Contributions of Service-Learning on PETE Students’ Effective Personality: A Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

Service-learning (SL) is a pedagogical model focused on achieving curricular goals while providing a community service. Previous research suggests that SL might promote qualities such as self-esteem, motivation, problem-focused coping, decision-making, empathy, and communication, which are associated with a psychological construct known as students’ Effective Personality (EP). These studies, however, did not specifically analyse the direct effects of SL on this construct. The aim of this study is to explicitly analyse the effect of SL on Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students’ EP using a mixed methods approach. The quantitative part of the approach followed a quasi-experimental design using the validated “Effective Personality Questionnaire for University Students”, which includes four dimensions: “Academic self-efficacy”, “Social self-realisation”, “Self-esteem”, and “Resolutive self-efficacy”. A non-probabilistic sampling on a total of 181 PETE students was then carried out, with 98 participating in the experimental group (42 male, 56 female), and 83 in the control group (34 male, 49 female). The comparisons revealed significant improvements in the experimental group, especially in the social self-realisation and resolutive self-efficacy dimensions. These findings were complemented by a qualitative analysis of 12 students’ semi-structured interviews. In conclusion, the study reported a positive influence of SL on the PETE students’ EP, providing valuable design patterns for future SL implementations.

Abnormal body mass index may be related to poor social function of female children by a propensity score matching analysis

“…This gender difference may be related to their physical self-perception. In a recent study, boys showed better physical self-perception than girls in all subscales of physical self-perception profile and girls are at risk for their low physical self-confidence with their respective insecurity feelings and psychological disorders 24 . Social norms may also contribute to the positive correlation between BMI and SCQ scores for girls.…”

Research on Service-Learning in Physical Activity and Sport: Where We Have Been, Where We Are, Where We Are Going

“…On the other hand, moving now to the quantitative investigations or the quantitative part of those using mixed methods, a very recurrent research instrument was questionnaires [ 28 , 30 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. The validated questionnaires used were the Entrepeneurship Competency Scale [ 51 ], the Subjective Happiness Scale [ 28 ], and the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities questionnaire [ 29 ], among others.…”

The Role of Controlled Motivation in the Self-Esteem of Adolescent Students in Physical Education Classes

“…Intervention studies about the development of social and emotional competencies (in line with autonomous motivation using project-based learning) have reported positive changes in self-esteem, apart from better responsible decisions and higher self-awareness in primary education students [ 65 ]. A piece of research about service-learning (a pedagogical model focused on achieving curricular goals while providing a community service) showed improvements in the social self-realisation and decisive self-efficacy of Physical Education Teacher Education students, but not in self-esteem [ 66 ]. It seems that controlling interventions from teachers could develop a higher controlling motivation and a lower self-esteem in students, and further studies would be very welcome to contrast these statements.…”