Factors Influencing Service-Learning Utilization in Social Work: Results from an Online Survey of Faculty

Abstract

The current study (N = 209) explored service-learning utilization in social work education by examining the influence of personal and institutional characteristics, perceived barriers, and beliefs about service-learning outcomes. Results of an online survey of social work educators showed that neither personal nor institutional characteristics influenced service-learning use. Rather, the use of service learning was driven primarily by social work educators’ beliefs about the effect of service learning on student outcomes and perceived barriers to implementation. Additionally, questions regarding service-learning implementation (such as hours required) suggest that not all social work educators using service learning correctly distinguish it from field practica.

KEYWORDS:

• service learning
• pedagogy
• utilization
• outcomes
• barriers

Notes

1. ¹“A method under which students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet actual community needs … that are integrated into the students’ academic learning curriculum or provide structured time for [reflection] … and that enhance what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community” (Furco, 1996, p. 2).