I, like many faculty, have integrated service-learning into undergraduate nursing courses and seen firsthand how it transforms students. However, research about service-learning in academia is still lacking, specifically the student's voice as to benefits received. Given that service-learning takes much time and effort on the part of faculty, students, and community partners and that student benefits are a main reason why faculty members integrate service-learning experiences, I initiated a research project (contact the author for detailed information) to examine students' perspectives of service-learning. In particular, I examined students' descriptions of reciprocity, as reciprocity is often touted as a benefit itself.
Reciprocity
Jacoby defines service-learning 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. Reflection and reciprocity are key concepts of service-learning."1(p5) Although there are numerous definitions, Jacoby's emphasis on reflection and reciprocity most distinguishes service-learning experiences from traditional nursing clinical practice.
"Reciprocity suggests that every individual, organization, and entity involved in service-learning functions as both a teacher and a learner. Participants are perceived as colleagues, not as servers and clients."2(p36)
Reciprocity is not a term usually used in conversation about undergraduate nursing education, and this seemed to be the spark in my students' experiences. As they discovered reciprocal benefits, they formed deeper relationships with their partners and became engaged in the experiences.
The Study
After I received institutional review board approval, I recruited freshmen nursing students to participate. I was not a faculty at the institution where I recruited students; however, the institution's philosophy of service-learning matched mine, therefore making it an appropriate site. The institution is a metropolitan university with a strong commitment to civic engagement. The purpose of the study was to have students describe their perception of reciprocity in service-learning within the context of the affective domain of learning. The affective domain of learning is defined as values, beliefs, emotions, attitudes, and opinions, aspects that can be difficult to measure.3
I visited students in 3 different sections of the same undergraduate nursing course to recruit them for my study. I gave students an introduction to the study and overview of participation requirements. Fifty-one students initially expressed interest, with 30 students completing all requirements.
The freshmen students were already required to complete 12 hours of service-learning in their nursing course. To gather the students' descriptions, participants joined an online asynchronous discussion group and reflected weekly to questions (Figure 1) I posed as well as to each others' responses. The study ran for 6 weeks, with 2 of the weeks' questions directly addressing reciprocity and the affective domain of learning. The other 4 weeks' questions were specific to the nursing course. This allowed students to complete the study and course reflective component at the same time. Participation was entirely voluntary, and any student who chose not to participate completed the course requirement for reflection as outlined in the course syllabus.
After receiving signed consent and demographic surveys, students were e-mailed participation guidelines that included the group identification number to join. The Internet site randomly assigned an anonymous participation number as students joined the discussion groups. As the administrator of the groups, I was the only person who had access to identifying information.
Gathering the Data
Because data collection occurred completely online through the discussion groups, I had an immediate, printable transcript of responses. This benefited me in terms of time and cost savings. I continually read the responses each week, responding occasionally. It was the peer conversation that I wanted to read; therefore, I kept my responses to a minimum so as not to influence the students.
I used content analysis to analyze the data, concentrating on the 2 weeks' questions specific to my study and also reviewed the other 4 weeks for common themes. Content analysis occurred over several months as I read and reread the transcripts and revised the themes. Several themes were combined, and in the end, I had 8 major themes.
The Themes
I discovered rich descriptions of reciprocity throughout the reflections and in all of the 8 major themes. It was surprising that these descriptions were in my study's reflective questions as well as in the other 4 weeks of reflections. The 8 major themes are experiencing a reciprocal relationship, beginning formation of attachments, contemplating the service-learning experience, transformation of self through service-learning experiences, beginning socialization into the nursing profession through service-learning, learning therapeutic communication skills, coming to an understanding that teaching takes many forms, and coming into awareness.
Reciprocal Relationships and Attachment
Students described reciprocity in the relationships they formed with their partners. Trust was mentioned often, and students began "forming a strong bond with" their partners. Students were often surprised at the effect they had on the children and older adults they met. Students "worked together," with both parties described as "learners and teachers." Students appreciated their "great opportunity to give back" and also learn about society.
Contemplating the Experience and Transformation
Thinking about what they would do in the service-learning experiences, students had some concerns. One student explained, "I was nervous because I didn't know how the kids were going to act towards the tutors." Once involved with their partners, students realized that the experience would have a profound effect on them. Students felt happiness and a sense of accomplishment. One student stated, "service-learning is a tremendous act of kindness," a sentiment not often heard to describe a course assignment.
Professional Socialization and Communication Skills
These 2 themes do most relate to nursing practice. My undergraduate students struggle to learn aspects of professionalism, and students in this study were similar. As an educator, it was nice to see students gaining professional identity and therapeutic communication skills. Students of this study felt that the experience helped prepare them to work with children in the future as a pediatric nurse and that they were "learning skills necessary to becoming a nurse." Students learned "how to be professional" and how to get children to "listen and show" respect.
Teaching's Many Forms and Awareness
The experiences gave students an opportunity to think of others and realize that people are more alike than not. Students met children who faced hardships and realized that the children were not troubled but rather had a "high spirit" that brought with it "so much wisdom." Teachers were helping students by "talking with them and just being there" in addition to helping children with their work. Students left this experience "feeling fortunate" for the family they have and the opportunities they have had in life.
Conclusion
Reciprocity is a key element of service-learning as it highlights the uniqueness of the experiences and benefits to all parties involved. The reciprocity that occurs in service-learning allows students to see the contributions they make to their partners. Often the assignments we give to the students do not produce reciprocal benefits but rather reinforce theory content. Experience is a great life lesson, and for students who will work closely with diverse populations in a variety of settings, the benefit from this type of learning is seen immediately and in years after the experience.
Service-learning "puts coursework into context, mixes rigor with relevance, and builds concrete skills."4(p38) Faculty members can use these findings to better plan and integrate service-learning into their curriculum, by considering the students' perspective and needs. Since experiential learning is itself disorienting for students, as is the traditional clinical experience,5 exposing students to experiential learning earlier in their education can help address this disorientation and allow examination of the affective domain earlier. With further research, perhaps we will find that the clinical practicum is less intimidating if experiential learning is introduced earlier in nursing classes, with more opportunities given throughout the years.
References