Impact of Service-Learning on Occupational Therapy Students' Awareness and Sense of Responsibility Toward Community

This dual design study looked at the value and impact of using service-learning as pedagogy to improve occupational therapy students' awareness, commitment, and sense of responsibility toward community. Sixty-nine students were divided into experimental and comparison groups. All participants completed a demographic survey and a pre-test/post-test consisting of a semantic differential (SD) and the Community Service Involvement Preference Inventory (CSIPI). The experimental group was required to keep a journal. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the concepts and factors of the SD showed minimal change; however, descriptive analysis of the adjective pairs did indicate a change in attitude occurred. ANOVA of the CSIPI indicated no movement through phases for both the experimental and comparison groups. But, qualitative analysis of the journal entries, using the Service-Learning Model, indicated developmental differences between experimental groups existed. The data suggest that design and implementation of service-learning programs should consider using developmental learning models to clarify expectations and maximize positive outcomes.