International Service Learning Research Articles

Does International Service-Learning Deliver? A Study with Control Groups of One University's Experience with Canada's Queen Elizabeth Scholars Internship Program

This study assesses the extent to which a medium-term international service learning (ISL) project led by a Canadian university in partnership with sub-Saharan African universities achieves five objectives with respect to the interns: increasing local and global community engagement, activating leaders, developing global citizens, personal and professional growth, and enhancing Canadian and international networking. The study relies on 250 completed online surveys of alumni who graduated between 2012 and 2020. ISL alumni responses are controlled for BA-related maturation effects by comparison to alumni who did not participate in any International Educational Experiences (IEEs) and for selection bias by comparison to students who participated in other IEEs. The study finds that ISL promotes all five objectives, that it has net impacts vis-à-vis the BA alone for all objectives except leadership activation, and that it has net impacts vis-à-vis other forms of IEE with respect to community engagement activation, global knowledge, and development of problem-solving skills. Abstract in French Cette étude évalue dans quelle mesure un projet d'apprentissage par le service international (ISL) à moyen terme mené par une université Canadienne en partenariat avec des universités d'Afrique subsaharienne atteint cinq objectifs vis-à-vis des stagiare: accroître l'engagement communautaire local et mondial, activer les dirigeants, développer des citoyens du monde, croissance personnelle et professionnelle, et améliorer du réseautage canadien et international. L'étude s'appuie sur 250 sondages en ligne complétés auprès d'anciens élèves de 2012 à 2020. Les réponses des anciens élèves de l'ISL sont contrôlées pour les effets de maturation liés au BA par rapport aux anciens élèves qui n'ont participé à aucune expérience éducative internationale (IEE) et pour le biais de sélection par rapport aux étudiants qui ont participé à d'autres IEE. L'étude révèle que l'ISL promeut les cinq objectifs, qu'elle a des effets nets par rapport au BA seul pour tous les objectifs, à l'exception de l'activation qualités des dirigeants, et qu'elle semble avoir des effets nets par rapport aux autres formes d'IEE en ce qui concerne activation de l’engagement communautaire, aspects de la citoyenneté mondiale et développement de compétences en résolution de problèmes.

Analyzing the Role and Impact of International Service-Learning Programs in Engineering Education: A Case Study from École Polytechnique de Bruxelles

This study examines the role and impact of international service learning (ISL) programs in engineering education, focusing on the Codepo initiative at the École polytechnique de Bruxelles. Our primary objective is to analyze how ISL programs contribute to the development of students’ technical skills and civic engagement. We describe the structure and implementation of the Codepo teaching unit, present findings from a survey conducted with 150 former students (123 answers), and analyze the results in terms of skills acquisition, added value, and lessons learned. Our findings highlight the significant benefits of ISL programs for engineering students and provide actionable insights for other institutions aiming to implement similar initiatives. Notably, our results show that international service learning, generating large commitment from the students, can contribute to an engineering school in several ways. This type of initiative aims not only to train engineers in the field of cooperation (or in other technical professions) but also to educate them as world citizens. The results also highlight that it is not enough to propose projects linked to cooperation to make it a service learning scheme: working on reflexivity, encouraging autonomy, and finding the right partners remain challenges.

Affordances in the international service-learning context for Spanish learners

Since the initial application of the ‘affordances’ concept to the context of language learning by van Lier, relatively few studies have continued to explore its implications for second language (L2) learning. This study examines from an emic perspective the affordances that 13 Spanish learners in a study abroad context perceived in their international ­service-learning (ISL) experience. Results from weekly reflection essays and an exit interview suggest that their affordances for this particular ISL are cultural, linguistic, social/emotive, interactional, and combinations thereof, with cultural affordances highlighted most frequently by participants. These results depict ISL as a holistic context for language learning in a study abroad program.

Effectiveness of Seating & Mobility Services on the Occupational Performance of Individuals With Disabilities in Guatemala

Abstract Date Presented 03/21/24 Are seating and mobility services delivered through an international service learning (ISL) model effective at improving occupational performance of people with disabilities in low- to middle-income countries? Primary Author and Speaker: Nathan Short Additional Authors and Speakers: Patricia A. Henton, Emily Smitson, Anna Barg, Leah Baumgartner, Taporia Brown, Makayla Jurek, Kaitlyn Langbein

Effectiveness of custom seating and mobility services for individuals with disabilities in Guatemala

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of custom seating and mobility services provided via an international service learning (ISL) model on the occupational performance of individuals with disabilities in Guatemala. A one-group prospective pretest-posttest design was implemented using the standardized Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM – Spanish) administered on the day of wheelchair fitting, and at 3- and 6-month intervals after receiving seating and mobility services. A two-tailed t-test demonstrated a statistically significant (p < 0.001) improvement in satisfaction for in-home and out-of-home occupations for all participants (n = 71) at 3-months with a huge effect size (d > 2) and this improvement was maintained at the 6-month interval. The results were consistent for various areas of occupational performance (e.g. activities of daily living). The provision of customized seating and mobility services by occupational therapists through an ISL model demonstrated effectiveness at improving satisfaction with occupational performance for individuals with disabilities in Guatemala. Cultural humility, customization of equipment based on personal and environmental factors, inclusion of education and training, and collaboration with in-country partners were identified as contributors to positive outcomes.

Project Building Bridges: A Framework for Preparing Highly Qualified Speech-Language Pathologists to Serve Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students With Augmentative and Alternative Communication Needs.

Project Building Bridges was funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs to address the shortage of speech-language pathologists qualified to serve students with complex communication needs who benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and are culturally and linguistically diverse. The purpose was to train future speech-language pathologists in culturally responsive AAC practices through coursework and fieldwork in AAC integrated into the Master of Science degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. Fifty-seven graduate students completed the project. The scholars' curriculum consisted of two AAC courses, both on-campus and externship AAC clinical practicum experiences to provide services to multicultural and linguistically diverse students, a U.S. or international service-learning opportunity, and cumulative portfolio presentations. Mixed-methods outcome measures consisted of four sets of pre- and postsurveys and qualitative feedback from exit interviews to assess changes in graduate student competencies. Significant differences were demonstrated between scholars' pre- and post-assessments of confidence ratings. Significant differences were also demonstrated in both scholars' and school mentors' pre- and post-assessments of competency ratings. No significant differences were found between evaluations of AAC preparation by Clinical Fellowship (CF) candidates and their CF mentors at 1 year postgraduation. Project Building Bridges provides a framework for preparing highly qualified speech-language pathologists to serve culturally and linguistically diverse students who benefit from AAC as evidenced by pre- and postsurvey results. The project can serve as a model for other university programs in the development of preservice preparation programs focusing on culturally and linguistically diverse students with AAC needs.

“Poner en práctica” (Put into Practice): Impacts of Service-Learning for University Students in the Dominican Republic (Los impactos del aprendizaje de servicio para estudiantes universitarios en la República Dominicana)

This mixed-methods research charts the student impact, with special attention to the effects on civic attitudes and skills, of a service-learning (SL) project implemented as part of a noncredit-bearing course at a private university in the Dominican Republic. The context of the study is situated within an understanding of SL in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it serves to offer a counterpoint to studies that center on International Service Learning or Global Service Learning in the Dominican Republic given that these approaches traditionally focus on U.S.-based college students engaged in SL abroad. The main goal of the study is to evaluate changes in the civic attitudes and skills of the university students as well as to gain a better understanding of the impact of SL coursework for Dominican students engaged in a local SL project. The quantitative portion of the study included a pre- and postcourse survey (a Spanish translation of the Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire). The qualitative element consisted of semistructured interviews with individual students.

From Sudbury to Sogog: Stories from a Canadian Student's Health Promotion Without Borders Excursion to Mongolia

As the popularity of International Service-Learning (ISL) excursions continues to grow, there is an increasing need for research that explores these types of experiences. This manuscript focuses on the experiences of the lead author (S.L.D.) while participating in an ISL excursion offered by the Health Promotion Without Borders (HPWB) Program as part of their graduate research. The HPWB Program has facilitated ISL excursions for students in the School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences (SKHS) at Laurentian University (LU) in Canada for over two decades. However, there is limited formal research about the experiences of HPWB participants while completing their ISL excursions. This research addresses this need by using an autoethnographic approach to explore the lead author's HPWB experience. During the lead author's excursion, they confronted many moments of cultural dissonance, which challenged their usual way of thinking. Through critical reflection after their excursion, the lead author realized the defining role those moments of cultural dissonance had on the nature of their ISL experience. The lead author wrote six stories to share their understanding of those cultural dissonance encounters and provide a snapshot of their excursion for the reader to make sense of in their own way. Overall, this research may benefit future ISL participants and coordinators and adds to the sparse literature available on the nature of ISL experiences from the participant perspective using an autoethnographic method.

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.&#x0D; 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.

A Cross-Sectional, Decade-Long Examination of the Impacts of International Service Learning in Teacher Education

Background: The literature has expounded on the impacts of international service-learning (ISL) in teacher education as positively affecting everything from improving academic achievement to developing a greater moral and ethical sense. Other studies have examined the role of cultural competence and dimensions of power between those providing and receiving service. Purpose: This paper examines a decade-long ISL immersion program to understand the outcomes on students in three key areas that have received attention in the literature: motivation, employment, and academics. Methodology: A longitudinal case study comprising a cross-section of students who were asked to reflect on their immersion experiences, which took place from 2011 to 2020. Reflective journals completed during and directly after each immersion supplemented the survey data. Findings: While much of the data supports previous studies regarding the impacts of ISL, there are some anomalous findings, especially in the longer-term effects of ISL within teacher education. While participants’ perceptions of the impacts were significant, evidence of that impact was lacking. Implications: Although short-term impacts of the immersion were more significantly noted, students perceived the impact for more extended periods than previously thought. However, the evidence to suggest that these perceptions are realizable is lacking.

International Service-Learning for forest fire management and employability in higher education: a qualitative research

The paper introduces exploratory research that examines the effects of participation in interdisciplinary and international service-learning in forest fire management. Service-learning was interpreted as an educational device capable of supporting employability pathways within higher education. This theoretical proposition informed qualitative research that collected students’ perceptions of their service-learning experience. The research findings confirm the positive relationship between service-learning participation and the development of key soft skills. Moreover, the findings indicate how service-learning participation fosters labor market knowledge and skills, and opportunities for identifying and exploring academic and professional opportunities and cultivating authentic relationships. Service-Learning internazionali per la gestione degli incendi boschivi e l’employability nell’alta formazione: una ricerca qualitativa. Il contributo presenta una ricerca esplorativa che esamina gli effetti di partecipazione a progetti di service-learning interdisciplinari e internazionali sulla prevenzione degli incendi. Il service-learning è qui interpretato come un dispositivo educativo capace di sostenere percorsi di employability all’interno di contesti europei di alta formazione. Questa prospettiva teoretica è il punto di avvio di questa ricerca qualitativa che ha raccolto le percezioni degli studenti sull’esperienza di service-learning a cui hanno partecipato. I risultati dello studio confermano il rapporto positivo tra la partecipazione al service-learning e lo sviluppo di soft skills. Viene inoltre rilevato come questa partecipazione possa favorire l’acquisizione di conoscenze e competenze sul mercato del lavoro, per identificare ed esplorare opportunità accademiche e professionali post-laurea e coltivare relazioni autentiche utili alla pianificazione continua del proprio percorso professionale e personale.

A Phenomenological Pre- and Post-Reflective Comparison of Graduate Student Intercultural Competence from Agricultural Service-Learning Experiences

The purpose of this study was to determine growth in intercultural competence after graduate students participated in an international service learning (ISL) experience. One method for developing intercultural competence is service learning, where students apply learning in real-world settings through a cycle of action and reflection. This study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis related to the lived experience of eight graduate students who participated in two intensive ISL projects in Timor-Leste or Guatemala. Results included the student point of view (emic) narrative as an ethnographic crafted profile for each participant to demonstrate the process of intercultural competence development across individual and interaction processes. Students demonstrated knowledge gains after the experience, and several internal and external outcomes in their post-reflective narratives. Despite visiting different countries, the two groups of students demonstrated similar intercultural outcomes along the theoretical framework, indicating that despite contextual differences in experience, this framework maintains a robust perspective for analysing student experiences during ISL. The Process Model of Intercultural Competence served as a framework to assess intercultural competence. The process began with personal attitudes, openness to intercultural learning, and curiosity. Interpersonal outcomes developed with knowledge/comprehension through skills such as listening, observing, and interpretation. Developing flexibility, empathy, and adaptability promoted an informed frame of reference for a desired internal outcome. The external outcome resulted in behaving and communicating effectively from experience. Measuring intercultural diversity as a learning outcome from ISL can ensure adequate preparation for international development professionals.

High Impact Practices in Domestic and Study Abroad Service Learning Kinesiology and Physical Education Courses

Research shows that study abroad programs can benefit students in myriad ways including: fostering intercultural understanding, improveing completion of degree programs, retention, community college transfer rates, as well as increasing GPA. The purpose of this study, was to assess and evaluate engagement in high impact practices in college students (N=70) through international service-learning, domestic service-learning, and study abroad programs offered by the kinesiology department of a large comprehensive university in California. Results indicated that short-term kinesiology study-abroad programs consisted of significantly higher levels of faculty-student and student-student engagement, as well as higher scores on diversity and experiential learning when compared to a domestic course. The authors echo Dunn’s (2009) call who called for the development and promotion of international experiences, such as study abroad opportunities, in order to enhance the understanding and viability of undergraduate and graduate students in the field of kinesiology. To date, this call has been left unanswered.

Continuing to Blur the Boundaries, Cross Vectors, Complicate Positionalities and Power Dynamics of our Field

Introducing Volume 10 of the Journal, Co-Editors Alan Bloomgarden and Jessica Mann set the research presented in 2022 articles in context of dialogue with key current conversations underway on issues facing our field, including reciprocity, accountability, global and anticolonial perspectives, and engagement among and between diverse participants. Research on service learning and community engagement included here spans and often crosses the thematic boundaries of the Journal’s sections, devoted to Advances in Theory and Methodology, Student Outcomes in Primary, Secondary, and Higher Education, Community Impacts and Outcomes, International Service Learning and Community Engagement Research, and Book Reviews. The Editors call upon our field to continue and further support growth and capacity for developing and publishing scholarship from across the globe, and speak to that work as central to achieving the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement’s goals for presenting high-quality scholarship and advancing equity and inclusion.

International Service-Learning: Proposal for A Multi-Dimensional Model for Student Selection

In an age where students display competency in diverse fields of activities, selecting qualified candidates from an assorted group for a service-learning exchange program demands a multidimensional approach. The framework for student selection for International Service-Learning (ISL) at Union Christian College (UCC) has been designed bearing this in mind. Its value increases when there is a proportionally higher number of applicants for a limited number of slots. Practiced for the last three years (2018-2021), the model has been designed using seven-fold criteria. The compositely designed rubric examines Q&amp;A responses, perspectives on SL, and problem solving skills at various stages in the assessment. Each assessment level is graded from A to D, with highest A and least D. The evaluation is conducted to assess student social commitment, community engagement, leadership qualities and personal initiatives. The process of enriching writing skills and designing SL activities for diverse communities during the SL committee selection process prepares students to meet challenges in the field. Students prepared under such a method are selected for ISL.

International service learning: Insights from the voices of host organisations

Service learning is promoted by higher education institutions as a pedagogy that contributes to social justice ideals by providing opportunities for students and community members to engage and cooperate with one another in ways that are mutually beneficial. In international service learning programmes, the interaction typically takes place between students from developed countries who visit and provide assistance to communities in developing countries and in so doing contribute to social justice ideals. Whilst students’ reflections have been documented expansively, the views and experiences of community members have received less attention, casting a shadow over the claim to social justice. This article explores the perceptions and experiences of staff from organisations who have hosted international students over a number of years. Adopting a qualitative approach and an exploratory design, independent field workers interviewed staff from host organisations. The participants shared uncertainty about students’ motives, observations of students’ emotional responses, interpretations related to race and views about the perceived benefits and challenges of service learning. The findings indicate the value of community voices and reflection opportunities and ways in which the feedback could enhance programme processes, practices and outcomes. Recommendations in relation to the practice of international service learning and further research are included. Transdisciplinary Contribution: This article contributes to the body of emerging literature that captures the perspective of host organisations.

Introduction to special section: Inequitable Ruptures, Rupturing Inequity: Theorizing COVID-19 and racial injustice impacts on International Service Learning pedagogy, frameworks and policies

This introduction to the special section, argues that this pandemic time has been one of ruptures which unveiled ongoing and intersecting social pandemics such as anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, white supremacy, patriarchy, classism, and ableism in the context of the COVID-19 global health pandemic (Brand, 2020). We proposed three ruptures as moments for imagining - and doing – otherwise: (i) the Black Lives Matter movement and increased mainstream attention to racial inequity, (ii) COVID-19 and new imaginings of travel, mobility, and safety (iii) mutual aid as increasingly necessary in a pandemic and as a possible relational way forward. We take these ruptures as a starting point for re-imagining learning and movement as relational. This introduction takes up a contextualization and conceptualization of the field of GSL, an overview of the critical literature in this space, and introduces the two articles in the special section. It ends with the hope that the grapplings and reckonings in this section will help scholars and practitioners think through this present moment and re-orient GSL in more just and equitable ways.

A systemized literature synthesis of encounters with cultural differences in engineering international service-learning literature

Abstract – International service-learning (ISL) has been attributed to fostering multicultural education outcomes by impacting the understanding of diversity and cultural competence in students. Within engineering education, international service-learning courses are often designed with an emphasis on engineering technical skills development. Despite the expected encounters with cultural differences, learning outcomes addressing these interactions are often an implicit focus. When not addressed, unintended consequences of these encounters can lead to increased prejudice, stereotypes, and other negative behaviors towards outgroup community members in service-learning partnerships. This manuscript presents a systemized literature synthesis of 20 papers from the engineering ISL literature in order to provide researchers and practitioners with a foundational understanding of how cultural differences have been examined or acknowledged in existing ISL work. The literature synthesis revealed the need for 1) further empirical research on encounters with cultural differences in engineering, 2) more qualitative studies exploring student experiences encountering cultural differences, and 3) a theoretical agenda that examines encounters with cultural differences within the context of engineering research and practice. The outcomes of this synthesis provide insights on research and practice that can be used to inform future work for centering encounters with cultural differences in ISL experiences in engineering.

International Service-learning Experiences: Impacts on Post-service Education

This qualitative phenomenology investigates the acquisition of intercultural competencies during international service-learning experiences. Additionally, the authors of this article examine the impact of intercultural competencies on subsequent coursework. The findings of this study indicate that international service-learning experiences result in the acquisition of multiple intercultural competencies. Participants of this study were able to make their experiences more meaningful through the practice of purposeful reflection. Despite a lack of institutional preparedness, participants of this study unanimously acquired intercultural competencies that were used to contextualize the learning process in a more meaningful way.

A learner-centered global oral health education approach

Objectives: The present research indicates an increased interest in global health among dental students. We focused on developing our future dental practitioners with the skills and capacity to treat underserved populations as international experiences. Materials and Methods: This pilot explored the perspective of dental learners regarding global oral health knowledge who had experienced mission trips. Participants were assessed with a validated global oral health survey to understand their existing knowledge. Gaps in training were noted and a global oral health interactive module was created to address international community service learning approaches. Later, all students who intended to participate in a global oral health education or mission trip were administered the same validated pre-test. Finally, on the completion of mission trips or global oral health experiences, the same post-global oral health questionnaire survey was administered to assess knowledge gained. Results: Thirty-two dental students (Female = 18 and Male = 14) and learners who had completed mission trips to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic were invited to complete the pre-survey. Twenty-seven students completed the pre-survey in its entirety. About 41% (11/27) were not aware of developed and developing countries’ oral healthcare systems. Participant dental learners (56%) expressed limited cultural competency. They also expressed the lack of global health ethics (52%) awareness (knowledge). Conclusion: Results indicated that students benefited from a structured global oral health module, where their perspectives shifted positively. The results suggested that a shift from “mission trip” perspectives to a global oral health readiness is feasible as a student empowerment approach.