service learning in higher education a systematic literature review

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Service learning in higher education: a systematic literature review

• Published: 28 February 2019
• Volume 20 , pages 573–593, ( 2019 )

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• Maimoona Salam   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7102-274X 1 ,
• Dayang Nurfatimah Awang Iskandar 1 ,
• Dayang Hanani Abang Ibrahim 1 &
• Muhammad Shoaib Farooq 2  

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In the last few years, adoption of service learning in higher educational institutions has emerged as a modern teaching and learning strategy. This study is aimed to offer a systematic literature review of service learning implementation in higher education. There is a lack of research on the role of service learning in higher education sector. Moreover, a comprehensive systematic literature review of service learning in higher education is also overlooked in previous studies. Therefore, this study covers an in-depth systematic literature review, which reflects the utilisation approach and outcomes of service learning in higher education. By employing a rigorous exploratory approach, this study offers four major findings: (1) Acceptance and use of service learning in different academic disciplines, which covers a detailed discussion of up to what extent service learning pedagogy practice exists in each discipline. (2) Emerging issues regarding the integration of service learning in different academic disciplines. (3) Comparative analysis of previous service learning frameworks, which includes theoretical foundation, main findings and limitations of each framework. (4) Potential benefits of service learning for all participants. Service learning presents diverse benefits for all stakeholders; we identified the list of potential outcomes in the light of emerging service learning literature. These findings show that service learning is frequently employed in some academic disciplines, i.e. medical and nursing sciences; business and economics; computer science and information system; social studies; teacher education; linguistic and environmental disciplines. Moreover, comparison of previous service learning frameworks revealed that most of them are subject-oriented, specifically focused on institutionalising and practical aspects.

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Acknowledgements

Authors wish to thank all the anonymous reviewers for their insightful, thoughtful and constructive comments on the earlier drafts of this manuscript. Same acknowledgment and gratitude goes to the worthy editor(s) of Asia Pacific Education Review for helping in refining this manuscript to its current form. This study is a part of PhD dissertation of Maimoona Salam, the corresponding author, under the supervision of Dr. Dayang Nurfatimah Awang Iskandar and Dr. Dayang Hanani Abang Ibrahim, which is submitted to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia. Therefore, she wants to acknowledge and thank them for their continuous selfless support at UNIMAS. Further, during the revision phases of this study, Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Farooq significantly helped.

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Salam, M., Awang Iskandar, D.N., Ibrahim, D.H.A. et al. Service learning in higher education: a systematic literature review. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 20 , 573–593 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-019-09580-6

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Research: Service learning in higher education: a systematic literature review

This study presents a systematic review of the service-learning literature, from service-learning in different academic disciplines to the emerging issues in service-learning, to a comparative analysis of service-learning frameworks, to the potential benefits of service-learning for all participants.

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Service-Learning and soft skills in higher education: a systematic literature review

Form@re - Open Journal per la formazione in rete

The study presents a systematic literature review on Service-Learning (SL) and soft skills in higher education. The findings are presented according to three macro-areas: the first explores the reasons for universities to support SL in the development of students’ soft skills by analysing the theoretical frameworks and definitions used; the second area investigates the SL contexts and application models, the impact scale, the quality standards and the main challenges for the actors involved; finally, the third area explores the current state of the art of the research reporting on the methods and procedures as well as any findings and relevant challenges. This study provides insights on how SL reduces the gap between significant dichotomies in higher education.   Service-Learning e soft skills nell’istruzione superiore: una revisione sistematica della letteratura. Lo studio presenta una revisione sistematica della letteratura su Service-Learning (SL) e soft skills nell’istruzione su...

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, sustainable development through service learning and community engagement in higher education: a systematic literature review.

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

ISSN : 1467-6370

Article publication date: 12 July 2024

This study aims to delve into the evolution, trends and implications of scientific production related to service learning (SL) and community engagement for sustainability in higher education institutions (HEIs). Because HEIs play a crucial role in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), experiential learning approaches are needed to actively involve students in sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 869 publications from Web of Science and Scopus databases were analysed using a bibliometric approach that included performance analysis and science mapping. Subsequently, a systematic literature review was conducted on 118 publications, focusing on their contribution to SDGs and alignment with United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s fields of expertise.

The findings reveal two significant trends: a substantial shift from curriculum development (2000–2010) to education for sustainable development (2011–2022), and the effectiveness of experiential learning teaching approaches, such as the integration of SL with community engagement and the use of innovative research methods in promoting the acquisition of sustainable development competencies. Additionally, community-based research, participatory action research and capacity development emerged as the primary topics.

Research limitations/implications

While this research is based on publications from two prominent databases, it may not include significant studies published in other databases.

Practical implications

These findings suggest that stakeholders should incorporate experiential learning activities and innovative research approaches to enhance education in, for and from sustainability.

Originality/value

This study offers a fresh perspective on the intellectual framework of experiential learning teaching approaches concerning sustainability in HEIs.

• Experiential learning
• Sustainability
• Bibliometric analysis
• Education for sustainable development

Acknowledgements

A special thanks to the ESPOL Outreach Dean for facilitating the development of community service projects, creating opportunities for research, and providing a foundation for the application of experiential learning. Additionally, the authors extend their gratitute to research project “Assessment of sustainable attitudes and competencies of university students” (FIMCP-04-2023).

Rodríguez-Zurita, D. , Jaya-Montalvo, M. , Moreira-Arboleda, J. , Raya-Diez, E. and Carrión-Mero, P. (2024), "Sustainable development through service learning and community engagement in higher education: a systematic literature review", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education , Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-10-2023-0461

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