Service-learning in courses of psychology: An experience at the University of Turin (original) (raw)
Related papers
Service learning in psychology: Enhancing undergraduate education for the public good
2016
S ervice learning is an educational approach in which students use knowledge and skills learned in the classroom when engaged in activities with community partners. Service learning projects can cover a wide range of activities, such as helping the homeless, tutoring children, developing informational materials (e.g., brochures), evaluating the efficacy of an organization's services, conducting research in support of social reform, and promoting awareness of social issues, such as domestic violence. Service learning is more than applied learning; it is "the integration of academic material, relevant service activities, and critical reflection in a reciprocal partnership that engages students, faculty, staff, and community members to achieve academic, civic, and personal [growth] learning objectives as well as to advance public purposes" (Bringle & Clayton, 2012, p. 105).
Enhancing the Psychology Curriculum Through Service Learning
Psychology, Learning and Teaching, 2016
Educators in psychology should aspire to encourage students' holistic growth in academic, personal, and civic domains. We propose that service learning is the most potent pedagogy for developing wellrounded, psychologically literate citizens capable of meeting the goals for the undergraduate psychology major. This article defines service learning, delineates the rationales for service learning, and summarizes research demonstrating the efficacy of this pedagogical approach. The article also describes the learning objectives derived from the American Psychological Association Guidelines for the Undergraduate Major (Version 2.0, 2013), with an emphasis on the ways in which service learning contributes to academic learning, civic learning, and personal growth. Finally, the article illustrates the four types of service learning, and it provides a concrete example for structuring reflection in order to connect community experiences with course content in a service learning psychology course.
Frontiers in Education, 2023
Introduction: Service-Learning (SL) is an innovative teaching-learning proposal with an increasingly wide application in higher education. Previous studies show its potential to generate positive personal, academic, social and citizenship outcomes among students who participate in it. But studies that help understand in depth its real impact, particularly in comparison with more traditional teachinglearning contexts, are still scarce. Method: This study explores the effects of Service-Learning on 122 university students, who were attending Psychology (n = 80), Social Work (SW; n = 19) and Applied Foreign Languages (AFL; n = 23) degree courses. These participants were organized into service-learning and traditional teaching-learning groups and assessed on expectations and impact of the service-experience, development of social and civic skills, and life goals. Results: Results show significant differences between pre-and post-tests in life goals, namely an increase in hedonistic and wellbeing goals for Psychology students, political, hedonistic, religious, personal development, and wellbeing goals for SW students, and social and wellbeing goals for AFL students. Students in Psychology and AFL increased their expectations with the service and students in the AFL developed more pro-social behaviors. Discussion: These results are encouraging for the expansion of this transformative teaching-learning practice to courses of different scientific areas, although with some specificities, with the purpose of contributing to a more responsible, critical and participatory society in the creation of the common good.
Building Upon Service-Learning in Higher Education: Lessons Learned and Future Recommendations
European Journal of Sustainable Development, 2022
Service-learning is an educational approach that has been proven to cultivate public conscience by combining the learning objectives of curriculum content with student involvement in community service. The current study explores the various impacts of a service-learning project directed toward psychology students tutoring children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results are taken from the perspective of 114 Kosovar students and 20 parents of children with disabilities involved in the project. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the challenges that families of children with disabilities already faced. The tutoring sessions had a positive effect on family well-being and children’s academic achievements. The students reported improved attitudes toward children with disabilities and increased self-efficacy and motivation for community engagement. Service-learning is promoted as a teaching method that attends to societal needs, helps students ref...
Bridging the Science-to-Service Gap: Service Learning in Graduate-Level Psychology Education
Teaching of Psychology, 2020
Introduction: The discrepancy between what is known from clinical research and what is done in applied clinical practice is called the "science-to-service gap." Teaching students to bridge this gap must be a primary focus of graduate education in applied psychology sub-disciplines. Statement of the Problem: Since science is fluid, an exclusive focus on teaching current empirically supported practices is insufficient. To make a meaningful impact, graduate students need opportunities to practice scientific reasoning in community settings. Literature Review: Service Learning facilitates applied experiences for students to practice scientific reasoning in "real world" settings in collaboration with community partners. Objective: In this paper, we describe the SL pedagogy and model how to apply the pedagogy to a sample graduate-level course. Teaching Implications: SL courses facilitate high impact opportunities for students to practice data-driven decision-making while serving the community. Conclusion: SL benefits students and the community. Future work can build on the model course we describe by evaluating the outcomes of SL courses against other models of effective teaching.
Embedding community-based service learning into psychology degrees at UKZN, South Africa
Educational Research for Social Change
From 1999 to 2002, the centrally funded Community-Higher Education Service Partnership (CHESP) aimed to drive community engagement in several South African universities. It intended to develop socially accountable models of meaningful student engagement in communities. This led to community-based service learning (CBSL) being embedded into a number of psychology modules for over a decade (progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate levels of study) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Pietermaritzburg campus. CBSL resonated with many psychology students' motivations to make contributions to socially disadvantaged groups. Evaluation of such initiatives in the South African context are necessary, to assess their contributions and the challenges posed. Three levels of student experience in CBSL modules were considered, using qualitative methodology in order to understand the value of the modules and to draw lessons for deepening the connection between higher education and its social and community contexts. Data about their experiences were collected from focus groups of UKZN students and an interview with the undergraduate-level tutor. The students reported the value of seeing how psychological theory can be applied, and of the ability to "give something back" to communities. In addition, they learned to work in respectful and participatory ways, enhancing their ability to problem-solve. The findings illustrate progressive shifts in students' understandings of the applications of psychology and its potential role; they also evidence the growth in students' critique and social awareness. Recommendations are made for integrating and enhancing local community engagement, and highlight important considerations when students, community partners, and faculty staff interact in community-based initiatives.
Impact of service-learning in the training of university students
International journal of health sciences
Given the existence of inequality gaps in Latin America and a growing need of students in social issues, many institutions have seen as convenient the development of a pedagogical methodology based on service-learning as an effective alternative to these needs. This study aims to identify the impacts of service-learning programs on the training of university students. The methodology is composed of a bibliographic review of articles published on the impact of service-learning on university students. The research is specific and critical, the procedure followed was: select articles, identify relevance, synthesize information, group according to similarity and identify variables or factors associated with the study of the topic, thus selecting 30 articles related to the research objective, finally the information was organized in a matrix, then those with similar inquiries and conclusions were selected and grouped. The analysis allows us to conclude that service-learning produces posi...