Service learning as a strategy for teaching undergraduate research

Research enlivens and enriches the educational environment" (Abraham & Hoaglund, ,1998).

The challenge to educators in many disciplines is to effectively teach the research process and skills to undergraduate students. Research terminology and statistical analytical procedures can quickly diminish student enthusiasm and interest in research as a plausible and relevant activity in their chosen field. For service-- oriented disciplines, students may not view doing research as doing the work of the profession. Educators search for effective means to promote students' appreciation of and commitment to the research of their disciplines (Cole, 1995, p. 154). One solution proposed by educators is to provide students with the opportunity to be directly involved in research projects (Pond & Bradshaw, 1996; Sims,1994). Service learning provides that opportunity.

Service learning is a form of experiential education that merges the pursuit of student learning activities with those that address significant needs within the community (Checkoway, 1996; Kahne & Westmeier, 1996; Zlotkowski, 1993). For community involvement to be considered student learning, the criterion of reciprocity must be met (Jacoby, 1996). "Reciprocity ensures that the needs of both student and the community are equally significant. Thus, the goal of service learning is a dynamic partnership between educational institutions and communities" (Peterson & Schaffer, in press) that results in the mutual benefits of learning and meaningful service.

Community agencies have needs for research that students can meet. Some examples from the literature of students engaged in community-based research include: (1) biology students scientifically testing the safety of the water in a lake near campus (Ostroff, 1996); (2) psychology students engaging in physical environment analysis using the participant-observation research methodology while volunteering at a community agency (Ferguson, 1995); (3) math students providing statistical analysis of seasonal economic and employment fluctuations for a city planner (McCannon, 1996); (4) political science students engaging in survey design and implementation for community agencies, e.g., Big Brothers and Big Sisters (Palazzolo, 1997); and (5) nursing students conducting chart reviews and analyzing children's immunization status in two health clinics through collaboration with the state health department (Peterson & Schaffer, in press). In these projects, the community agency staff identified the need for the research. Through the framework of research as service, students learned the research process and identified research as meaningful and relevant to their work.

This paper presents a nursing education example of learning the research process through service. Examples of service learning projects that featured student and faculty collaboration with community partners in carrying out the research process are included. An analysis of student and community partner perspectives on the effectiveness of service learning as a strategy for learning research is provided. Particular emphasis is given to community partner perspectives on their responses to research-oriented service learning projects. These data provided the basis for the development of guidelines for faculty who wish to integrate research-focused service learning into a course.

Service Learning Research Projects

When service learning was introduced to Bethel College faculty as an effective teaching methodology, nursing faculty decided to incorporate service learning projects into the curriculum of a senior-level nursing course that focused on nursing leadership and research. The final semester before graduation was an especially challenging time for teaching these subjects to nursing students who were often not able to see the relevance of leadership and research to their upcoming nursing practice. Faculty expected that using service learning projects to teach the research process would create greater student interest and enthusiasm for research. The following projects are examples of collaborative research projects between the Bethel College Nursing Department and community partners over a three-year span. The student groups included five to eight members.

Immunization Survey

Nursing students and the faculty facilitator collaborated with a local county health department to collect data in two private family practice clinics on the immunization status of children under two years of age. The faculty facilitator arranged for student training by the state health department on use of a computerized program for assessment of immunization status. The public health nurse, faculty facilitator, and students spent two days reviewing medical records and entering data. Representatives from the student team accompanied the public health nurse on return clinic visits and gave reports on immunization rates and recommendations for improving rates.

Smoke Detector Education

Students and the faculty facilitator worked with the Injury Prevention Unit at a state health department on a community smoke detector education project. The students, who collaborated with an epidemiologist and a public health nurse, created a booth that displayed the importance of smoke detectors at a health fair in an urban elementary school. During the health fair, families signed up for home visits for assessment of the adequacy of smoke detectors in their homes. Students teamed with fire prevention specialists to make the home visits during which they collected data on the placement and working order of smoke detectors and installed batteries and new smoke detectors when needed. With the assistance of the epidemiologist, students analyzed the data; the data forms were included in a larger health department study.

Health Needs Assessment of Vulnerable Populations

The faculty facilitator collaborated with the director of an agency that provided health services to homeless individuals and families and with a nursing supervisor of clinics in public housing residences. This collaboration resulted in the development of a health needs assessment questionnaire. One student group conducted health needs assessment surveys with homeless individuals in shelter and clinic settings. A second group collected data in clinics and English as a Second Language classes in public housing residences. Each student group analyzed the data, wrote a report, and submitted the report to the respective agencies. The data were used by the agency serving homeless individuals and families to identify needed program changes and initiatives to better meet the health needs of their clientele. The agency providing services to the public housing clinics used the data to respond to a mandated reporting requirement.

Health Needs of the Elderly

The students collaborated with the faculty facilitator and the parish nurse at a large suburban church. The elderly population of the church's congregation frequently sought the services of the part-time parish nurse to meet a variety of health needs. To better serve the parishioners, the nurse wished to identify major health concerns of this population. Student nurses completed a survey of the health needs of homebound elderly parishioners selected by the nurse. On the basis of the needs expressed, the students developed a booklet identifying appropriate resources for this population.

Survey on Depression and Medication Use

Administrative staff of a skilled long-term care facility became concerned about the number of residents for whom antidepressant medications were being prescribed. The faculty facilitator collaborated with the director of nursing and the institution's consulting pharmacologist to develop an instrument that provided the framework for the collection of data by the students. In addition, the director of nursing and the faculty member conducted a training session on the use of the instrument. Two groups of nursing students collected data from the charts and conducted structured interviews of all consenting residents from the two target units. Using the data collected by the students, the nurse facilitator and the pharmacologist will examine the relationships between the incidence of depression determined by a depression scale, the use of antidepressant medications, and the identified factors that either contribute to or are indicators of depression.

Evaluation of Service Learning Research Projects

Evaluation data were obtained from community partners following three years of implementation of service learning research projects and from students following the first and third years of implementation.

Community Partner Perspectives

Six representatives of the agencies who participated in service learning research projects during the previous three years were interviewed by phone or in person about their experiences in working with students. Each community partner received a question list prior to the interview. A list of 12 open-ended questions addressed decision-making about entering and continuing the partnership, expectations for and adequacy of student and faculty contributions, and impact of the student projects on agency functions.

Student Perspectives

An extensive evaluation of student perspectives, including both survey (n=44) and focus group data, was completed following the first year of integration of service learning research projects into a nursing course. The results of the first-year evaluation were reported in a previous article by the authors (Peterson & Schaffer, in press). In addition, a brief survey was administered to students (n=31) following the third year of implementation. Students rated their service learning experiences on the degree to which they promoted learning, and they also provided responses to three open-ended questions.

Impact of Student Service Learning Research Projects on Community Partners

All community partners perceived that the collaborative research projects had a positive impact on agency functions and goal accomplishment. Four partners specifically mentioned the importance of the data. For the agency in which the data satisfied a mandated reporting requirement, the representative commented that the agency did not have the financial resources to hire people for data collection, and she viewed the data as "invaluable." For another agency, the data provided user input and motivated the agency to submit a grant application once they had data about clients' health needs. The community partner said, "This data was used numerous times to talk about needs. I found the study being talked about by others...; a county planner said there was this study done that identified that the homeless needed access to a telephone for information about health care." Another community partner commented about how the student activities resulted in increased staff time for other agency work. The nursing director from the long-term care agency identified several benefits for the agency: (a) the data would provide evidence to regulating agencies that the high rate of antidepressant use among residents had been investigated, (b) a recommendation was made to the social service department to routinely administer a depression scale to residents one month post-admission, and (c) the data on the relationship of family visits to depression could be used in education of family members of residents.

Two community partners addressed the importance of educating students on public health initiatives (immunizations, smoke detectors) that students could then share with others they encountered, thus expanding the agency's educational mission. Community partners identified the value of student enthusiasm and relationships with agency staff. Several also addressed the benefits from collaboration on the research process, such as information obtained from the literature review and the opportunity to use a new methodology.

Potential negative impacts on agency functions included time constraints such as demands on the community partner's schedule for student orientation and project organization. Also, community partners expressed concern about students "fitting in" with agency operations. All participants, including faculty, students, and agency staff, need to be aware of potential tensions encountered in the attempt to accomplish both academic and agency goals. All members need to consider one another's perspectives and work on a mutual understanding of goals and activities to be accomplished.

Impact of Student Service Learning Projects on Students

The data from the students (third year) provided reinforcement of some aspects of the service learning projects and identified the need for change in others. On a scale of 1 - 3, with "1" indicating "very little" and "3" indicating "to a great extent," students claimed that the literature review was the activity that most promoted learning (mean of 2.44). Students identified the reflective journal as the activity that contributed least to their learning (mean of 1.74). Among the multiple content areas of the course, over one-third of the respondents stated that the research process was the content that most stimulated their thinking. Included in students' comments were responses such as "I found research more interesting than I originally thought," "I am more interested in discovering more about it" (nursing research), and the idea of "nursing research to promote professionalism stimulated my thinking." In response to a question on what changes ought to be made, students repeatedly identified the need for all service learning projects in the course to provide the opportunity for involvement in research.

Lessons Learned: Guidelines for Academic-- Community Partnerships in Research

The following set of guidelines (Table 1) offers suggestions for faculty who facilitate service learning research projects with community partners. These guidelines are based the authors' experiences from three years of implementing and evaluating collaborative research projects with students and community partners. The guidelines address: (a) building partnerships, (b) involving students in service learning research projects, (c) ensuring quality in the research process, and (d) structuring student reflection in learning about research.

Building Partnerships

(1) For a one-semester course, determine with the community partner the structure of the research project before involving students. If the service learning project will take place over two semesters, the first semester can focus on problem identification and selection of methodology; the second semester can focus on data collection and interpretation. A semester-long course is probably the minimum time frame in which students can realistically complete most data collection projects in collaboration with a community partner. If faculty have the luxury of a two-semester service learning project, identification of the problem and selection of the research methodology could be added to the steps of the research process for student participation. With one semester, the faculty facilitator and community partner should have a clear structure identified for research activities before involving students.

Community partners' comments indicated that faculty input into the structure of the research project was an important contribution. One community partner stated, "The faculty facilitator helped to focus and define the project, helped me to understand how my expectations fit in with the skills and abilities of students, and operationalized the study by giving it specific steps and creating the infrastructure." Another community partner commented, "The faculty facilitator and the pharmacist together decided what would be worthwhile information. The faculty facilitator developed the tool. We looked through charts together to make sure we could access information. There were several meetings. She took the lead role and that was very beneficial."

(2) Consider all community connections as possibilities for service learning research projects. In addition to professional contacts, churches and voluntary organizations in the community may be very enthusiastic about data collection projects offered as a service. Community partners identified that a contributing factor to the decision to enter into a collaborative research project was a previous relationship with the academic institution. Agencies in which faculty have well-established connections are a logical starting point for forming academic-community partnerships for service learning research projects. However, other agencies in which faculty members may not have established clinical or internship arrangements may also be receptive to participating in collaborative research projects. Two other factors that influenced community agencies' decisions to enter into partnership were a personal invitation and a commitment to the education of students. Many agencies that have not been traditionally involved in clinical or experiential training and yet have a commitment to the education of students are likely to respond with interest to a personal invitation.

(3) Know your selected agency (listen) before identifying a specific data collection activity. Familiarity with agency goals and activities before brainstorming on potential projects with the community partner opens the door to more realistic possibilities. One community partner identified the relationship between the director or contact person of the agency and the faculty facilitator as a key factor in continuing a collaborative relationship. The opportunity to brainstorm on possible research activities was valued. Another community partner addressed the importance of the faculty facilitator knowing enough about the agency to identify the possibilities for student involvement. Community partners also identified the importance of students "fitting in" with agency goals and activities. By knowing the agency well, faculty will likely have greater success in enhancing integration of students into agency activities.

(4) Invest time and energy in establishing the research project goals and activities prior to implementation and continue regular communication with community partners about students' work and concerns. Arranging for training, organizing student activities, and participating in meetings were valued contributions. A community partner commented, "I appreciated the fact that the faculty facilitator came to meetings to get us started. She made sure we were on track with students. We didn't feel like we had to be faculty, too. The students were prepared-they had thought about the issue. They were engaged and willing to be decision makers."

Several partners identified the need for more ongoing communication, specifically more frequent updates that might result in needed project modifications. Ongoing communication with the community partner about student performance and possible concerns is an essential component of the collaborative process. It is easy to fall into the trap of expecting the process to go smoothly if extensive time has been invested in setting up the project. However, surprises in the research process, changes within the agency, and student interactions in an agency have the potential to disrupt a smooth accomplishment of initial project goals. Problem solving may be required. If problems and concerns are identified early, a potential failure or a less than-satisfying experience may be avoided.

(5) Invite an agency to collaborate on research projects more than one time. Additional data collection or intervention activities may logically follow the initial project. After three years of implementing service learning research projects, community partners have responded with interest to the prospect of ongoing collaborative research. One community representative who has moved on to a different agency has requested a service learning research project in her new agency. Long-term associations between community and academic partners on research projects have multiple benefits. Both partners develop more realistic expectations for agency and student involvement in research. Agencies can undertake more complex research projects with ongoing assistance from the academic partner. With longterm partnerships, faculty members generally will need to devote less time both to agency orientation to the concept of service learning and to the process of generating ideas for research.

Involving Students

(6) Invite the community partner to get to know the students and/or provide a thorough description about student skills, capabilities, and expectations for academic work. Community partners held varying expectations for assessing student skills and abilities. For some, an initial group meeting with students seemed adequate for giving the community partner a sense of student motivation, interests, and abilities. Several community partners stated they wanted to know more about the strengths and abilities of the students before project implementation. One community partner would have liked to have spent more time with the student group to educate them about homelessness with the goal of making their data collection experience more meaningful. Another community partner said, "I had an apprehension about things that would have to be administratively dealt with, such as cultural competence. I would have liked to have known who was assigned to what and sit down with students individually." For one group, the community partner observed that getting to know the students made a difference in how the agency involved students. She said, "When we met the students and figured out their skills and interests, we ended up giving them more responsibility than what we had planned." Although faculty may have some pre-knowledge of student skills and potential, it is important to arrange for community partner and student interaction prior to project implementation. This provides the opportunity for a realistic assessment of student abilities and builds trust.

(7) Select service learning research projects that students will perceive as meaningful and as meeting a need of the agency (essential), in contrast to a project that is contrived to meet an academic requirement. An essential characteristic of successful service learning research projects is their meaningfulness to students. The importance of the meaningfulness of participation in research to students is evident both in literature on teaching nursing research (Coles, 1995; Collins, Corder-Mabe, Greenberg, & Crowder, 1992; Kee & Rice, 1995; Roberts & Crook, 1987; Wheeler, 1995) and in students' responses to the service learning projects. Increased student enthusiasm for research and enhanced learning are likely outcomes of selecting research projects that result in data useful to an agency.

Data collected from a written survey and a focus group in the first year of the service-learning research projects revealed that students most enjoyed participating in a research-focused service learning project when they perceived that they were making a legitimate contribution to the community agency (Peterson & Schaffer, in press). They wanted the data they compiled and the subsequent report they submitted to be used by the agency. For some students, the research process itself was described as enjoyable. These students liked collecting data and seeing the results of their study. These activities are not possible when the learning activity is the creation of a research proposal.

After the third year of the projects, students were equally, if not more, positive about their service learning experiences. As noted in a written survey, they generally believed that they had made a contribution to the agency both through providing important data and through their involvement with agency clients. Students referred to their data as "vital information" and believed that these data would "identify areas needed for further research in the elderly population." One student responded, "I feel that the patients enjoyed having another visitor, and my research will also be useful to the facility." They wrote not only of learning the research process but also of enjoying the research experience. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents indicated a desire to engage in research in the future.

(8) Provide an in-depth orientation that involves introduction to the community partner and the goals and expectations for the research project. Students need to have clear expectations for their involvement in the community organization and an understanding of the adaptations they will need to make for successful functioning in the community environment. One community partner commented on the value of student preparation. She said, "They were more motivated, self-starters, and more independent than we expected. Once they got the idea, they just took off. They were committed. This group invested in the project and in working together. Clearly they had been prepared in team processing. They knew that's what they were supposed to be doing and did it well. They took ownership and allowed their creativity to expand."

Student criticisms of the first-year service learning projects focused on the need for more structure and clearer delineation of expectations. Students believed that there were times when neither they nor the agency understood the specific nature of the project. One student provided a summary of the experience: "Give us solid projects with places to go with people involved, so that we know what we are going to do and the people we are going to work with know what we are going to do, and if that is clear, we can get excited about this service learning" (Peterson & Schaffer, in press). In response to the students' initial feedback, faculty members modified their approaches to provide an adequate level of initial structure and ongoing supervision.

Ensuring Quality in the Research Process

(9) Take responsibility for the quality of the research activities. Provide a data collection protocol and examine the quality of student work throughout the project. Students and possibly community partners are novices in the research process; the faculty facilitator is the expert. Faculty facilitators need to provide leadership in ensuring the quality of research activities. Although selection of the research project should be dependent on the needs identified by the community partner and mutually chosen, in most situations, faculty are likely to have more expertise in the application of the research process. Attention to a systematic process and the research plan can be an important contribution from faculty to ensure quality research. In their desire to complete data collection activities, students may be less aware of the need for a careful and systematic approach; faculty should monitor students' data collection activities.

Community partners had varying perceptions of how well students' work on the projects met agency expectations. Three community partners responded that students met their expectations and the project goals were accomplished. An agency director commented, "It went so smooth, a dream project; we got all that raw data." She also addressed the value of the student coordinator, who kept the ultimate goal of the project in the forefront for the entire student group. A nursing director said the students were professional and knew their boundaries. After an orientation to the agency and data collection instruments, the students were able to follow through on research activities with minimal instruction. One community partner commented that students made errors in data entry, but attributed this to time constraints, logistical problems in access to computers, and not being able to educate the students to look for errors. Another community partner expressed disappointment in the students' impatience in working with the clinic system to complete interviews while trying to balance school and work responsibilities. She noted some immaturity and linear thinking in their time management strategies and suggested that an adult student leader or coordinator may have improved student organization.

(10) Provide a written report on research findings if desired by the agency. At the undergraduate level, most students do not have the experience to write a clear and concise report that would be acceptable to most agencies. However, a written report from students may be an important academic requirement. One community partner expressed disappointment with the quality of the final written report. There is likely to be variability in the quality of student writing; the final report is dependent on the membership of the group. Faculty should monitor the quality of the writing both for evaluating students' work and for providing a research summary to the agency. The final report for the agency may require refinement by the faculty facilitator.

Structuring Reflection on Learning

(11) Organize student reflection to include learning about: (a) individual growth, (b) the community, (c) the research process and its integration into practice, and (d) group interactions and teamwork. Structuring student assignments to reflect on how they have "fit in"with agency goals and functions will encourage students to consider the perspectives of their community partners. It is all too easy for students, especially those who are about to graduate, to focus only on their goals and the need to complete class assignments. Hopefully, through reflection, students will expand their perspectives to consider how their work affects agency functions. From a faculty perspective, structuring reflection on the service learning projects increased students' understanding of the research process and an appreciation for the teamwork necessary for conducting research.

(12) Schedule time for reflection on what was accomplished and provide for closure of the project by including students and the community partner. Scheduling a time for closure that involves the participation of the community partner is also likely to contribute to expanding student perspectives. Community partners identified a need to spend additional time with students to tie together student learning with their research activities. They commented that academic timelines sometimes contributed to a rushed closure of projects. One agency representative said, "I went to the presentation and some things they said indicated they didn't totally understand. It would have been helpful to sit down with them ahead of time and give them my perspective. I didn't think they tied it together." Another community partner commented, "At the end it felt rushed. We didn't have any closure. We know they had a lot to do. We didn't have as good of a finish as a beginning. I would have liked an opportunity for us to get back together with students. We would have liked the students to make a presentation to our staff. We wanted to show them of We would have appreciated feedback from students and their recommendations of what we could do differently." Although students and faculty may feel they are finished with the project once grades are submitted, for effective collaboration activities, students and faculty need to be concerned with both the beginnings and endings of project activities.

Conclusion: Research as Service

Teaching research as "doing research as service" is not only an effective way to promote learning the research process, but is also rewarding to students, faculty, and community partners. Students have learned the research process and the value of research as a professional activity that contributes to practice and have experienced the satisfaction of offering a meaningful service to a community agency. Faculty members have received the reward of a greater number of students who develop an interest in research. Continued collaboration with community partners is also rewarding to faculty. Several of these research projects have resulted in articles for publication and workshop presentations. Community partners have received worthwhile data that suggest interventions to improve a community service. Research as service is an exciting paradigm for service learning partnerships.

References

Abraham, N., & Hoaglund, K. E. (1998). Shaping the future: New expectations for undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. Council on Undergraduate Research. [Online]. Available: http://www.cur.org/shaping.html.

Checkoway, B. (1996). Combining service and learning on campus and in the community. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(9), 600-605.

Cole, F L. (1995). Implementation and evaluation of an undergraduate research practicum. Journal of Professional Nursing, 11(3), 154-160.

Collins, B. A., Corder-Mabe, J., Greenberg, E., & Crowder, D. S. (1992). Incorporating a research study into undergraduate clinical. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 14(5), 677-680.

Ferguson, N. (1995). Environmental psychology course syllabus, Augsburg College, Minneapolis.

Jacoby, B., & Associates. (1996). Service-learning in higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Kahne, J., & Westheimer, J. (1996). In the service of what?: The politics of service Learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(9), 593-598.

Kee, C. C., & Rice, M. (1995). Nursing research and nursing practice-- teaching the inseparable duo. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 17(2), 227-231.

McCannon, C. (1996). Combinatorial mathematics for community collaboration. In S. Miller (Ed.), Science and Society: Redefining the Relationship (pp. 58-62). National Campus Compact.

Ostroff, J. (1996). Service learning and the environment meet at Clear Lake. In S. Miller (Ed.), Science and Society: Redefining the Relationship (pp. 13-16). National Campus Compact.

Palazzolo, D. J. (1997). Research methods. In R. M. Battistoni & W. E. Hudson (Eds.), Experiencing citizenship (pp. 109-118). Washington, DC: American Association of Higher Education.

Peterson, S.J., & Schaffer, M. A. (in press). Service-learning: A strategy to develop group collaboration and research skills. Journal of Nursing Education.

Pond, E. F, & Bradshaw, M. J. (1996). Attitudes of nursing students toward research: A participatory exercise. Journal of Nursing Education, 35(4), 182-185.

Roberts, J.G., & Crook, J. M. (1987). Nursing research at the baccalaureate level: A unique teaching/learning model. Nursing Papers/Perspectives on Nursing, 19(2), 43-50.

Wheeler, K., Fasano, N., & Burr, L. (1995). Strategies for teaching research: A survey of baccalaureate programs. Journal of Professional Nursing, 11(4), 233-38.

Zlowtkowski, E. (1993). Service learning as campus culture. In T. Y Kupiec (Ed.), Rethinking tradition: Integrating service with academic study on college campuses (pp. 47-51). Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States.

Marjorie A. Schaffer, Ph.D., and Sandra Peterson, Ph.D., are faculty in the nursing program at Bethel College, 3900 Bethel Drive, St. Paul, MN 55112. They teach in the undergraduate, degree-completion, and graduate nursing programs. Their clinical specialties are public health nursing and psychiatric-mental health nursing, repectively.

Copyright Association for Experiential Education Dec 1998
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved