Abstract
I am excited to share with you the articles which make up this issue of the Journal of Experiential Education. These 11 articles explore service learning, experiential learning in the classroom, and issues among outdoor and residential treatment staff. Collectively, the articles advance our understanding of how and where experiential learning takes place and where it is most effective.
Three of the articles in this issue address service learning in a range of contexts. “A Bibliometric Review of Service Learning Research, 1950–2022” by Hallinger and Narong highlights the significant evolution of service learning research since 2010, noting the range of theoretical perspectives influencing this research. The authors also note the importance of future service learning research within developing countries. In “Effect of Service-Learning Physical Activity Programs on Kinesiology Students’ Attitudes toward People with Disabilities,” authors Park, Garcia, Ichihara, Jung, and Narasaki-Jara report on an investigation into the effect of a 10-week in-person service learning program on kinesiology students compared to a similar program for kinesiology students delivered virtually. The authors note the necessity for kinesiology students to work in an inclusive way with all individuals and thus focus their study on students’ attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. The study found the in-person service learning program was more effective than the virtual program in improving students’ attitudes towards individuals with disabilities, a finding which carries important implications for service learning education within a range of disciplines.
The third article focuses on service learning, “Exploring the Effects of Semester-Long Service-Learning: A Study on Psychosocial Variables and Quality of Participation Experiences,” compared self-reported aspects of citizenship between undergraduate students taking semester-long service-learning courses with undergraduates taking traditional courses. Authors Compare and Albanesi found no differences in citizenship variables between the two groups, but noted the higher quality of participation experiences reported by the service-learning students compared to the traditional course students.
Two articles in this issue of the Journal of Experiential Education address experiential learning activities within classroom environments. The first of these, “Empathy or Apathy? How capital constraints mediate the efficacy of experiential poverty simulations in the classroom,” explores undergraduate students’ experiences of a six-week-long poverty simulation course in the Netherlands. Authors Archambault and Verduijn concluded after qualitative analysis that students’ backgrounds and sense of agency significantly affected how they experienced the simulation exercise. They report that students found the exercise valuable for their learning, and understanding poverty and inequity in a new way.
Another article in this issue, “The Impact of a Classroom as Organization on University-to-Work Transitions and Early Careers,” explores the use of a different simulation exercise, the classroom as organization, in an undergraduate management course. Authors Cocieru, Lyle, Hindman, and McDonald examine how the simulation exercise created within an undergraduate U.S. business school course affected the lived experience of those students after graduation. Qualitative analysis showed that students reported positive effects of simulation participation, noting that participation provided them with useful work skills, opportunities to try different work roles, and resources to adapt to school-to-work transitions. The authors cite the importance of such simulation activities in the classroom in terms of helping students practice making decisions, learn collaboratively, and increase understanding of concepts in an applied way.
Three of the articles in this issue examine experiential learning within specific curricula. One of these articles, “Course Design for Leadership Learning in an Experiential Program,” qualitatively examined data from faculty interviews, student reflections, and course syllabi in order to consider how leadership learning took place within specific kinds of course design. Authors Penry and Son conclude that student learning about leadership takes place optimally when courses are structured flexibly and cooperatively, when faculty instruct about specific concepts, and when faculty receive focused coaching.
The second of these articles, “A Phenomenological Study of Intensive Experiential Learning for University Faculty Professional Development,” considers faculty experiences of a professional development program focused on natural disasters and which included a field experience. This study by Rodriguez, Dooley, and Roberts examined qualitative data from faculty interviews, concluding that experiential learning for faculty can improve teaching capacity, enabling instructors to teach about complex social issues. The third article in this issue considering experiential learning within a specific curriculum is “A Community Mental Health and Well-being University Level Course: Design and Implementation,” by Pozzulo, Vettese, and Stone. This study described a novel course for undergraduate students in psychology at a Canadian university. The course combined classroom learning with a placement in a university support service, such as campus safety, sexual assault center, student disability services, etc. The authors assert that this kind of course provides both experiential learning about mental health, as well as community support.
The next two articles in this issue address issues among outdoor and residential treatment staff. The first of these is “Experienced and Inexperienced Staff: Exploring the Differences,” by Ewert, Davidson, Direnzo, and Frankel. This article investigated the connection between outdoor staff's years of experience, gender, and age on their resiliency, coping, mental toughness, anxiety, job positivity, and burnout. Using quantitative analyses of self-report measures, the authors found that longer experience in the outdoor industry correlated with higher job positivity, lower anxiety, and lower burnout. They note the importance of the finding to outdoor industry programs, highlighting the need to retain staff longer term and thereby potentially enhancing staff well-being and job satisfaction.
The other article in this issue concerning staff is “The Witnesses, the Mediators, and the Treatment Plan Promoters: A Phenomenological Study of Residential Facility Staff Members’ Roles as Companions on Wilderness Journeys,” by Malka and Haas. This study considered how staff at a residential treatment center in Israel experienced their roles as they accompanied youth on wilderness therapy expeditions facilitated by professionals external to the residential program. Using qualitative data from in-depth interviews, the authors conclude that the residential staff saw themselves as witnesses of youth experience, promoters of youths’ treatment plans, and mediators between youth and the various social systems with which they interact. The authors conclude that the findings have important implications for residential treatment programs and staff.
The final article in this issue is distinct from the others in that it examines Ugandan farmers’ experiential learning. Authors Ochago, Dentoni, and Mahdad consider how Ugandan farmers’ role identities supported or inhibited their experiential learning. Using qualitative data from individual farmer interviews and focus groups, as well as quantitative data from surveys, the authors conclude that farmers’ identities shape how they learn. They assert that agricultural workers should consider farmers’ identities in order to achieve optimal training goals.
Together, the 11 articles in this issue speak to the diversity of settings within experiential education. Experiential learning takes place in the classroom, in the university community, in faculty training, in staff experiences, and in Ugandan farms. This diversity of settings and approaches exemplifies the strength in this field: experiential learning takes place in so many environments and among many different populations. We as readers gain from understanding the best practices that happen in these environments.