Service-learning Education Improvement for Foreign Language Learners

Abstract

The problem addressed in this study was the decreasing rate of enrolment in foreign language programs by Australian university students. A mixed-methods research methodology was used, with the quantitative data collected through tests conducted on participants and the qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews. The sample consisted of 62 students enrolled in a Spanish foreign language program at a university in Melbourne. The student participants were divided into two groups: a control group, which had 31 students, and an experimental Service-Learning (SL) group, which also had 31 students. The students were also divided into two groups according to academic level: intermediate and advanced. Each group completed three academic tests: listening, oral and language use, reading and writing, both pre- and post-intervention. Findings were that oral language proficiency increased for students that had taken the SL program. They showed no significant increase in listening, reading, and writing. These effects did not differ significantly by level of academic achievement.