Teacher’s transformation in Service-Learning training and experience: a Review of Literature

Abstract

This paper presents a review of literature researched with the aim to highlight the relationship between the educational proposal of Service-Learning and teachers and educators, in terms of personal and professional transformation. This review took place during the first explorative part of a doctoral study. The research was conducted using four different databases (Eric, Web of Science, Scopus and the university of Florence library system, SBA Unifi). The software used for it was Endnote. The 58 full-text papers included (60 studies), show three categories detected: the most numerous is the category of future teachers (n=49); few studies concern in-service teachers (n=4), while seven studies concern both the two categories. Educators are totally absent by the results. Analyzing the main findings of each study, the transformative potential of SL is in evidence. La trasformazione dei docenti mediante la formazione e l’esperienza del service-learning: una revisione della letteratura. Questo contributo presenta una revisione della letteratura, effettuata allo scopo di evidenziare la relazione tra la proposta educativa del Service-Learning (SL) e docenti e educatori, in termini di trasformazione personale e professionale. La revisione si colloca nella prima fase esplorativa di un progetto di dottorato. La ricerca è stata effettuata utilizzando quattro differenti database (Eric, Web of science, Scopus, e il portale del sistema bibliotecario di ateneo, lo SBA dell’Università di Firenze) mediante l’utilizzo del software Endote. I 58 articoli esaminati, contenenti 60 studi, mostrano tre categorie di studi: la più numerosa riguarda studi su futuri docenti (n=49); pochi studi hanno riguardato docenti in servizio (n=4), mentre sette studi hanno riguardato entrambe le tipologie di docenti. Gli educatori risultano assenti dai risultati della revisione. Analizzando i principali risultati di ogni singolo studio, si evidenzia la potenzialità trasformativa del SL.

The impact of service-learning on university teachers. A part of a systematic review

“…The major limit of the outcomes is the not generalization of the main findings, according with the rest of the research regarding also teachers working in other school degree (Kulberg, 2023). Anyway, the results allow to continue the doctoral research in the Italian context, which is yet at the beginning in the field of SL, especially regarding the analysis of teacher and SL impact and in the field of higher education.…”

“…This article analyzed the category of academic teachers coming from a larger systematic review (Kulberg, 2023) concerning the impact of SL as the educational approach in terms of personal and professional change. After a briefly description of the theoretical framework, based on a focus on the new Italian SL Network, the article describes shortly the process of the systematic review and the nature of the four studies founded out.…”