Service-Learning Research Paper

Montez D Mack

HCA – 483

Jackson State University

Challenges Facing Service-Learning Research Paper

Introduction

Service-learning is a method of teaching that combines theoretical and practical learning objectives to provide the student with an opportunity for pragmatic and broadminded learning experiences to meet societal needs. This method of teaching allows students to become creative with the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to solve the numerous challenges facing the community. Lecturers play a very important role in service-learning of guiding the student's through these programs (Salam et al., 2019). However, there are numerous challenges and issues facing service learning. This is mainly due to the lack of enough literature/information about the compatibility of this approach, especially between lecturers and students (Salam et al., 2019). Therefore, this paper will research the challenges of service-learning through the perspectives of both lecturers and students.

Background of the Problem

In recent years, there has been an increase in the demand for the introduction and implementation of service learning around the world. However, the implementation and applicability of the programs have not yielded the anticipated beneficial outcomes simply because many of the lecturers/teachers are not well prepared or equipped for this type of learning. One of the main problems faced by students in this program is the complete understanding between theory and practice as well as the lack of cognitive autonomy. Also, lecturers teaching this type of learning approach lack the necessary structural support. Lastly, there is a lack of a much-needed relationship between the school and the community. A more systematic and structured implementation program is required to incorporate service learning in academic programs. Research by Mackenzie, Hinchey, and Cornforth (2019) shows that much needs to be done to create strategies that will establish a sustainable relationship between the academic institutions and the community to promote the success of the service-learning approach.

Problem Statement

The main objective of this research paper is to highlight the different perspectives of both lecturers and students about the numerous challenges that they have faced while participating in and implementing the service-learning programs. The main purpose of the service-learning experience or program is to produce students who have comprehensive knowledge and skills about our communities' social needs. Therefore, undertaking this research will help to shine a light on ways that can be adopted to improve the implementation of these programs to produce holistically developed students.

Purpose Statement

The findings obtained from this research will be used to provide much-needed insight into the numerous challenges facing lecturers and students in an institution where service-learning is practiced. The information will be used by academic developers to develop critical guidelines and training workshops that will all the stakeholders in the service-learning programs to better design and implement the service-learning programs in schools.

Research and Interview questions

Research question

· What are the different challenges and issues facing the implementation and applicability of service-learning in our academic institutions today?

Interview questions

· Do students experience a gap between theory and practice in the implementation of service-learning?

· Do students experience a lack of cognitive autonomy in the service-learning programs?

· Do lecturers/teachers lack the necessary structural support to fully implement the service-learning programs?

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework for this research paper zeroes on the idea that an instructor's input especially in the service-learning programs is very important to the success of a student. It connects to the main points or argument of this paper that some of the challenges facing the service-learning programs can be explained through a lecturer's perspective hence then need to include them in the research paper. The performance of a student in the service-learning classroom is dependent on the instructor's performance. The research adopts Weiner's Attribution Theory which suggests that performance in a classroom can be improved by both external and internal factors as discussed in this paper.

Nature of the Study

Methods

The research used the qualitative approach to collect data from all the participants. The learners and lecturers who participated in the research were selected through the use of the purposive sampling strategy. The data collected from the students involved focused groups interviews. However, the data collection from the lecturers involved face-to-face interviews. All the data collected from the two sources were then analyzed using Yin's thematic analysis.

Research Design

The research used the qualitative data collection approach to collect data from both focus groups and face interviews sessions. The study applied Gibbs' Reflective Cycle to thoroughly examine the impacts that service-learning programs have from the lecturers' perspectives. The participants were taken through the six stages of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle which are description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan to offer their perspective on the questions.

Significance of the research

This research topic is important as it provides additional information on the issues the different challenges facing the service-learning programs. The research is critical for all stakeholders such as students, lecturers, institutions, and academic developers. The biggest benefactors of this research are students and the community. The insight from this research will improve on the strategies of implementing the service-learning which will provide students with holistic development that will help solve the social needs of our communities.

Assumptions, Delimitations, Limitations

The assumptions in this project are that the selected sample of participants represented the perspectives of all the other students and lecturers concerning the main research question. The paper assumes that there is a part of the students and lecturers who found the service-learning program very effective and do not have issues with it. However, the assumption is that this only represents a small number of the target population. The presumed weakness of the study is that the population that was investigated was not sufficient enough to generalize the study findings and results to other institutions throughout the country or around the world. Also, the time allocated for each session was not enough to obtain comprehensive information or data that can provide a far-reaching conclusion on the study question.

Literature Review

The literature review applied a total of six sources obtained from online-based databases that contain peer-reviewed articles from well-known experts. Salam et al., (2019) highlighted that although service learning has many advantages and benefits to all stakeholders involved, it possesses several disadvantages. In the study, Salam et al., (2019) presented five possible challenges that impact most of the institutions in the process of implementing service-learning programs. These challenges include the students, lecturers/ teachers, institutions, pedagogy, and the community. The above-mentioned problem interacts at some point. For instance, students, who are regarded as the most important stakeholder of the service program, must engage with the community to drive the numerous service-learning activities. The lecturers and students interact during classroom learning and might encounter a problem if there are no strong mechanisms to guide them in their interactions since each could have a different understanding of the problem that needs solutions (Salam et al., 2019). Thus, it is important to ensure they're well-prepared service-learning programs that will help each stakeholder to implement the projects. The institution also interacts with the students and lecturers and problems will arise if the administration fails to develop clear guidelines on how to design and implement the service-learning curriculum (Salam et al., 2019). Therefore, it is critical for all the five stakeholders mentioned in this research to develop a mechanism that helps them to become more compatible to develop a strong and effective service-learning environment for the learners.

Ziegert and McGoldrick (2008) carried out research that aimed to highlight the different perspectives of lecturers/teachers concerning their problems with the service-learning program. From the research, the author establishes a different problem that the instructors face while trying to implement the service-learning program in schools. One of the problems includes the difficulties in integrating the service-learning curriculum with the course content as well as when carrying out assessments to the students (Musa et al., 2017). The lecturers believed that integrating the service earning program with the course content would lead to a lack of focus or concentration by the students and this would lead them to lose control of the learning of their students (Ziegert and McGoldrick, 2008). They attributed this problem to the aspect of the service-learning program taking away students from the classroom to the community as they carry out community engagement activities. The lecturers also argued that based on the resources available for implementing the service-learning program, they could not match the student's skills with those required to solve specific problems in the community (Ziegert and McGoldrick, 2008). They claimed that the process of achieving this goal would be time-consuming as it will make it very difficult to carry out other activities such as supervising the various service-learning activities that the students are doing during their community engagement. Thus, these courses would require more structured and well-prepared guidelines on how to effectively implement them to ensure they have minimum impact or disruption to the course content and other classroom activities.

Bennett et al., (2016) conducted research that purposed to determine the numerous factors important in the implementation and sustenance of service-learning programs in higher education. Some of the factors that the author identified included funding, stakeholders' willingness, and well elaborate structure. Bennett et al., (2016) conclude that without all these factors, the implementation of service-learning would be impossible. The author also added that clear communication during the implementation of the programs is very important, especially between the students, their instructors, and other students. Communication skills are very important in the implementation of service-learning initiatives as it requires all students to interact and engage with people in the communities. Without the necessary communication skills, students will find it very difficult to implement the programs as well as engage with their instructors on ways to implement these initiatives (Bennett et al., 2016). Also, the research showed that the implementation of the service-learning programs comes at great mental stress for the students. Bennett et al., (2016) indicated that some of the students participating in the implementation of service-learning programs would occasionally display emotional outbursts. The author attributed these emotional outbursts to the intense cognitive as well as physical labor that they experienced while carrying out the initiatives of the program. Lastly, Bennett et al., (2016) concluded that since some of these programs are only for a short period, they were not adequate to achieve the objectives of meeting the various educational needs of the learner or satisfying the social needs of the community they were engaging. Thus, there is an urgent need for the considerations of the students' needs, support as well as readiness when implementing the service-learning programs (Kropp, Arrington, & Shankar, 2015). This is because the mental stress experienced by the students could act as a demotivation factor that will prevent them from practicing service-learning after their graduation. Also, institutions must ensure there are enough resources that for the lecturers to supervise and implement the service-learning programs.

Richard, et al., (2017) conducted a research study on the numerous challenges facing the service-learning program and the benefits that a student can gain from engaging with individuals who are different from them. This study is geared to answer one of our main issues identified with service learning which involves a lack of good relationship between the students and the outside community. Richard, et al., (2018) argued that students practicing service-learning can benefit a lot from interacting and engaging the community through serving them in the school years. This aspect will help the student in the real-world experiences as they will have improved skills such as critical thinking when solving problems concerning the social needs of the community. The students will improve their leadership skills through service learning and this will help the student to fulfill their civic responsibilities to the community. The research showed that students who participate in service-learning programs are better equipped and likely to acquire life skills such as problem-solving abilities. Also, the study suggested that these students are more open-minded as well as compassionate when dealing with and solving problems touching of social needs of their communities. Lastly, the study suggested that students who enroll themselves in service-learning programs are more likely to be open to diversity as well as to different perspectives as the programs provide them with the opportunities to meet, interact and engage with people from different ethnicities, backgrounds, needs, and religions (Nishimura & Yokote 2020).

Kagan & Diamond (2019) carried out a study that determined to identify the impacts of implementation of service-learning programs on the students' development. Nevertheless, the study indicated that there is a general concern that schools practicing service-learning programs have not been able to produce graduates that are employable and well equipped to handle numerous social needs impacting society. The study showed that the reason for this aspect is that higher education institutions have not yet done enough to develop students that will create an impact on the community (Kagan & Diamond (2019). Thus, there is a dire need for universities to invest resources in creating a sustainable service-learning experience for students that will allow them to be problem solvers in society after they graduate. The study suggested that there is a need for higher institutions to integrate service-learning into their programs as the students and community would benefit a lot from each other.

From the numerous sources used in the literature review, it is evident that the success of service-learning will result from successfully integrating the academic learning of the students and their community service. This would create an important parallel development as well as the partnership between the students and the community that will promote innovation and service delivery to the social needs of the community. Thus, improving the effectiveness of learning in the classroom to the students and providing lecturers with enough resources to implement the service-learning program would be the first step towards success. Also, improving the relationship and rapport between institutions and the community will help the service-learning programs succeed.

Data Collection

Before collecting the information from the selected participants, institutional permission was obtained and the participants were advised that their participation in the interviews would only be voluntary. All the participants were explained that they were at liberty to leave the study if they felt uncomfortable during their participation. Data from the lecturers were collected through face-to-face interviews while those of the students were collected through focus groups of about 5 participants per group. The main aim of the research was to obtain genuine perspectives from the participants about the challenges of service-learning. The group sessions lasted for about 30 minutes. The data collected from the lecturers were through face-to-face interviews that were followed with follow-up questions to obtain as much information as possible. The session from the interviews lasted for about 30 minutes and all the sessions were recorded.

Data Analysis

The data analysis involved the use of Yin's thematic analytical approach where the two sources of data for the research were analyzed at the same time. The analytical approach was classified into five phases which included compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting the data, and making conclusions. All the data that was collected from the interviews and focus groups were compiled together to make it easy to access and work on it. Then, the compiled data was disassembled by creating themes and codes according to the data to provide a better understanding of the data. Then, the data was reassembled to establish patterns and meaningful themes. After developing patterns, the data were interpreted based on the initial research questions. Finally, conclusions through giving the themes developed names and writing a comprehensive report based on the general results of the codes and patterns developed.

The findings of the study concluded that students and lecturers encountered various challenges while trying to implement the service-learning programs. These challenges include the existence of a gap theory and practice, students' lack of cognitive independence, lack of structural support directed to the lecturers by the institution, and poor relationship between institutions and the community. The issue of the gap that exists between theory and practice by the students indicated that students did not understand the relationship between the theory they learn in the classroom and the practical activities they carry out in the community engagements. The students complained that they lacked the necessary skills to carry out the service-learning projects. The lack of cognitive independence by the students involved a lack of self-confidence by the students to undertake the service-learning projects without the help of their instructors. Students usually relied on their instructors to explain to them what it meant by carrying out volunteer activities in the community and the skills they needed to do it. Thirdly, lecturers lacked the necessary structural support from their faculties such as money, planning, and extra manpower to carry out their implementation of the service-learning programs. Instructors did not have enough resources which made the implementation of these programs very difficult ad ineffective. Lastly, the poor relationship between the institutions and the community acted as an obstacle for the numerous important stakeholders of the service-learning program to interact and engage. Some students did not have the expertise required in some companies where they attended to carry out their service-learning projects. This created an aspect of reduced confidence for the student as well as the companies and ended up impacting negatively on the service-learning program.

Discussion and conclusion

Discussion

The findings proved the important role that instructors of the service-learning programs played in ensuring they are well planned and executed. This means that lectures must have enough resources and knowledge about the service-learning program for it to succeed. Without lecturers with knowledge about the programs, students will not be able to transform the theory they learn in the classroom into a real-world application that can solve the social needs in society. The instructors also need to work on ensuring the students develop self-confidence to successfully carry out their service-learning projects in the community. Instructors must provide much-needed support to the students to develop cognitive independence. The instructors can only achieve this if they have strong structural support such as finance and manpower from their institutions. Without this structural support, instructors will be overwhelmed with their implementation plans for the service-learning and this will lead to failure. Lastly, developing a good relationship between all the stakeholders such as institutions and communities will ensure easy access and cooperation. This includes creating a liaison department in the institution that will help the students to identify the various social needs that the community requires to be solved. Through this department, students will plan, identify and prepare for the most suitable social need that they can solve to succeed in it and create a trusting relationship in the community. Students must learn also to develop or create creative projects targeting to solve the most complex and challenging needs in society to succeed in service-learning projects.

Conclusion

The implementation of the service-learning programs in our institutions is very important, especially in this era of advancement in science and technology. The service-learning program will help provide an avenue where students can be prepared for future careers that will help solve our societal needs. The program is an integral part of the new industrial revolution as it helps students to interact with the community in solving some of the social needs that face our community. However, to overcome the numerous challenges that have resulted in the implementation of the programs, total commitment from all the stakeholders involved is necessary. Therefore, all the viewpoints given by the lecturers and students must be taken into consideration as they provide important information on how to best implement the service-learning program. Through this, the challenges facing the implementation of the service-learning programs in our institutions can be solved and help promote the institution of higher education to produce graduates who are equipped to solve social needs in our society . This will promote and improve the lives of the people in society.

References

Bennett, D., Sunderland, N., Bartleet, B., & Power, A. (2016). Implementing and sustaining higher education service-learning initiatives. Journal of Experiential Education, 39(2), 145-163.

Kagan C., & Diamond J. (2019). Foundations of university–community engagement. In: University–community relations in the UK. Rethinking university-community policy connections. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kropp, J., Arrington, N. M., & Shankar, V. (2015). Developing a service-learning student facilitator program: Lessons learned. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 8(1).

Musa, N., Abang Ibrahim, D. H., Abdullah, J., Saee, S., Ramli, F., Mat, A. R., & Ahmad Khiri, M. J. (2017). A methodology for implementation of service learning in higher education institution: A case study from faculty of computer science and information technology, UNIMAS. Journal of Telecommunication, Electronic and Computer Engineering, 9(2), 101 – 109.

Nishimura M., & Yokote H. (2020). Service-learning as a means to understand socio-economic privilege, inequality, and social mobility. In Sanger C., Gleason N. (eds). Diversity and inclusion in global higher education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

Richard, D., Keen, C., Hatcher, J. A., & Pease, H. A. (2017). Pathways to adult civic engagement: Benets of reflection and dialogue across difference in higher education service-learning programs. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 23(1), 60-74.

Salam, M., Awang Iskandar, D. N. Abang Ibrahim, D. H., & Farooq, M. S. (2019). Service learning in higher education: A systematic literature review. Asia Pacific Education Review, 20(1), 573-593.

Ziegert, A., & McGoldrick, K. (2008). When service is good for economics: Linking the classroom and community through service learning. International Review of Economics Education, 7(2), 39-56.