considered criteria that determine the quality of a service-learning (SL) project, the scientific literature points to reflection. This work is aimed at analyzing the association of reflection with certain variables that mediate the educational performance of university students, as well as their satisfaction with the acquired knowledge. More specifically, the main focus was to analyze how this reflective process should be, thus we defined three independent variables: the time at which it is performed, the actors involved, and its objectives. The sample was made up of 295 students from the University of Santiago de Compostela, who were participating in SL projects that had been developed in different degree programs. Three instruments were used for data collection, two aimed at the students and one at the teaching staff responsible for the project. The main conclusion, given the results, is that reflection must be carried out from the beginning to the end of the project or, failing this, only at the end. Secondly, priority should be given to involving all the actors concerned, paying particular attention at least to the work group. Finally, it must be oriented both toward sharing feelings about the experience, relating the service to the contents of the subject, and developing attitudes and values. In this way, the status of reflection as one of the key factors in the development of quality experiences in SL is confirmed, showing that those that present a more rigorous and structured reflection have a greater impact on the variables mediating performance and on the students' satisfaction with their learning.

Highlights

  • Much has been written about the benefits of service-learning (SL) in classrooms at all educational levels, including university, without questioning at times whether it was really being applied according to the requirements that define this methodology

  • This research was aimed at identifying the variables that mediate the educational success of service-learning, in an attempt to examine which elements can be adopted as quality principles of this educational strategy

  • Reflection could have occurred at different times during the development of the project: before starting the service (T1); at the end (T2); during and after (T3); before, during, and after (T4)

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Summary

Introduction

Much has been written about the benefits of service-learning (SL) in classrooms at all educational levels, including university, without questioning at times whether it was really being applied according to the requirements that define this methodology. Proposals are similar to SL, but they are not SL, regardless of whether they may be appropriate pedagogical practices or not. It seems that the mere label of SL in a project may trigger an improvement for all involved and this is obviously far from the reality, especially when lacking, in many cases, a rigorous assessment design (Santos Rego et al, 2016). The implementation of SL projects in the university responds to a clear intention: the optimization of students’ learning. Like any educational practice, its impact is conditioned by a series of factors and variables that determine the effectiveness of the projects, as they become clear indicators of quality, and have a direct impact on the results to be achieved, especially on the students

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