scholarly journals Reflective journals in service learning: a window into assessing learning and change in students' attitudes

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R W Joubert ◽  
A T Hargreaves
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Practical Method ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Community Based Rehabilitation ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Learning And Change

As part of the curriculum for Community Based Rehabilitation, final year students from the School of Audiology, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology are involved in service learning projects in a semi rural area in KwaZulu-Natal. The project runs one day a week from February to October and at the end of each day students submit a journal in which they reflect on each days activities and their learning experiences. The researchers used these journals as a source of data for determining learning and attitude change in students over the entire period of the practical. Method : 12 journals were randomly selected from over a period of 5 years and including students from all three disciplines. Content analysis was done to determine changing learning and attitudinal patterns over the 7 month period of the practical. The results revealed a rich pattern of emotional experiences coupled with positive attitudinal change and suggest a valuable source of evaluating learning progress in students.

Measuring Students' Attitudes toward College Education's Role in Addressing Social Issues

2008 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Weber ◽  
Paula S. Weber ◽  
Barney L. Craven
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Business Education ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Learning Projects ◽  
Standard Techniques

As service-learning projects have spread throughout academia, efforts to assess the service-learning experience have assumed a greater importance. The BERSI scale (Business Education's Role in addressing Social Issues) was developed as a measure of business students' attitudes toward social issues being addressed as part of a business education. As such, it was intended to be useful in assessing attitudinal outcomes of service learning. In order for the BERSI to be useful for nonbusiness students, the scale would need to be reconceptualized and revalidated. This study modified the BERSI items with a focus on college students in general rather than business students, making the resulting scale, College Education's Role in addressing Social Issues (CERSI), potentially helpful to service-learning researchers in a broader setting. The CERSI scale was then validated using standard techniques and normative data were reported.

scholarly journals Cultural Competence and Self-Efficacy After Study Abroad Experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1896-1909
Author(s):  
Beatriz de Diego-Lázaro ◽  
Kevin Winn ◽  
María Adelaida Restrepo
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Journal Entries

Purpose Cultural competence is crucial for the successful provision of speech, language, and hearing services. The purpose of this study was to assess and describe gains in cultural awareness, cultural competence, and self-efficacy after service-learning study abroad experiences and to examine whether gains in these areas are related to higher clinical skills ratings in speech-language pathology and audiology students. Method Sixteen speech-language pathology and audiology students participated in two international study abroad experiences (Nicaragua and Malawi). Students completed a survey on cultural awareness, competence, and self-efficacy beliefs and journal entries before, during, and after their trips. In addition, the supervisors assessed the clinical skills of the students by the end of the trip. The researchers applied a mixed-methods approach to analyze data from the survey, clinical ratings, and journals. Results Students showed significant increases in cultural awareness, competence, and self-efficacy. Gains in self-efficacy and cultural awareness were highly correlated with students' clinical ratings in cultural competence as judged by their supervisors. Two main themes were identified from the journal entries: continuing community involvement and growth in cultural self-efficacy. Conclusion Service-learning study abroad experiences help students develop cultural awareness and competence skills and increase their self-efficacy beliefs. Using a mixed-methods approach can help identify strengths and weaknesses in the training of speech-language pathology and audiology students with regard to cultural competence. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12642647

Administration: Opportunities for Enhanced Clinical Experience Through Regional Stewardship

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-70
Author(s):  
Kelly A. Kleinhans ◽  
Sharon B. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Clinical Experience ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
University Supervisors ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Community Issues

Understanding the community in which one practices is equally important to the clinical skills and applications of knowledge acquired by a graduate student in speech-language pathology in clinical settings. Shifting political and economic landscapes that are the backdrop for service delivery necessitate that university supervisors help students recognize the influence of local and state community issues. In this article, the authors explain how a service-learning model was used to create a regional outreach activity to benefit stakeholders of a university speech and hearing clinic and members of the regional communities. Specifically, the clinical experience was designed to prepare Kentucky citizens to meet the unique needs of children with Down syndrome and their families.

Facilitating Age-Conscious Student Development through Lecture-Based Courses on Aging

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Russell ◽  
Éric R. Thériault ◽  
Amber Colibaba
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Student Development ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Personal Connection ◽  
Students Attitudes

Abstract Ageism is pervasive and socially normalized, and population aging has created a need to understand how views of aging and of older people, typically considered to be people over the age of 65, can be improved. This study sought to understand how undergraduate students’ attitudes towards older adults and the aging process may be influenced after completing a typical, lecture-based undergraduate course on aging that lacked service-learning components. Two undergraduate student cohorts (n = 40) at two Canadian universities participated in semi-structured focus groups/interviews, describing how the course may have impacted their perceptions of the aging process and of older adults. An iterative collaborative qualitative analysis demonstrated that course content stimulated a deeper understanding of the aging process, prompting a reduction in and increased awareness of ageism, and enhanced personal connection with aging, ultimately facilitating the development of an age-conscious student. Lecture-based courses focused on aging may be sufficient to facilitate positive attitude change among undergraduate students towards older adults and the aging process.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Modifications to a Service-Learning Project Designed to Prepare Special Education Students to Be Effective Participants in Transdisciplinary Collaborations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Doody ◽  
Katrina Fulcher ◽  
Pamela Schueltze
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Early Childhood Settings

This research study examined the impact of COVID-19 on university students’ perceptions about the effectiveness of a community-based service-learning project designed to prepare graduate students in special education and undergraduate students in psychology and speech-language pathology to work in transdisciplinary teams in early childhood settings. Students were placed into transdisciplinary teams and assigned to one of two community-based early childhood programs to administer a universal screening tool that assessed young children in several domains. The project was in its sixth year when the country stood still because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was re-envisioned, mid-course, to provide an equitable and rigorous assignment for students who were unable to complete the original assignment due to the lockdown. Student perceptions were compared, pre and post COVID; subsequent results are discussed in alignment with the original four goals of the project. Additionally, suggestions are posed to position this service-learning assignment for remote delivery should the pandemic persist to disrupt higher education.

scholarly journals Students’ Attitude Change: Virtual vs. In-Person Intergenerational, Arts-Based Courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 367-367
Author(s):  
Meghan Young ◽  
Elizabeth Lokon ◽  
Yue Li
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Cohen’S D ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Cohen's D

Abstract When higher education classes went virtual at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, converting an in-person, arts-based, service-learning course into a meaningful, virtual experience seemed impossible. However, the Opening Minds through Art (OMA) program developed online courses where students met older adults weekly over Zoom to create and discuss art. Undergraduate and graduate students at Miami and Marian Universities (n=47) came from more than 20 different areas of study and had varying knowledge of gerontology and dementia. Pre- and post-assessments were administered at the start and end of the academic semester. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to examine pre-post changes in students’ attitudes toward people living with dementia (PLWD) using the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS) (O’Connor & McFadden, 2010) and the extent students actually like PLWD using the Allophilia scale (Pittinsky et al, 2011). Students in virtual OMA courses showed significant improvement in overall DAS and Allophilia scores and all subdomain scores (i.e., general knowledge about dementia, affection, social comfort level, kinship, and engagement and enthusiasm when interacting with PLWD), with moderate to high effect sizes (Cohen’s d range between 0.39 and 1.10). The magnitudes of these effect sizes for virtual OMA are comparable to previous studies examining students’ participation in face-to-face OMA sessions, where Cohen’s d on DAS and Allophilia scales ranged between 0.48 and 1.07 (Lokon et al, 2017, 2018). Overall, we found that it is possible to design virtual service-learning courses that improve students’ attitudes toward PLWD as effectively as face-to-face courses.

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