Potential of Service-Learning in Social Work Education: Experiences of Three Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.25.1.10Keywords:
service-learning, social work educationAbstract
The study provides an answer to the question of the potential of service-learning in social work education in the context of the current challenges of the social work profession. Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that combines service with education to develop students' knowledge, skills, and civic engagement while solving community problems and challenges. The study reflects the theoretical background and examples of service-learning integration into social work education in Slovakia, Ukraine, and Georgia. Experience shows that the service-learning strategy can develop specific competencies necessary for the performance of social work in practice and has the potential to respond to current challenges of social work in the early stages of the professionalization of social workers.
References
Abel, C. F. (2004). A justification of the philanthropic model. In B. W. Speck & S. L. Hoppe (Eds.), Service-learning: History, theory, and issues (pp. 45–58). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Association of Educators in Social Work in Slovakia. (2014). Minimum Standards of Practice Education in the Social Work Study. https://www.asvsp.org/english/
Barth, M., Adombent, M., Fischer, D., Richter, S., & Reckmann, M. (2014). Learning to Change Universities from Within: A service-learning Perspective on Promoting Sustainable Consumption in Higher Education. Journal of Cleaner Production, 62, 72–81. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.04.006
Boiko, O., & Kabachenko, N. (2016). Social Work Formation in Ukraine. International Journal for Transformative Social Policy and Practice, 1, 35-40. http://ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/bitstream/handle/123456789/11682/Boiko_Social_W ork_Formation_in_Ukraine.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1996). Implementing Service-Learning in Higher Education. Journal of Higher Education, 67(2), 221–239. DOI: 10.1080/00221546.1996.11780257
Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2000). Institutionalization of Service Learning in Higher Education. The Journal of Higher Education, 71(3), 273–290. DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2000.11780823
Brozmanova Gregorova, A. (2013). Možnosti využitia service-learning v pregraduálnej príprave sociálnych pracovníkov a pracovníčok. In B. Balogová, M. Skyba, & D. Šoltésová (Eds.), Pregraduálna príprava sociálnych pracovníkov, pracovníčok a sociológov, sociologičiek a možnosti ich uplatnenia v praxi (pp. 77–88). Prešov: Prešovská univerzita v Prešove, Filozofická fakulta, Inštitút edukológie a sociálnej práce.
Brozmanová Gregorová, A. (Eds.). (2022). Service-learning in Youthwork: Handbook for youth workers. Banská Bystrica: Platform of Volunteer Centers and Organizations, 2021.
Brozmanová Gregorová, A., Heinzová, Z., Kurčíková, K., Šavrnochová, M., & Šolcová, J. (2019). Development of Social Work Student's Key Competences through Service-learning. Czech and Slovak Social Work, 2, 68-87.
Brozmanová Gregorová, A. (2024) A Long-Lasting Innovation in Social Work Practice Education Through Service-Learning in a Virtual Environment Established During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences from Slovakia. In: Guidi, R., Spatscheck, C. (eds) Social Work Practice Education Beyond the Pandemic. European Social Work Education and Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-66559-2_6
Burke, T. K. (2011). Educating Citizens and Professionals: Using Service-Learning to Enhance the Civic Element of Social Work Education. Advances in Social Work, 12(1), 21–32.
Campbell, M., & Bragg, N. (2007). The bigger picture: Social work educators' role in civic engagement. In M. Nadel, V. Majewski, & M. Sullivan-Cosetti (Eds.), Social work and service learning: Partnerships for social justice (pp. 209–218). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Council on Social Work Education. (2015). Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for Baccalaureate and Master’s Social Work Programs. Retrieved January 2020,
http://www.socialserviceworkforce.org/system/files/resource/files/Accredidation%20 Standards.pdf
Carnicelli, S., & Boluk, K. (2017). The promotion of social justice: Service learning for transformative education. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 21(B), 126-134. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhlste.2017.01.003.
Dostilio, L. D., & Perry, L. G. (2017). An explanation of community engagement Professionals as professionals and leaders. The community engagement professional in higher education: A competency model for an emerging field, 1-26.
Fiske, E. B. (2001). Learning in Deed: The Power of Service-Learning for American Schools. Battle Creek: W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Furco, A. (1996). Service-learning: A balanced approach to experiential education. Expanding Boundaries: Serving and Learning, pp. 1, 1–6.
Furco, A., & Holland, B. A. (2005). Institutionalizing Service-Learning in Higher Education: Issues and Strategies for Chief Academic Officers. Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California at Berkeley.
Furco, A. (2011). Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education. Expanding Boundaries: Service and Learning. Washington DC: Corporation for National Service.
Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training. (2019). Retrieved January 2020, from The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW): https://www.iassw-aiets.org/global-standards-for-social-work-education-and-training/
Green, S. (2009). Redesigning practice-education modules in social work as service-learning modules. In M. Moore & P. Lan Lin (Eds.), Service-learning in higher education (pp. 85–96). United States of America: University of Indianapolis Press.
Gusak, N., & Volhyna O. (2021). Key Competencies in Social Work through Field Placement: Teaching and Learning Cases in Ukraine during COVID-19. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 16(2), 88-112. DOI: 10.31265/jcsw.v16.i2.401
Hanover Research. (2011). Assessing Service-Learning Impacts at Higher Education Institutions. Retrieved March 05, 2018, from www.hanoverresearch.com
Heffernan, K. (2001). Service-learning in higher education. Journal of contemporary water research and education, 119(1), 2-8.
Jacoby, B. (2015). Service-Learning Essentials: Questions, Answers, and Lessons Learned. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Khiatani, P. V., She, M. H. C., Ho, O. Y. Y., & Liu, J. (2023). Service-learning under COVID-19: A scoping review of the challenges and opportunities for practicing service-learning in the ‘New Normal’ [Review of Service-learning under COVID-19: A scoping review of the challenges and opportunities for practicing service-learning in the ‘New Normal’]. International Journal of Educational Development, 100, 102813. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102813
Lemieux, C. M., & Allen, P. D. (2007). Service learning in social work education: The state of knowledge, pedagogical, practicalities, and practice conundrums. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(2), 309–325.
Lipčaková, M., & Matulayová, T. (2012). Service-learning in education in social work. In Challenges and trends in social work education: Proceedings of the international scientific conference held on 26-27 April 2012 (pp. 713–716). Prešov: FF PU.
Master of Social Work Program, University. (2019). Fieldwork manual. Tbilisi: State University Printing Press.
Matulayova, T. (2005). Dobrovoľníctvo vysokoškolských študentov odboru sociálna práca. In A. Tokárová, J. Kredátus, & V. Frk (Eds.), Kvalita života a rovnosť príležitostí z aspektu vzdelávania dospelých a sociálnej práce (pp. 713–716). Prešov: Vydavateľstvo FF PU v Prešove.
Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. (2019). Higher education in social work for master level (Standard No. 556). https://mon.gov.ua/storage/app/media/vishcha-osvita/zatverdzeni%20standarty/2019/05/06/231-sotsialna-robota-magistr.pdf [in Ukrainian]
Maccio, E. M. (2011). Graduate Social Work Students’ Attitudes Toward Service-Learning. In Journal of Teaching in Social Work (Vol. 31, Issue 2, p. 163). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2011.560539
Mitchell, T. D. (2008). Traditional vs. Critical Service-Learning: Engaging the Literature to Differentiate Two Models. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 14(2), 50–65.
Nadel, M., Majewski, V., & Sullivan-Cosetti, M. (2007). Social work and service learning: Partnerships for social justice. Lanham, MD, US: Rowman & Littlefield.
Naukma. (2020). Educational program in social work for master level (Order No. 2.2).
https://www.ukma.edu.ua/ects/index.php/fsnst/171-2018-06-13-09-07-54/mps [in Ukrainian]
Ornellas, A., Spolander, G., & Engelbrecht, L. K. (2018). The Global Social Work Definition: Ontology, Implications, and Challenges. Journal of Social Work, 18(2), 222–240.
Petracchi, H. E., Weaver, A., Schelbe, L., et al. (2016). Service Learning in Baccalaureate Social Work Education: Results of a National Survey of Accredited Programs. Journal of Social Journal of Social Work Education, 52(3), 325–336.
Phillips, A. (2011). Service-Learning and Social Work Competency-Based Education: A ‘Goodness of Fit’? Advances in Social Work, 12(1), 1–20.
Regina, C., & Ferrara, C. (2017). Service-Learning in Central and Eastern Europe - Handbook for Engaged Teachers and Students. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: CLAYSS. Retrieved from: http://www.clayss.org.ar/04_publicaciones/SL-EE_nov17.pdf.
Rusu, A. S., Bencic, A., & Hodor, T. (2014). Service-Learning programs for Romanian students – an analysis of international programs and ideas of implementation. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 142, 154–161. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.632
Sadzaglishvili, S. (2023). Teaching Social Work Management Through Service Learning. In M. Arnold (Ed.), Handbook of Applied Teaching and Learning in Social Work Management Education. Springer, Cham. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-18038-5_12
Schelbe, L., Petracchi, H. E., & Weaver, A. (2014). Benefits and Challenges of Service-Learning in Baccalaureate Social Work Programs. In Journal of Teaching in Social Work (Vol. 34, Issue 5, p. 480). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2014.954689
Skyba, M., & Šoltésová, D. (2014). Service-learning in the education of (school) social workers. Prešov: Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov in Prešov.
Watson, J. B., Jr. (2004). A justification of the civic engagement model. In B. W. Speck & S. L. Hoppe (Eds.), Service-learning: History, theory, and issues (pp. 73–84). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Zieren, G. R., & Stoddard, P. H. (2004). The historical origins of service-learning in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: The transplanted and indigenous traditions. In B. W. Speck & S. L. Hoppe (Eds.), Service-learning: History, theory, and issues (pp. 23–42). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Shorena Sadzaglishvili, Alzbeta Brozmanová Gregorová, Michaela Skyba, Nataliia Gusak, Tatiana Matulayová, Nataša Matulayová
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Social Work and Education is an open access journal. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Creative Commons «Attribution» 4.0