Service-learning Program Research Articles

A Sustainable Service-Learning Program Embedded in PETE: Examining the Short-Term Influence on Preservice Teacher Outcomes

Background: Studies have acknowledged the limitations of short-term service-learning programs. This highlights the importance of examining the influence of evidence-informed sustainable service-learning programs on preservice teachers’ learning outcomes. Purpose: To explore the short-term influence of a sustainable service-learning program on first-year physical education teacher education (PETE) preservice teachers. Methods: Written reflections from 15 students (73% women and 27% men) in the first year of a PETE course were analyzed using Butin’s conceptual model. Results: The service-learning experiences allowed first-year PETE preservice teachers to extend and refine their general pedagogical content, curriculum, and policy knowledge. However, PETE preservice teachers’ learning was limited in terms of cultural, political, and postmodern perspectives. Discussion: This study provides recommendations for improving preservice teachers’ learning in a sustainable service-learning program embedded in a PETE course.

Implementing Service-Learning Programs in Physical Education; Teacher Education as Teaching and Learning Models for All the Agents Involved: A Systematic Review.

Service-learning (SL) is the subject of a growing number of studies and is becoming increasingly popular in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the implementation of SL programs with PETE students. The databases used were Web of Science, SPORTDiscus (EBSCO), and SCOPUS. Articles were selected on the basis of the following criteria: (a) published in a peer-reviewed journal; (b) covers the use of SL programs with PETE students; (c) relates to physical education or physical activity programs; (d) availability of a full-text version in English and/or Spanish. Thirty-two articles met the inclusion criteria. Two types of findings were observed: firstly, findings relating to the study characteristics and objectives and, secondly, recommendations for improvement of this type of intervention. The objectives of the different studies focused on (a) the impact of the SL methodology on PETE students’ professional, social, and personal skills; (b) its impact on the community; (c) analysis of the effectiveness and quality of the programs. All but two studies analyzed the impact of SL on PETE, while only four analyzed community participants and only three analyzed the quality of the SL program. Recommendations for improving SL programs used with PETE students included: all stakeholders, e.g., students and community participants, should be studied and coordinated; the quality of the programs should be assessed, as studying the effectiveness of SL programs could help to attain the objectives of both students and the community; mixed methods should be used; and intervention implementation periods should be extended to provide more objective, controlled measurements.

Improving Disability Education in Medical School Curricula for Health Equity

Medical students are more adequately prepared to engage with patients with disabilities when they receive interdisciplinary and immersive learning experiences during medical school. This paper highlights the results of a research study that demonstrated the potential of integrative service learning programs to improve medical education and health care for the disability community. In the described study, integrative service learning for medical students was found to reduce medical student bias, improve patient-provider communication, and assist patients and their families with navigating the healthcare system. This paper also presents an avenue for which similar programs can be widely adopted throughout medical education into equitable and innovative clinical models. These programs could allow improved health care and health outcomes for people with disabilities. By creating medical education programs that include integrative service learning, community participation, and clinical opportunities, medical schools across the country can continue improving their disability curricula for medical students.

A Community Health Initiative: Health to the Power of You

In April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the number of visits to ambulatory care practices and was reported to have declined by nearly 60%. The extent of this decline is alarming as outpatient visits help manage chronic diseases in patients, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. This trend sparked an interest in pharmacist and student pharmacist, Dr. Cynthia Koh-Knox Sharp and Stephanie Hendricks, respectively, as it offered an opportunity to help serve the Greater Lafayette community. We created Health to the Power of You (HealthYou), which targets two of Lafayette’s neglected populations: community members experiencing homelessness, and members that are 62 years and older living in section 8 housing. Our community health initiative is currently in two facilities, Fairington Apartments of Lafayette and Lafayette Transitional Housing Center, and funded by the Purdue Student Service-Learning Program for Community Service Grant. Student pharmacists conduct weekly home visits and document trends in blood pressure, blood sugars, and blood oxygen levels, as well as facilitate a tobacco cessation program. Additionally, residents are provided health education from a list of 15 health topics, where they select up to three topics to learn over the course of nine weeks. These include, but are not limited to, education on their medications and disease states, vaccines, nutrition, prescription medication insurance, and current events such as COVID-19. Since inception, the program has offered student pharmacists the chance to bridge gaps in transitions of care, assist in the decline of outpatient visits, practice patient-friendly terminology, and motivate patients to take responsibility of their own health. Through this community health initiative, we are mentoring student pharmacists and empowering members of the community to become their biggest healthcare advocates through patient-care services and education.

An On-Campus ESL Program Reflects on the Ripple Effects for Students, the Institution, the Local Community, and Beyond

This article details the unanticipated ripple effects of a college service-learning project. In 2008, Berry College began hosting an on-campus English as a second language (ESL) program in order to provide high-impact practices for students entering the Spanish major and minor and to better serve the growing Latinx community in the area. While the program has met its intended goals of serving our community and providing students with opportunities to achieve cultural competency and grow into civically minded individuals, it has also produced unintended benefits, including student research, leadership development, student career definition, student-sponsored sister organizations, and mentorship of faculty at other colleges who have created their own ESL programs. As we explain, a number of these unintended consequences either stem from or have been enhanced by our decision to host an on-campus service-learning program rather than partner with existing community organizations. Our aim in writing this article is to encourage faculty to weigh the benefits and costs of hosting an on-campus service-learning program by highlighting the full impact of our program, including those impacts we did not originally anticipate.

Assessing Service-Learning Programs in Academic Libraries: A Rubric in Action

Assessing Service-Learning Programs in Academic Libraries: A Rubric in Action

간호대학생의 봉사학습 프로그램 경험에 대한 현상학적 연구

본 연구의 목적은 봉사학습 프로그램을 적용하여 간호대학생들의 경험적, 실천적 역량을 함양함으로써 사회가 요구하는 간호 인재양성에 도움이 되는 교과 활동과 통합된 봉사학습 프로그램 개발을 위한 기초를 마련하는 데 있다. 연구 참여자는 봉사학습 프로그램 참여 경험이 있는 8명의 간호학과 학생들로 하였다. 자료수집 기간은 2019년 11월부터 12월까지였으며, 자료 분석은 Colaizzi의 현상학적 분석 방법을 이용하였다. 연구 결과는 9개의 개념기술과 5개의 주제군이 확인되었다. 5개의 주제군은 ‘감동이 있는 삶으로의 변화’, ‘나눔과 베풂의 삶’, ‘나의 가치를 실현하는 보람’, ‘행복을 경험하는 기쁨’, ‘참된 봉사의 의미를 돌아봄’이었다. 본 연구는 간호 인재 양성에 도움이 되는 봉사학습 프로그램 개발을 위한 기초자료를 제공하였다는 점에 의의가 있다.

A Mastery Motivational Climate-Based Service-Learning Program: Physical and Psychosocial Benefits Among Underserved Children

We explored children’s physical activity level and psychosocial outcomes in a service-learning program. The program, taught by preservice physical educators, engages children in fun activities within a mastery motivational climate (MMC). Forty-two children in grades K–4 wore accelerometers during two 90-min sessions, resulting in 84 data points. Forty-three children age 8 and up completed a postprogram survey assessing motivational climate, perceived competence, and personal and social responsibility. Of those, 27 completed a presurvey as well. On average, children were engaged in light activity for 38.6% and moderate-to-vigorous activity for 26.0% of the program time. Social responsibility improved from pre- to postassessment. Children perceived a high MMC, and regression analyses showed that MMC was positively related to perceived competence, personal responsibility, and social responsibility at the end of the program. Results suggest this program was effective in using an MMC to promote social responsibility while engaging students in light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity.

A Narrative Study of South African Community Members’ Experience With an International Service-Learning Program

At a time when higher education institutions in the United States are emphasizing global citizenship, more universities are designing and delivering international service-learning (ISL) programs. With the growth of ISL, critical questions must be raised about how these programs affect communities. Despite the centrality of reciprocity in the service-learning paradigm, the extant literature focuses primarily on the effect of ISL programs on students. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore how the stories of members of a South African community-based organization aligned with the principles of democratically engaged ISL programs. The author spent two weeks collecting data at a primary school in a predominantly Black African, Xhosa-speaking township in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The findings concentrate on the cultural meaning that participants gave to the U.S. students’ behavior and highlight areas for improvement within the ISL program. A number of practical recommendations for higher education professionals are presented. En un momento en el que las instituciones de educación superior de los Estados Unidos están haciendo cada vez más hincapié en la ciudadanía global, muchas universidades están diseñando y ofreciendo programas internacionales de aprendizaje en servicio (ISL en inglés). Con el crecimiento del ISL, debemos comenzar a plantearnos preguntas esenciales acerca de cómo estos programas afectan a las comunidades involucradas. A pesar de que el concepto de reciprocidad es la base del paradigma del Aprendizaje en Servicio, la literatura existente se centra principalmente en el efecto que tienen estos programas en los estudiantes. El propósito de este estudio fue indagar cómo las experiencias de los miembros de una organización comunitaria sudafricana se alineaban con los principios de los programas de ISL implementados. Pasé dos semanas recopilando datos en una escuela primaria predominantemente de raza negra y de habla xhosa, en un municipio de la provincia del Cabo Occidental de Sudáfrica. Los hallazgos se concentran en el significado cultural que los participantes le dieron al comportamiento de los estudiantes de EE.UU., destacando las áreas a mejorar dentro del programa ISL. También se presentan varias recomendaciones prácticas a tener en cuenta por los profesionales de la educación superior.

The Perspective of Elderly Residents on an Intergenerational Service-Learning Project

ABSTRACT With our growing aging population, intergenerational service-learning has been on the rise in recent decades. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the effects of a brief, mutually constructed, intergenerational service-learning program on active older adults (i.e., those who reside independently within the community) of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidized residential apartment community in an underserved rural region of the U.S. Results indicated positive themes, consisting of feeling listened to, not invisible, and young. In addition, opportunities for life-long development, such as increased intergenerational understanding and generativity, were indicated.

Seniors and Undergraduates Mutually Benefit From an Interprofessional Service-Learning Health Promotion Program

Although benefits of service-learning and interprofessional education (IPE) have been separately well documented to be effective for students in gerontology and geriatrics courses, few curricula appear to integrate both aspects into a single course for undergraduate students in public health. This poster discusses the development and implementation of a service-learning health promotion program utilizing IPE embedded within two courses in two different departments at a mid-sized university. Students worked in interdisciplinary teams and acquired interprofessional educational learning outcomes while they engaged in their first experiences working with diverse older adults at a low-income, independent-living housing community. Twenty-five students (N=25) each team-taught 2 sessions on nutrition, physical activity, and stress reduction techniques in a 10-week program. Qualitative and quantitative results are presented which demonstrate significant learning outcomes from the students about the health needs of the aging population and increased comfort in working with older adults. Older participants in the program also reported positive health and psychological outcomes from their participation. Limitations, challenges, and next steps are also presented.

Important Considerations in Developing and Evaluating Intergenerational Service-Learning Programs

Very often, intergenerational programs measure their success by collecting feedback primarily from the students participating in the program. Critical stakeholders such as the adults/older adults, administrators, and service-learning personnel can be overlooked, as well as the impact of the various classroom activities and tools used. Each fall semester over a five-year period, an undergraduate adulthood and aging intergenerational service-learning course was offered, measuring and building on the successes and challenges from the previous year. No matter how much thought goes into planning a class, unexpected variables naturally unfold over time. This presentation will highlight a best practices model developed over a five-year period with feedback collected from key constituents. Engaging different generations in a purposeful service-learning experience is complex and intended outcomes are not guaranteed. Understanding the key variables and the needs of all those involved through feedback and measurement, can help ensure a more meaningful educational experience. Part of a symposium sponsored by Intergenerational Learning, Research, and Community Engagement Interest Group.

An Intergenerational Service-Learning Model for Younger and Older Learners: Linking Community and Classroom

The intergenerational reflective service-learning program titled Mentor Up is intentionally integrated within gerontology education. Mentor Up, a series of one-on-one technology training workshops, connects younger with older learners in the community while building on course content. Groups of students are paired with the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC) members, a continuing education organization whose 300+ members are committed to lifelong learning. Members are fully integrated into the course, serving as mentors for students. These class sessions support students in planning for Mentor Up service at a local CCRC and promote positive contact between students and retired community members. ASPEC members also participate with students in a significant reflective component concluding the course – in which students and older learners work together to write a script, record, and present a video essay addressing aging stereotypes. Considerations for planning, classroom integration, community connection, and project reflections will be discussed.

Service-Learning and Chinese College Students' Knowledge Transfer Development.

As a form of experiential education, service learning (SL) shows great potential for promoting students' knowledge transfer as it offers students opportunities to apply what they have learned in classrooms to serve communities in real-life contexts. To explore how students' knowledge transfer evolves during SL, we collected longitudinal survey data from 96 Chinese college students in a 9-week SL program. Results indicate that (a) students' perceived knowledge transfer in SL did not follow a linear trajectory. Although students' perceived knowledge transfer at the end of SL was significantly higher than those at the beginning, a slight drop was observed in the middle of SL; (b) the developmental pattern of perceived knowledge transfer varied across students; and (c) students' perceived knowledge transfer development during SL was associated with mastery goal orientation and perceptions of psychologically controlling behaviors from their SL supervisors. By providing evidence of the dynamic process and mechanisms of students' knowledge transfer development, the present study adds to our understanding of how, when, and why the benefits of SL are realized.

Service Learning As Community Development? Local Resident Perspectives of Community-engaged Educational Travel

There is strong body of literature exploring community member and resident perspectives on tourism that has emerged from numerous locations across the globe. Yet virtually none of this writing explores the role of repeat community-engaged service learning with local communities. What theory does exist on the topic indicates that increased rates of community member participation yield more positive viewpoints on community–program partnerships. Engagement in this form of tourism development in communities may have an influence on participation in the community institutions that have the most ability to influence local development outcomes. This qualitative, ethnographic study fills this gap in the literature by analyzing community members' emic perspectives of a recurring educational service learning program to a lesser developed region of Costa Rica. Surprisingly, community residents do not view educational service learning as a form of tourism, though they do see it as valuable for setting the stage for desired tourism development in the future. Findings also indicate community members' involvement in key institutions makes it more likely that they perceive the impact of students in the community positively. As the first study to analyze educational service learning travel from a community development and resident perspective, this work will provide a valuable theoretical contribution relevant to those engaged in this form of travel across the Global South.

Local Partners’ Perspectives on Health Student Service-Learning Placements in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Pilot Qualitative Study with Partners from Vietnam and Timor-Leste

Service-learning programs can provide clinical assistance in low-resourced settings while providing students with intercultural learning opportunities in diverse health contexts; local partners’ perspectives on international service-learning (ISL) programs are integral to ethical, effective and sustainable university-community partnerships; yet the perspectives of local partners remain under-represented in research. Interpretive description methods guided data collection and thematic analysis of qualitative responses from written questionnaires. Four local partners from Vietnam and Timor-Leste responded to questionnaires in this pilot project. Three themes were identified regarding benefits, underpinning factors for program effectiveness, and a further three themes related to desired improvements. According to local partners, benefits of ISL include skill and knowledge exchange, enhanced assessment and intervention strategies, and increased service quality. Communication and relationships were seen as underpinning factors of effective partnerships. Areas for further improvement included drawing more strongly on local partner strengths and perspectives, further collaborative preparation for the placements, and more regular communication. These preliminary findings align with existing research regarding benefits to local partners. Modelling effective practices, formal training and meetings, and ongoing case discussions may be some useful methods for achieving knowledge and skill exchange in ISL.

Developing the Community Engaged Physician: Medical Students Reflect on a Household Visit Curriculum.

Introduction: To educate students about social determinants of health, our medical school assigns interprofessional student teams to work longitudinally with underserved households to identify and address their health and social needs. To cultivate reflective practice--an essential component to training competent professionals through service-learning programs--students are asked to recognize their emotional responses to patient encounters. This project used reflective essays to identify the emotional responses of medical students to the start of their household visit experience and to assess their observations in relation to social determinants of health.Methods: Thematic analysis was used to examine patterns in reflective essays provided by 99 medical students. Two independent reviewers read the essays and created initial codes, which were developed into a common codebook by consensus. Codes were categorized into themes, including observations of the social determinants and emotional reactions to household visits.Results: Through the provision of household-centered care, medical students recognize the roles that social determinants play in the health of patients, households, and communities. Furthermore, they are able to identify household and community level interventions to address these identified needs. A variety of emotional responses to household visits were identified, ranging from frustration and sadness to empathy and humility. Conclusions: Medical students undergo an emotional evolution even at the start of their household visit experience; highlighting that early patient care responsibilities play an important role in their development from pre-professional students to doctors-in-training. Additionally, student observations of the social determinants suggest that household visits can provide an opportunity for the application of knowledge about identifying and addressing these barriers to care.

International Students' Perceptions of Virtual Service Learning Program Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

This article presents two Thai international students’ accounts of their lived experiences during a virtual service learning (community service) program due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews and participants’ reflection data were thematically analyzed through the lens of positive and negative emotions so as to explore participants’ perceptions of virtual service learning. Findings indicate that the pandemic situation was not a barrier to contributing positively to society. One of the positive effects of community service activities is that such activities could build students’ creativity. It was also found that despite bad internet connectivity in their respective areas, the final-year international students were able to adapt to both academic and non-academic environments. This indicates that all international students should maintain their positive feelings when completing their service-learning program.

Implementing Community Engaged Disaster Research in Response to Disasters

The increasing frequency and severity of disasters like tropical storms and flooding place individuals and communities at higher risk of negative health outcomes associated with exposure to disaster-associated environmental contamination. Residents of environmental justice (EJ) neighborhoods have been documented as having excess risks of exposure to acute pollution, emergency response spills and incidents, and high-impact natural and man-made events. Therefore, rapid and credible post-disaster research in EJ neighborhoods is essential for protecting health. However, successful conduct of research in the aftermath of a disaster requires that 1) research protocols and other documents are in place; 2) mutually beneficial partnerships that include stakeholder groups and residents, academic researchers, and practice partners exist; and 3) baseline data are available to compare with post-disaster findings so that changes noted can be accurately attributed to the disaster. To address these requirements, the Texas A&M University Superfund Research Center: 1) leverages research protocols from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Disaster Research Response (DR2) network such as pre-approved IRB protocols; 2) builds on established community partnerships and interdisciplinary service-learning programs developed as part of the University’s Environmental Grand Challenge, Institute for Sustainable Communities, and Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center; and 3) supports the collection of pre-disaster data to improve our understanding of the potential pathways of exposure that may impact public health outcomes following a disaster. These approaches can further community engagement and foster trust in all phases of the disaster cycle (i.e., preparedness, response, and recovery), building community cohesion and resilience to future disasters. Keywords: Post-Disaster Research; Field Data Collection; Community Engagement

Rendimiento académico del alumnado universitario participante en un programa de Aprendizaje-Servicio

El Aprendizaje-Servicio reporta numerosos beneficios en el aprendizaje y desarrollo personal del alumnado universitario. Sin embargo, apenas se ha valorado cómo afecta a su rendimiento académico. Los objetivos de esta investigación son: (1) valorar el rendimiento académico del alumnado que participa en un programa de Aprendizaje-Servicio universitario en comparación con el alumnado que no elige participar; y (2) analizar las diferencias entre asignaturas, cursos y años académicos entre el alumnado que participa en el programa. Participaron 314 estudiantes (100 en Aprendizaje-Servicio) del Grado en Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte o el Grado en Maestro/a en Educación Primaria (Mención en Educación Física). Se recogieron las calificaciones finales en cada asignatura, y las calificaciones obtenidas en la tarea de Aprendizaje-Servicio y en la tarea alternativa propuesta para el alumnado no participante, calculando el porcentaje que suponía sobre la puntuación asignada a esa tarea en cada asignatura. Los resultados muestran diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las variables de rendimiento académico estudiadas entre el alumnado participante en Aprendizaje-Servicio y el que no participa, obteniendo mejores calificaciones los primeros. Además, entre aquellos que participaron en Aprendizaje-Servicio existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las variables de rendimiento académico estudiadas en función de la asignatura en la que se ha desarrollado el proyecto, en la calificación media final en función del curso en el que se participa y en el valor medio del porcentaje obtenido sobre la calificación asignada en la tarea Aprendizaje-Servicio/tarea alternativa en función del año académico en que se desarrollaron los proyectos.