Service-learning Experience Research Articles

국내 대학에서의 봉사학습 연구 동향

Objectives This study reports on a review of research concerning service-learning in higher education in Korea over the past 22 years (from 2001 to 2022).
 Methods A total of 25 KCI-indexed empirical studies were analyzed in terms of their publication date, research methodology, service-learning characteristics, and research themes.
 Results The results indicate that research on service-learning in the context of Korean higher education was not widely conducted until the early 2010s; however, studies have significantly increased since the latter half of the 2010s. Qualitative research methodology emerged as the most popular method in examining the experiences of college students’ engagement in service-learning. In most of the reviewed studies, service-learning was im-plemented in a semester-long curricular-based format, with service hours varying from 16 to 48 hours. Students’ involvement in service-learning was found to be closely related to their personal, academic, and social growth.
 Conclusions Given that research on service-learning in higher education in Korea is in its infancy, more studies are needed, particularly those spanning diverse academic disciplines. These studies are crucial for achieving a comprehensive understanding of how service-learning experience contributes to Korean college students’ devel-opment as active citizens with social responsibility. The feedback on students’ reflection, promoted during the process of service-learning, warrants further investigation. This will enhance our understadning of the intricate relationship between reflection and successful learning via participation in service-learning.

Enhancing Employability Skills of Biology Graduates through an Interdisciplinary Project-Based Service Learning Experience with Engineering and Translation Undergraduate Students

We describe an interdisciplinary experience based on the application of the Project-Based Service Learning (PBSL) methodology for six learning outcomes directly related to employability skills. The objective was to assess students’ learning outcomes, the level of satisfaction of students and lecturers with the PBSL, and the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of this learning methodology. Interdisciplinary teamwork of undergraduate science, engineering, and humanities students was required to design real-world projects to develop their transferable skills, through the process of learning by doing. Students perceived that PBSL favored employability skills such as knowledge acquisition, self-directed learning, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills. Students and lecturers showed high satisfaction with PBSL and outlined its advantages as an active and experiential learning methodology. In conclusion, the implementation of the collaborative and interdisciplinary PBSL methodology is decidedly recommended to enhance Biology, Engineering, and Translation graduates’ learning satisfaction and their future employability.

An experiential service-learning project on oral health examination and education

BackgroundIt has been demonstrated that experiential service-learning is effective in fields including public health and medicine. Preventive Dentistry is a practical course, and Oral Health Examination and Education is a topic that is suitable for teaching with experiential service-learning. This study describes an example of experiential service-learning in Preventive Dentistry named “Oral Health Examination and Education Project” and also evaluates its effectiveness among dental students.MethodsA total of 108 dental students in their fourth year participated in this project in 2022. The project was composed of six sections: theoretical teaching, field investigation, data collection and analysis, investigation report writing and creating oral health education materials, oral health education and students’ evaluation of the project.ResultsDuring this project, students learned how to perform surveys related to oral health, wrote an investigation report, created oral health education materials, and provided oral health education for children. Students were demonstrated an improvement in their academic performance for theoretical knowledge related to Oral Health Examination and Education in comparison with the students in the previous year. Over 90% of students expressed their preference for the learning method of experiential service and believed that it helped them to better understand the course material. They also recommended this teaching method for future classes.ConclusionsThis study indicated that an experiential service-learning approach within this scope was highly beneficial to students because it provided them with the opportunity to understand the practical application of their coursework and obtain valuable experience in the field. This research suggests that oral epidemiology instructors in dental and oral public health programs should pay more attention to incorporate similar experiential projects into their curriculum with the aim of better preparing students for careers in oral public health.

Undergraduate Perceptions of Teaching Science Abroad as a Service-Learning Experience

Service-learning is a type of experiential education, contextualizing classroom knowledge into real-world experiences. In this study, we investigated a course with an integrated service-learning component of teaching science to children in Kenya to learn more about how participants perceived their experiences. Using surveys, we found that the undergraduates who participated in this service-learning experience felt that they were more connected to their academic major and gained new or strengthened relationships. This experience allowed students to gain new perspectives about their studies or the world, and make deeper connections between classroom knowledge and the real-world context.

Influence of internship, service learning and student mobility programmes on the development of critical thinking disposition in higher education

A willingness to explore new ideas and to maintain reflective skepticism is necessary to exercise critical citizenship. Importantly, the disposition to think critically is a dynamic (rather than static) characteristic of a person that can be developed through different educational experiences. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of three applied learning experiences – namely, internships, service learning and participation in international mobility programmes – on higher education students' disposition toward critical thinking. Participants were 147 Spanish undergraduates aged between 17 and 24 years (M = 18.36, SD = 1.16; 69.39% women). They were enrolled in degree programmes in the fields of social and legal sciences (81.6% of students) and engineering and architecture (18.4%). Critical thinking disposition was assessed at two time points: at the beginning of their undergraduate studies and at the end of year 2, by which time some students had participated in applied learning experiences. No changes were found in the disposition toward critical thinking of students who did not participate in experiences of this kind. However, students who had engaged in service learning projects showed gains in their critical thinking disposition. Contrary to expectations, no significant improvement in critical thinking disposition was observed among students who carried out internships or participated in mobility programmes. These findings emphasize the importance of promoting service learning experiences in higher education so as to promote and develop students' disposition toward critical thinking.

Service-Learning and language revitalization: an innovative experience in Catalan teaching

This article analyses a Service-Learning (SL) experience in a Catalan-language course at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). This is the first SL experience implemented in a language course at the UIB. The article examines the requirements and challenges of this type of project, as it is an innovative methodology that still needs to be fully institutionalized. Although SL is usually perceived as a methodology for internship or social work-related courses, it is cross-cutting and can be implemented in less explored fields such as linguistics. Therefore, this article also explains how the tasks and activities were planned to achieve certain learning goals and to develop particular skills and competencies included in the course’s teaching guide.

The relationship between schools and territory in the Service-Learning experiences from the Avanguardie Educative Movement

Il periodo pandemico ha evidenziato la necessità di un approccio globale e integrato per rispondere alle criticità emergenti (povertà educativa, learning loss, dispersione scolastica) dei sistemi scolastici. Tale approccio prevede la collaborazione tra scuola e comunità esterna; ciò significa dar vita a un processo partecipato per la costruzione di un’offerta formativa capace di coniugare obiettivi di apprendimento e valorizzazione del capitale sociale interno ed esterno. Oltre ai dispositivi normativi, le governance scolastiche possono utilizzare, per la costruzione della relazione con l’esterno, alcuni approcci pedagogici, come il Service Learning, che favoriscono la connessione tra soggetti in apprendimento e oggetti di studio, svolgendosi in contesti di vita reale. Il contributo presenta una prima analisi dei contenuti delle esperienze di Service Learning, volta a individuare le tematiche caratterizzanti la relazione tra scuole e territorio.

AT THE NEXUS OF PUBLIC POLICY AND AGING: DOCTORAL STUDIES IN GERONTOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON

Abstract One in five PhDs in Gerontology are graduates of the Gerontology doctoral program at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston. The mission of UMass Boston’s program is to provide advanced training and research in gerontology within an interdisciplinary framework drawn primarily, but not exclusively, from the social and behavioral sciences. The program is designed to prepare students for leadership roles as educators, researchers, planners, and policy makers. The program has a deep emphasis on policy development, analysis, and impact, an attribute that goes back to the roots of the Gerontology enterprise at UMass Boston in the late-1970s. This presentation provides an overview of the program’s history and curriculum, along with coursework, research and service-learning experiences, and career paths in policy research and implementation. The program also is committed to increasing diversity in the field of gerontology, with the aim of strengthening policy impact and reducing disparities in the aging experience.

The essential role of ABCD in developing two community engagement frameworks for supporting Latinx students


 
 
 Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is an important framework to understand and develop community-engagement experiences for Latinx students, especially at Hispanic Serving Institutions that play an important role in educating Latinx students. This article presents the conceptual findings of a research project that looked at the community-engagement experiences of Latinx students at an HSI. Drawing on in-depth interviews and critical frameworks for engagement, two models were developed: Prism of Liberatory Engagement and Asset Based Critical Engagement. These frameworks are presented as ways to (1) understand and differentiate the service learning experiences of Latinx students and (2) provide a framework for faculty and Community Engagement Professionals (CEPs) to situate their courses and community relationships, and work from an asset-based philosophy of engagement. The Prism of Liberatory Engagement gives explicit attention to the themes (awareness, agency and action; positive interaction with faculty; engaging sameness, and engagement for uplift) and the significant factors (personal/familial trauma, constraints and previous experience with service) that shape the community-engagement experiences of Latinx students. The Asset Based Critical Engagement model presented in this article provides a theoretical asset-based framework for critical pedagogy for service learning and community engagement that can be vital for institutions, in and outside of the United States, which are serving an increasingly diverse student population.
 
 

Playing on Both Sides of the Djembe: Preservice Music Teacher Development Through Facilitating Drumming at a Special Education School

Despite a renewed interest in music teacher education practices with real-world implications, the heterogeneity of learners is often daunting to early-career educators. There is a lack of specific and adequate coursework in undergraduate music education programs to prepare preservice music teachers (PSMTs) for teaching diverse learner populations, including learners with disabilities. Drawing on a project where PSMTs facilitated drumming sessions at a special education school, this case study explored PSMTs’ experiences of project-based service learning in a special educational setting. Five themes that emerged from the data describing PSMTs’ experiences suggest that such initiatives with learners at a special education school can foster student responsiveness and autonomy. The findings describe how integrating dialectic aspects could nurture the music-teaching skills of a PSMT. These aspects are joy and challenges, expectations and reactions, and learning to teach individually and in a group.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Photovoice Methodology to Explore Perceptions of Servant-Leadership During International Service-Learning

Healthcare education programs are tasked to develop the leadership capacity of students in the preparation for them to become future healthcare providers who can holistically address the needs of complex communities and our society at large. Educational institutions often look to experiential learning opportunities where students can be active participants in the exploration of new leadership behaviors. In particular, service-learning experiences may help support the development of servant leadership qualities. These experiences and qualities both aid in the development of empathetic, inclusive practitioners and professions. A gap in literature exists on health profession students’ perceptions of these experiences and if they are influential to the development of servant leadership behaviors, thus warranting further examination.
 This paper is a qualitative investigation of servant-leadership using Photovoice methodology. Graduate healthcare students studied the concepts of servant-leadership then engaged in an international service-learning opportunity. Broad and deep contextualization of photographs taken during the time abroad explored the five themes of servant leadership: stewardship, partnership, obligation, emotional healing, and elevated purpose. A novel finding was the emergence of intentionally actioned cultural awareness within healthcare service delivery with the authors newly defining the term, cultural humilitence. Conclusions were drawn that support strong researcher and student-generated contextualization alignment with literature-based constructs of leadership and service, and the need for investment by institutions to cultivate experiences (domestic and international) which build interprofessional, transprofessional, and culturally aware teams.

Reflecting on Reflecting

Reflection has been identified as a key component of service-learning. To add to the body of knowledge on pedagogical reflective practices, this paper examines how reflection was incorporated in an international service-learning project with Global Brigades in rural Honduras through the lens of three students from Atlantic Canada, one of whom engaged in the project through an optional course and two of whom had a co-curricular experience. The reflections incorporated throughout the project differed by group size, organization, structure, timing, setting, and tone. At a high level, combining different methods of reflection and understanding of gray areas in morality and engineering were explored. Recommendations for reflection in service-learning education are offered in preparing for the experience, during the international project, and after the experience to integrate learning with course content. This article utilizes a retrospective lens to examine the ways in which reflection was incorporated in a curricular and co-curricular international service-learning experience and offers insights from three students who participated in the project.

The challenge of skill development through “experiencing” integrated marketing communications

PurposeIntegrated marketing communications (IMC) is possibly “the richest and most accessible service-learning experience” in the marketing curriculum (Petkus, 2000, p. 68). Yet, despite this recognition, scholars and practitioners continue to lament the pronounced theory-practice gap between how IMC is taught and the practice of it in industry (Schultz and Patti, 2009; Kerr and Kelly, 2017). This research embeds IMC practice within a classroom setting and subsequently explores student marketers' perceptions of their skill development through experiential client-based learning.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth qualitative study demonstrates the value of integrating experiential learning within an IMC course, captured through students' reflective practice.FindingsEvidence suggests that experiential, client-based projects are suitable for fostering key practice-based skills in the classroom through students “experiencing” IMC at work. However, this is not always easy. In fact, building key skills such as leadership, motivation, communications, organisation and teamwork presents various challenges for students, whilst students appear unaware of other pertinent skills (e.g. persuasion, critical thinking) gained through exposure to “real-world” IMC tasks.Practical implicationsInstructors adopting experiential learning in the marketing classroom have an opportunity to actively design tasks to embed key workplace skills to bridge the theory-practice gap. Client-based projects offer fertile ground for students to experience marketing in action whilst ultimately bolstering their confidence in their workplace skills.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the marketing education literature and acknowledges the importance of embedding key workplace skills into the contemporary marketing curriculum. An overview of challenges and solutions for instructors seeking to adopt experiential learning via client-based projects in the IMC classroom is presented within this research.

The Case for Community-Based Global Oral Health Immersive Experiences

Abstract: We designed and implemented a collaborative immersion in Ethiopia as a service learning experience for a team of interprofessional (IP) learners. The IP team of four dental students, one dental faculty, nine medical students, two medical student leaders, and one global health faculty fully experienced this immersion. The setting was in rural Ethiopia, and the immersive experience included ecological accommodations by the Common River Non-Governmental Organization (CR-NGO).

Undergraduate Nursing Student Reflections on Academic Service Learning Experiences – A Qualitative Study

The provision of nursing care has shifted toward integrated primary care (provision of community health services by an interprofessional team), requiring that nurse educators take steps to ensure students have opportunities to learn and practice the leadership and professional skills required to function as members and leaders of interdisciplinary teams. We developed the Transforming RN Roles in Community Based Integrated Primary Care (TRIP) program for undergraduate nursing students to facilitate this learning. During clinical immersion, students participated in academic service learning (ASL) activities consisting of a minimum of 25 h of clinical agency service each semester. This descriptive qualitative design captures recurring themes in the ASL reflections of eight nursing students participating in the inaugural TRIP cohort. Three themes were identified (1) “Embracing the Nursing Profession” (2) “Utilizing the Professional Skills of Nursing” and (3) “I Am A Nurse”. We urge our faculty colleagues to consider incorporating ASL experiences into their undergraduate activities. We believe the effort to initiate, develop and sustain these partnerships will pay handsome dividends in terms skill and confidence enhancements for our undergraduate nursing students.

“The farmer, the guide, and the bridge”: the voice of community partners within European Service-Learning

ABSTRACT Service-learning (SL) represents one of the actions for community engagement institutionalisation and a way to achieve the teaching and learning objectives of the university and answer local organisations’ needs identified by the community. Studies on the benefits and impacts of service-learning experiences among community partners (rather than students) are rare, especially in higher education and European settings. This study therefore drew on semi-structured interviews with community partners in higher education in three European countries – Italy, Spain, and Slovakia to explore their motivations to join, experiences of, and perspectives on service-learning effects (including organisational empowerment, reciprocity, and civic responsibility). This paper contributes to developing understandings of specific aspects of community partners’ service-learning experiences by exploring the role of reciprocity, how it is oriented and how it relates to the perceived impact of service-learning on community partners’ organisations, their motivations to join SL, and the organisational empowerment that SL can underpin. Consideration is also given to the space allowed to promote a sense of civic responsibility within the experience. Five research questions were posited: 1: How do community partners perceive reciprocity? Does this perception change over time? 2: What are the perceived SL effects for community partners? 3: What are the community partners’ motivations for joining SL? 4: What are the effects of SL on community partners’ organisational empowerment? 5: To what extent do community partners perceive that SL can promote civic responsibility among university students?

Reflection On Service-Learning Among Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Students

The purpose of service learning is to connect theory and practice in a way that gives students a prospect to both take part in a service activity that meets community needs, as well as reflect on the experience in class to enhance their civic engagement and deepen their understanding of course content. A successful service-learning program requires reflective practice. The School of Education at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia has been conducting service-learning for many years. Although there is no proper guideline for the students to reflect on their service-learning experiences, students are still expected to do so. The objective in this study are describing service-learning experience. This research study applies case study research method among students’ reflective experiences in service-learning at School of Education in UTM. Data collection was done using qualitative research methodology involving semi structured interviews with UTM postgraduates. Triangulation method used to validate the data and continued with thematic analysis to identify the themes. The findings for every research question have been plotted in diagram. Based on the themes from the findings, a template was proposed for improving service-learning reflection for the students from UTM.

Athletic Training Students’ Perceptions of Civic Engagement After a Service-Learning Experience in a Free Medical Clinic

Context The benefits of service-learning experiences have been reported throughout health care education, yet no recent empirical investigations have been made of the effect of service-learning experiences on athletic training students. Two commentaries, published over 10 years ago, promoted the benefits of and need for service-learning experiences in athletic training education, yet no studies have been published that measure the effect of service-learning in athletic training education. Objective To assess athletic training students’ attitudes and perceptions of community service and civic engagement after participating in a service-learning experience involving underserved populations. Design Quasiexperimental. Setting Free medical clinic in an urban location in the Midwest. Patients or Other Participants Twenty-eight final year undergraduate athletic training students (18 females, 10 males, 21.3 ± 0.6 years old). Intervention(s) Students participated in 4 hours of service-learning experience in the fall and spring semesters, for a total of 8 hours, in a free medical clinic. Main Outcome Measure(s) The Center for Healthy Communities Service-learning Survey (1999, with permission) was administered anonymously online (Qualtrics Inc) before and after the service-learning experience. Results Statistically significant changes were found in 3 of the 15 items: “I feel well prepared to practice my profession in a community similar to the community in which my placement is located” (U = 242, Z = −2.205, P = .027), “I believe students should volunteer their time helping people without resources” (U = 235.5, Z = −2.244, P = .025), and “I feel that I can have a positive impact on the community in which I work by volunteering my time” (U = 253, Z = −2.054, P = .040). Conclusions Athletic training programs should consider incorporating service-learning into their curriculum to enhance their students’ preparation to serve diverse patient populations and become civically engaged professionals.

지역사회 문제 해결 서비스러닝 경험이 지속가능발전 인식에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to analyze how the experience of local problem-solving service learning, which was operated as part of education for sustainable development, affects university students' perception of sustainable development and to suggest an effective way of Education for Sustainable Development. In order to show changes in knowledge, attitude, and behavior about sustainable development the paired t-test was applied targeting 41 students. As a result, only the behavioral level showed a statistically significant difference, but knowledge, attitude, and behavioral levels all improved. In addition, the level of awareness on sustainable development was higher in the active type than in the proposal type. Also, it was found that interests and affection for the region, volition to solve the social problems, confidence for pro-social behavior were formed in the process of solving problems.

"It's the most important work we will ever do": Chiropractic students, servicelearning experiences at a day laborer center in California.

From 2009 to 2019, staff, students, and faculty volunteers from a chiropractic college started Mission Trip America, later re-named Service Trip America (STA), providing monthly free chiropractic services at a hiring hall for day laborers in San Francisco until the 2020 COVID-19 hiatus. We report on volunteers' service-learning experiences. Mixed-methods analysis comprising document review, descriptive report of site visit records, and thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 12 student and faculty volunteers. STA conducted 104 visits (8-11 per year) including 2272 patient encounters. Document review revealed an average of 22 patients per visit, with 60% to 85% return patients. On average, 3 student interns and 2 student assistants attended each visit, supervised by a doctor of chiropractic faculty member and the program director. Most commonly, interns treated 8 patients during the 4- to 5-hour visits. Patient concerns included musculoskeletal problems and other health conditions commonly seen at chiropractic offices and teaching clinics. Interns also regularly saw chronic health problems exacerbated by poor living conditions, violence, limited access to health care, low educational attainment, chronic stress, and the extreme biomechanical loading resulting from heavy labor. Interview results yielded 4 themes: learning, attitudes, challenges, and program strengths. Interviewees described opportunities to learn while working with a marginalized population and discussed long-term effects on their postgraduation practice as chiropractors. Patients' physical, mental health, and psychosocial issues illustrated unique circumstances and profound needs of the underserved population being cared for by STA volunteers. Our findings may provide guidance for other community-based chiropractic service-learning programs in marginalized and underserved communities.