Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
SERVICE-LEARNING TO ADVANCE ACCESS AND SUCCESS: BRIDGING INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY CAPACITY, ss.309-333, 2019 (SSCI)
Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, to teach civic responsibility, and to strengthen communities. This study describes Turkish preservice English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perceptions and their reflected experiences in a service-learning course which required student teachers to participate, in teams, in various community service activities and to reflect upon their experiences. The study employs a multiple-case study research design incorporating qualitative data from three sources: focus-group interviews, written reflections, and course projects. The three sets of service-learning projects produced by the teacher candidates focused on visiting the rest homes, teaching the disabled, and teaching English in a school. Qualitative analysis of data suggests that service-learning can be an effective pedagogical tool to help promote teacher candidates' empowerment, increase their awareness of community issues, as well as their confidence in meeting community needs. Suggestions are offered to give insights into service-learning programs in local and global contexts.