Impact of innovative service-learning strategy on key competences and civic engagement of university students 

Service-learning as a teaching and learning strategy, which combines meaningful service in the community with education, has spread not only in the United States but also in South America, Asia, and Europe in recent years, with the pedagogy being applied at all levels of formal and informal education. In 2005, Matej Bel University, located in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, developed a service-learning strategy, and by 2013 its usage had become widespread. This article presents the findings of a study that investigated the development of key competences of two student groups enrolled in courses that incorporated service-learning strategies during academic years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 at Matej Bel University. The findings of the study suggest that service-learning strategies have positive impacts on the development of students' key competences. The limitations of our study were conducted with a small research (experimental) group of students who passed service-learning course. Based on our research findings we can recommend service-learning as a suitable strategy for students' key competencies development.

This study at a university in Slovakia asked two questions: (1) Does completion of a service-learning course lead to changes in students’ social and personal responsibility and their attitudes toward community service? (2) Are personal and social responsibility and attitudes toward community service correlated? Service-learning and the third mission of the university are almost unknown in Slovak higher education, and likewise no relevant test instruments adapted to Slovak conditions currently exist. Consequently, we adopted a scale from abroad—Conrad and Hedin’s (1981) Social and Personal Responsibility Scale (SPRS). We also used qualitative research methods. Compared to a control group, the service-learning students had statistically significant higher posttest scores in the Social Welfare, Duty, Performance of Responsible Acts, and Global Responsibility subscales. The research results revealed a need for new measuring tools that are sensitive to the specific context of service-learning implementation in Slovakia.

The aim of the monograph was to present the service-learning strategy and some research findings focused on the benefits of service-learning for students. The team of authors chose a structure from the broader presentation of the service-learning educational strategy as an active and service-based learning strategy for the benefit of others in order to form civic responsibility and develop professional and key competences and anchored it in a discourse on the third mission of universities, taking into account the specifics of Slovak milieu. Given that service learning in Slovakia is a recent and therefore rarely used educational strategy, the team of authors decided to include a chapter that describes – step by step – the key milestones in the introduction of service-learning at Matej Bel University (MBU) in Banská Bystrica. However, it does not explain in detail what service learning is, as this is referred to partially in the first chapter of the monograph and particularly in other publications of the service-learning the team at the MBU, studies, as well as the university textbook Service learning: innovative learning/teaching strategy (Brozmanová Gregorová et al., 2014). The second part of the monograph presents the results of research findings from selected studies in the area of development of student key competencies and development of student personal and social responsibility, as well as specific examples of service-learning projects conducted as part of practical training at the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Education at the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica since the academic year 2017/2018.

OBJECTIVES: The text answers the question as to what are the benefits of the service-learning in the development of key competences of social work students. THEORETICAL BASE: Service learning is an teaching and learning strategy that combines service goals with learning objectives. The subject of the research verification of its impact are also the key competences of students. METHODS: We used a combination of research methods to answer the research question. The change in the subjectively perceived level of the key competences of students before and after graduating in the subjects based on service-learning was monitored through a questionnaire. As part of the qualitative strategy, we used the content analysis of structured self-reflections of students after graduating in the subjects. The survey sample was made up of students of social work who graduated in the subjects with service learning strategy in the academic years 2013/2014 to 2016/2017.OUTCOMES: The results of the research showed the benefits of the service--learning in the development of selected key competences of students of social work. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: Our findings can be used in the field of education in social work. Key competences, together with specific professional competences, form the basis for qualified and competent performance of social workers. © 2019, Czech Association of Educators in Social Work. All rights reserved.

The contribution answers the question as to what the benefits of service-learning in the development of key competences of Slovak university students of caring professions are. We used a combination of research methods to answer the research question. The survey sample was made up of students of social work, social pedagogy and teaching who graduated in the subjects with service-learning strategy in the academic years 2014/2015 to 2017/2018. The results of the research showed the benefits of service-learning in the development of selected key competences of students of caring professions.

Kapitola sa venuje problematike rozvíjania kľúčových kompetencií študentov a študentiek v rámci ich vysokoškolského vzdelávania, so zameraním na rozvoj komunikačných a sociálnych kompetencií prostredníctvom predmetu service learning. Service learning inovatívna stratégia učenia (sa), ktorá umožňuje študentom a študentkám transfer získaných poznatkov z vysokoškolského štúdia do služby komunite. Integrálnou súčasťou predmetu service learning je realizácia aktivity vo forme služby študentov a študentiek pre komunitu. Časť kapitoly prezentuje výskum, ktorý bol zameraný na mapovanie subjektívne vnímanej úrovne kompetencií študentov a študentiek pred a po absolvovaní predmetu so zameraním na komunikačné a sociálne kompetencie. Predpokladali sme, že prostredníctvom absolvovania dvojsemestrálneho celouniverzitného predmetu service learning si študenti a študentky tieto kompetencie rozvinuli a tým sa zmení aj ich subjektívny pohľad na úroveň týchto kompetencií. Našim výskumom sme potvrdili, že študenti a študentky vnímajú po absolvovaní service learningu svoje kompetencie ako rozvinutejšie než pred jeho absolvovaním. The chapter concerns the students development of key competencies, focusing on the development of communication and social skills by means of service learning. Service learning is an innovative learning and teaching strategy which allows the transfer of students knowledge to community service. The condition for the completion of a course using service learning strategy is to implement activity as a service to the community by students. This chapter also presents research findings about the students´ perception of their competence acquired within this course. The research was focused on mapping students´ subjectively perceived level of competence, focusing on communication and social competence. The assumption was the students attending two-semester university course of service learning would develop these competences and their subjective perception of the competence level would also change. The research confirmed that the students´ perceived their competence level to be more skilled than before service learning course attendance.

Social and personal development is a part of the moral characteristics of a personality (Swaner, 2005). The research in the field of social and personal responsibility development shows that educational programmes based on experience-learning strategy are effective (Hellison, 2003; Conrad-Hedin, 1981; Brozmanová-Gregorová, 2007 and others). Service-learning is one of these strategies connecting education and service in a community. During the academic year 2015/16, we observed a group of 22 students attending a subject based on service-learning strategy in order to find out whether their social and personal responsibility is developing. Their results were compared with a state of social and personal responsibility in a test group (N=9). Data were obtained using a Social and Personal Responsibility Scale according to Conrad and Hedin (1981). The scale was specially created for the research needs to find the influence of experience learning on personality development. The research results show that the statistically significant increase of social and personal development appeared in an experimental group of students attending the subject based on service-learning strategy in four from five subscales of the Social and Personal Responsibility Scale compared to the test group.

This paper presents experiences with implementation of service-learning at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. It briefly describes the bases of service-learning implementation into education and analyses the results of a questionnaire survey carried out among our students identifying their needs.