The Scholarship of Service Learning
Track
Research Project / Assessment of Student Learning
Abstract
This research examined the integration of service learning in a baccalaureate nursing curriculum, and its impact on students’ cognitive and affective development. Nursing faculty worked with regional staff of Special Olympics (SO) to coordinate and perform the required physical examinations for the athletes. Nursing students, under the guidance of faculty, performed the exams on the athletes which included children in a wide range of age, physical, social, and intellectual levels. This activity has had tremendous value for both students and the community. Approximately 300 athletes have been able to participate in the SO Games, who otherwise would not have. Nursing students have been able to gain a broader understanding of the diversity in physical and intellectual abilities of children. They have also been able to utilize the assessment skills they had learned in a very “hands on” manner as they give back to their community. An instrument developed by Wang, Jackson, Rodgers, & Jones (2005) was utilized for data collection by administering pre and post-tests to the students. Results of data using ANOVA and t-tests revealed a significant 2-way interaction between the pre and post-tests, and a significant increase in the domains of justice, charity, and competence.
Session Format
Poster Session
Location
Room 113
Recommended Citation
McGahee, Thayer W.; Bravo, Maureen; and Simmons, Lisa, "The Scholarship of Service Learning" (2016). SoTL Commons Conference. 33.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2016/33
The Scholarship of Service Learning
Room 113
This research examined the integration of service learning in a baccalaureate nursing curriculum, and its impact on students’ cognitive and affective development. Nursing faculty worked with regional staff of Special Olympics (SO) to coordinate and perform the required physical examinations for the athletes. Nursing students, under the guidance of faculty, performed the exams on the athletes which included children in a wide range of age, physical, social, and intellectual levels. This activity has had tremendous value for both students and the community. Approximately 300 athletes have been able to participate in the SO Games, who otherwise would not have. Nursing students have been able to gain a broader understanding of the diversity in physical and intellectual abilities of children. They have also been able to utilize the assessment skills they had learned in a very “hands on” manner as they give back to their community. An instrument developed by Wang, Jackson, Rodgers, & Jones (2005) was utilized for data collection by administering pre and post-tests to the students. Results of data using ANOVA and t-tests revealed a significant 2-way interaction between the pre and post-tests, and a significant increase in the domains of justice, charity, and competence.
