Implementing Service-Learning Programs in Physical Education; Teacher Education as Teaching and Learning Models for All the Agents Involved: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Service-learning (SL) is the subject of a growing number of studies and is becoming increasingly popular in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the implementation of SL programs with PETE students. The databases used were Web of Science, SPORTDiscus (EBSCO), and SCOPUS. Articles were selected on the basis of the following criteria: (a) published in a peer-reviewed journal; (b) covers the use of SL programs with PETE students; (c) relates to physical education or physical activity programs; (d) availability of a full-text version in English and/or Spanish. Thirty-two articles met the inclusion criteria. Two types of findings were observed: firstly, findings relating to the study characteristics and objectives and, secondly, recommendations for improvement of this type of intervention. The objectives of the different studies focused on (a) the impact of the SL methodology on PETE students’ professional, social, and personal skills; (b) its impact on the community; (c) analysis of the effectiveness and quality of the programs. All but two studies analyzed the impact of SL on PETE, while only four analyzed community participants and only three analyzed the quality of the SL program. Recommendations for improving SL programs used with PETE students included: all stakeholders, e.g., students and community participants, should be studied and coordinated; the quality of the programs should be assessed, as studying the effectiveness of SL programs could help to attain the objectives of both students and the community; mixed methods should be used; and intervention implementation periods should be extended to provide more objective, controlled measurements.

Sustainable Service-Learning in Physical Education Teacher Education: Examining Postural Control to Promote ASD Children’s Well-Being

“…To conclude, it is important to mention that this study has addressed the effects of an SL program on service receivers to fill a gap highlighted by previous literature [6,7]. In addition, results support the idea of SL emerging as a methodology capable of promoting the United Nations' SDGs [62].…”

“…It is interesting to note, though, that studies in this arena have traditionally been focused on analyzing the effects of SL on service providers, and thus service receivers have usually been neglected. As a result, there is a call for new investigations aimed at examining the effects of SL on community participants [6,7]). This is precisely the niche that the present investigation seeks to address since it is focused on exploring the impact of SL on children receiving the service.…”

Mixed methods research in service-learning: an integrative systematic review

“…The present study is thus justified, because: (a) the increase in studies of S-L proves that the S-L methodology is becoming more and more widespread, particularly in Europe and Latin America (Hayward and Li 2017;Nuñez 2017); (b) this growth in S-L methodology is promoting primary investigations in areas that eventually require systematic quantitative and qualitative reviews in the future, in view of the fact that (c) the amount of systematic reviews of S-L studies is scant. One of them focused on a university setting (Salam et al 2019), but did not study the MM that were applied; the same can be said of a second S-L study in Physical Education programmes (Pérez-Ordás et al 2021), and of a third one focusing on Spanish scientific production (Redondo-Corcobado and Fuentes 2020); the two latter ones limited themselves to identifying the methodological approximations, but none of the three systematic reviews aimed to analyse the contribution of MM to S-L.…”

“…On the other hand, students received personal insights to their own strengths and weaknesses 10-11 were also made in the systematic review provided by Pérez-Ordás et al (2021), while Redondo-Corcobado and Fuentes (2020) specified that the most common questionnaires had been elaborated ad hoc.…”

Critical Feminist Service-Learning: A Physical Activity Program in a Woman’s Prison

“…The literature contains numerous examples of sport and physical activity programs aimed at a wide variety of populations, such as children with disabilities, older people, and schoolchildren in contexts of social exclusion [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. A number of studies have analyzed experiences with higher education physical activity and sport SL programs in prisons [ 10 , 11 ].…”