Evaluation of the Effect of Participation in an International Service-Learning Program on Students’ Self-Efficacy and Attitudes Towards Social Responsibility

2021년 2월

서울대학교 대학원

협동과정 글로벌교육협력 전공

Kristyne Lee Allen

Service learning (SL) has been described as “a form of experiential

education in which students engage in activities that address human and

community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally

designed to promote student learning and development” (Jacoby, et al., 1996,

p. 5). Research examining the impact of participation in service-learning

programs (SLPs) have shown there is a range of benefits for students,

including positive increases in achievement, increased engagement in

learning, and acquisition of professional skills (Lu & Lambright, 2010). In

addition, students have been shown to report improved self-confidence in

their abilities and increased the internal drive to engage in activities that can

positively contribute to civil society (Balsano, 2005). In the context of ISLPs,

having positive experiences and being a part of really “doing” something has

also been shown to positively impact students’ sense of self-efficacy related

to their capacity to affect change through their own actions and can awaken a

person to “one’s self, to the other, and to the world” (Crabtree, 2008).

Recently, higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world,

including those in the Asia-Pacific region, have begun to provide domestic

and international service-learning programs (ISLPs) for their students

(Brassard, et al., 2010). As universities seek to become more integrated in

local communities, administrators have sought to expand SL activities for

university students as a way to both foster student growth and development

and as a way to make a positive contribution to the local community and as a

way to foster a sense of social responsibility among students. As universities

engage more students in SL activities, it is important for researchers to gain a

full picture of the impact these programs are having on student participants

and host communities receiving aid. Currently, there is some research on

ISLPs reporting on university programs that send students from countries in

the Global North to provide aid to countries in the Global South. However,

there is limited literature describing ISLPs originating in universities in

developing countries that are implemented in developing countries in the

Asia-Pacific region (Brassard, et al., 2010). In addition, while there is

research that examines the impact of ISLPs conducted by Non-Government

Organizations (NGOs) working in development aid in Asian countries, there

is a need for more research describing ISLPs implemented by HEIs in general

and in the Asia-Pacific region specifically.

The purpose of this study is to examine a higher education institution’s

(HEI) international service-learning program (ISLP) aimed to promote social

responsibility in undergraduate students. Previous research on student

participation in SLPs, has found increases in student’s self-confidence in their

abilities and internal drive to engage in activities that can positively contribute

to civil society. In this master thesis, background of HEI ISLPs will be

introduced to the audience to provide contextual background information for

the study. Then with participant observations of the targeted program, the

program designs with the potential impacts on students’ attitudes will be

described. In tandem, a comprehensive survey on the ISLP’s participating

students’ attitudes and self-efficacy towards social responsibility. Finally, we

will discuss the implications that student engagement in HE SLPs aimed to

promote social responsibility can impact a students’ self-efficacy for engaging

in socially responsible practices now and in the future.