Service-learning and student development : the role of critical reflection

[摘要] English: In response to the challenges facing South African higher education institutions in the 21st century, the call for developing holistic and civic minded individuals who can contribute to a democratic South Africa, is heard louder than ever before. Emphasis is placed on the shaping of citizens with the ability of praxis (reflection and interaction with the world in order to transform it). In this regard, educational transformation (including innovative pedagogies such as service-learning and reflective practice) is imperative. From the perspectives of developmental and social psychology, as well as experiential and service-learning, this study investigates the role of structured reflective activities in the development and transformation of students enrolled in a service-learning module. During 2006, 75 psychology students in their third and fourth years of study respectively in the Human and Societal Dynamics, BPsych, and Psychology Honours programmes at the University of the Free State (UFS) participated in the Mangaung Schools Counselling Service-Learning module. Two kinds of reflective activities (levels of independent variable), namely individual and group reflection, were employed in this study. Experimental group 1 (25 students) received opportunities for structured group reflection (bi-weekly focus group discussions), as well as individual reflection (bi-weekly reflective journals), while Experimental group 2 (25 students) only received opportunities for individual reflection (bi-weekly reflective journals). The control group (25 students) was not exposed to any form of structured reflection. It was hypothesised that exposure to reflective activities (independent variable), would result in change with regard to the different dependent variables, namely civic responsibility, cultural sensitivity, social competence, self-esteem and hours spent in the community. The amount of the change observed was expected to differ depending on the kind of reflection that students were exposed to. Furthermore, it was hypothesised that differences may exist in the pre-scores, as well as patterns (amount, extent and direction) of change for the different race groups (black and white). The statistical analyses (based on the pre and post data collected by means of multi-item scales) yielded significant results for two of the dependent variables, namely cultural sensitivity (operationalised by universal orientation and social dominance) and the number of hours spent in the community. Some racial differences (interactive effects) were also seen with regard to these two variables. No statistically significant effects were found for the dependent variables civic responsibility, social competence, and self-esteem. Furthermore, all the significant differences occurred between the group that received a combination of group and individual reflective activities and the other two groups. No significant differences were found between the group that received only individual reflective activities and the group that received no reflective activities. Research results were interpreted and discussed in the context of the philosophical and theoretical perspectives explicated in the literature study. An argument was made for how learning principles, informed by a psychological understanding of student development, can enhance educational practice in the field of service-learning and reflective practice.

[发布机构] University of the Free State