Service-learning in physical education teacher education: towards a critical and inclusive perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyse the impact of servicelearning (SL) in physical education teacher education students (PETEs). The PETEs (n = 169) completed one of the editions of a SL program carried out between 2015-2018. This program consisted of designing and leading motor game sessions to facilitate the inclusion of 116 children with special educational needs (SEN). The program was based on Kolb's learning stages to promote reflection and critical thinking. Reflective journals were used as an instrument to gather information from their experiences. These data were analysed qualitatively through a multiphase approach, initial open-coding and axial coding, using NVivo (10) software. Results were displayed through the categories of Butin's Conceptual Model: technical, cultural, political, and post-structural perspectives. SL provided the pre-service teachers an inclusive educational experience, allowing them to link theory and practice in a truly operative way.

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

“…Chiva-Bartoll et al [ 41 ] studied children with special educational needs and obtained an inclusive, critical educational experience that allowed them to link theory and practice in a particularly effective way. In turn, Ruiz et al [ 54 ] reported findings related to academic and professional learning when working with older adults.…”

“…Chiva-Bartoll et al [ 41 , 42 ] studied values, personal attitudes, and/or personal life plans, concluding that SL promotes subjective happiness and pro-social attitudes [ 42 ]. Ruiz et al [ 54 ] analyzed social sensitivity and disconfirmation of negative stereotypes, satisfaction and personal growth, and desire for social justice, resulting in relevant items for PETE students.…”

Learning with Older Adults through Intergenerational Service Learning in Physical Education Teacher Education

“…Previous studies have offered a panoramic overview of SL impact in terms of academic, professional, and social effects [22,23]. These results are also endorsed by many studies in the field of physical activity and sports sciences [15,16,24,25]. Therefore, SL may be useful for enabling students to understand and learn about aging and older adults.…”

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

“…By focusing on this particular aspect of the research, which aligns with the higher education challenge of updating its pedagogical paradigm towards a more effective training, we hypothesize that SL could improve the PETE students’ EP. Particularly, this is supported by current literature that suggests students’ improvements in self-concept and self-esteem can be made through personal reflection about oneself, which in turn encourages students to adjust their behaviour within the class group, thus increasing their social competences and communication skills [ 20 ]. Likewise, the inherent SL reflection processes would allow students to increase their motivation towards the task and professional-related skills [ 8 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”

“…Initially, Billig [ 15 ] and Eyler and Giles [ 16 ] classified the results of the SL effects into four categories: academic outcomes, personal outcomes, social outcomes, and citizenship values. More recently, Furco [ 17 ] grouped the SL outcomes into six different categories, drawing upon several research evidence from recent contributions: (1) students’ academic and cognitive development [ 7 , 8 , 18 ], (2) students’ civic engagement [ 7 , 19 , 20 ], (3) students’ vocational and professional development [ 21 ], (4) students’ ethical and moral growth [ 22 ], (5) students’ personal and identity growth [ 23 ], and (6) students’ social development [ 24 , 25 ]. Therefore, one can sensibly hypothesise that SL can contribute to the development of Effective Personality (EP).…”