Learning in the context of partnership
Trainee and intern psychologists’ reflections on community-based service learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21504/ajhece.v1i1.2480Keywords:
Community-based service learning (CBSL), training psychologists, building partnerships, psychology internships, postgraduate learningAbstract
For a number of years, community-based service learning (CBSL) has been a key element of the Community Psychology module in the Master’s programme for training psychologists at Rhodes University. In 2022, CBSL was consolidated to become central to the whole programme, with a focus on providing services in a partnership with the Assumption Development Centre (ADC). After introducing a model showing how students gradually move from sensitisation to social justice issues at undergraduate levels towards conscientisation as postgraduates, this paper will reflect on the interface between the professional training programmes and the community-based partnership with the ADC. Following a brief background about the partnership’s development, we describe the structure of the CBSL and its integration into the curricula. We provide evidence of its impact on both the firstyear master’s students, and the second year Counselling Psychology Interns. These data draw from the trainee psychologists’ reflections, as reported in the Rhodes Psychology Clinic 2022 Annual Report; and the Intern Psychologists’ reflections, integrated into the 2022 ADC Counselling Hub Annual Report. A thematic analysis of the reflections illustrates the commonalities in the accounts of learning, as well as the deepened insights and shifts evident in the accounts. The reported reflective learning is then considered both practically and theoretically, with recommendations for further development.
References
Akhurst, J. (2016). International community-based service learning: Two comparative case studies of benefits and tensions. Psychology Teaching Review, 22(2), 18-29. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1146558.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsptr.2016.22.2.18
Akhurst, J. (2017). Student experiences of community-based service learning during Masters’ level training, as related to critical community psychology practice. Journal of New Generation Sciences, 15(1), 1-20. https://journals.co.za/toc/newgen/15/1
Akhurst, J., & Mitchell, C. (2012). International community-based work placements for UK psychology undergraduates: An evaluation of three cohorts’ experiences. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 11(30), 401-405. https://doi.org/10.2304/plat.2012.11.3.401 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2304/plat.2012.11.3.401
Akhurst, J. & Msomi, N. (2022). Building partnerships for Community-based service learning in poverty-stricken and systemically disadvantaged communities. In C. Kagan, J. Akhurst, J. Alfaro, A. Zambrano, R. Lawthom and M. Richards (Eds). Routledge International Handbook of Community Psychology: Facing Global Crises with Hope (pp.325-339). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429325663-26
Akhurst, J., Solomon, V., Mitchell, C., & van der Riet, M. (2016). Embedding Community-Based Service Learning into Psychology Degrees at UKZN, South Africa. Educational Research for Social Change, 5(2), 136-150. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2221-4070/2016/v5i2a9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/2221-4070/2016/v5i2a9
Arcidiacono, C. (2017). The community psychologist as reflective plumber. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, 8, 1–16. https://www.gjcpp.org/pdfs/1Arcidiacono FINAL.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.7728/0801201701
Aron, A., & Corne, S. (Eds.). 1996. Ignacio Martín-Baró: Writings for a liberation psychology. Harvard University Press. Bahammam, H. A., & Bahammam, S. A. (2023), Service-learning’s impact on dental students’ attitude to community service. BMC Medical Education, 23(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04045-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04045-2
Bender, C. J. G., Daniels, P., Lazarus, J., Naude, L., & Sattar, K. (2006). Service-Learning in the curriculum: A resource for Higher Education Institutions. Council on Higher Education.
Blouin, D. D., & Perry, E. M. (2009). Whom does service-learning really serve? Community-based organizations’ perspectives on service-learning. Teaching Sociology, 37(2), 120-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X0903700201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X0903700201
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Burton, M., & Kagan, C. (2005). Marginalization. In G. Nelson & I. Prilleltensky (Eds), Community psychology: In pursuit of liberation and well-being (pp. 293–308). Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-21400-2_14
Carolissen, R. (2006). Teaching community psychology into obscurity: A reflection on community psychology in South Africa. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 16(2), 177-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2006.10820120 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2006.10820120
Chika-James, T. A., Salem, T., & Oyet, M. C. (2022). Our gains, pains and hopes: Community partners’ perspectives of service-learning in an undergraduate business education. SAGE Open, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211069390 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211069390
Claridge, T. (2018). Functions of social capital – bonding, bridging, linking. Social Capital Research, 20, 1-7. https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/wp-content/ uploads/2018/11/Functions-of-Social-Capital.pdf
De Bonis, R. (2015). Effects of service-learning on graduate nursing students: Care and advocacy for the impoverished. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(1), 36-40. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20151214-09 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20151214-09
Department of Education (DoE). (1997). Education White Paper 3. A Programme for Higher Education Transformation. Government Gazette No. 18207, 15 August 1997. Government Printers.
Evans, A. C. (2020). What does it mean to give psychology away? Monitor on Psychology, 51 (8), 8. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/11/ceo
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Penguin. Gunaratna, N. S., Johnson, C. A., & Stevens, J. R. (2007). Service-Learning for Graduate student through a student-run consulting program. Journal of Statistics Education, 15(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691898.2007.11889463 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10691898.2007.11889463
Hammersley, L. (2012). Community based service-learning: Partnerships of reciprocal exchange? In M. Campbell (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2012 Australian Collaborative Education Network National Conference (pp. 103-108). Australian Collaborative Education Network.
Kagan, C., Burton, M., Duckett, P., Lawthom, R., & Siddiquee, A. (2020). Critical community psychology: Critical action and social change (2nd ed.). Routledge. Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice Hall. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429431500
Lazarus, P. J. (2007). Embedding service learning in South African Higher Education: The catalytic role of the CHESP initiative. Education as Change, 11(3), 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/16823200709487182 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/16823200709487182
Letseka, M. In defence of Ubuntu. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 31(1), 47-60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-011-9267-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-011-9267-2
Levkoe, C. Z., Friendly, A., & Daniere, A. (2020). Community Service-Learning in Graduate Planning Education. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 40(1), 92-103. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X18754318 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X18754318
Mapaling, C., & Cherrington, A. M. (2022). Promoting community well-being at personal, relational and collective levels: A positive psychology perspective. In M. Visser, R. Carolissen, J. Akhurst and N. Matamela (Eds). Community psychology: South African praxis (pp. 225 - 243).Van Schaik.
Miller, G. (1969). Psychology as a means of promoting human welfare. American Psychologist, 24(12), 1063-1075. https://doi.org/10.1037/H0028988 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0028988
Mitchell, T. (2008). Traditional vs. critical service-learning: Engaging the literature to differentiate two models. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 14(2), 50-65. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ831374.pdf
Mkabela, Q. N. (2015). Ubuntu as a foundation for researching African indigenous psychology. Indilinga African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, 14(2), 284-291. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC183440
Naidoo, A., Duncan, N., Roos, V., Pillay, J. & Bowman, B. (2007). Analysis, context and action: An introduction to community psychology. In N. Duncan, B. Bowman, A. Naidoo, J. Pillay & V. Roos (Eds.), Community psychology: Analysis, context and action (pp. 9-23). UCT Press.
Nguyen, C.-H. (2016). Partners for success. Journal for Service-Learning, Leadership, and Social Change, 5(2), Article 3. https://opus.govst.edu/iujsl/vol5/iss2/3
Owens, T. R., & Wang, C. (1996) Community-based learning: A foundation for meaningful educational reform. Service Learning, General, 37. https://digitalcommons.unomaha. edu/slceslgen/37
Perry, W. G. Jr. (1998). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years: a scheme. Jossey- Bass.
Puntil, D., Dias, G., Kralj, C., Deplessis, C., Rylance-Watson, E., Ma, C., & Zunszain, P. A. (2022). Connecting Postgraduate Students and Older Adults in the Community to Support Wellbeing: A Service-Learning Module During COVID-19 and Beyond. Student Success, 13(3), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.2481 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.2481
Ratele. K. (2019). The world looks like this from here: Thoughts on African Psychology. Wits University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18772/12019093900
Ratele, K., Dlamini, S., Malherbe, N., & Suffla, S. (2022). African-centred Community Psychology. In M. Visser, R. Carolissen, J. Akhurst and N. Matamela (Eds). Community psychology: South African praxis (pp.75-91). Van Schaik.
Ratele, K., & Malherbe, N. (2022). Liberatory Africa(n)-Centred Community Psychology of Psychosocial Change. In S. Kessi, S. Suffla, & M. Seedat (Eds). Decolonial enactments in Community Psychology (pp. 13–27). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030- 75201-9_2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75201-9_2
Roe, L. (2021). Graduate service-learning experiences and career preparation: An exploration of student perceptions. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 25(2), 183. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1342741.pdf
Roe, L. (2023). Applying andragogy to service-learning in graduate education: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 29(1), 147-169. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714221079368 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714221079368
Salleh, M. S., Mokhtar, M., Suhairom, N., Abdullah, A. H., Ibrahim, N. H., & Zaid, N. M. (2018). Impact of Service Learning from the Perspectives of UTM Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students. Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience, 24(1), 12-14. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2018.11904 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2018.11904
Sandy, M., & Holland, B. A. (2006). Different worlds and common ground: Community partner perspectives on campus-community partnerships. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 13(1), 30-43. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ843845. pdf
Schwartz, J. E. (2002). The value of education & certification in the dental office. Dental Assistant, 71(5), 26. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/value-educationcertification- dental-office/docview/220294646/se-2
Stanton, T. K., & Erasmus, M. A. (2013). Inside Out, Outside In: A Comparative Analysis of Service-Learning’s Development in the United States and South Africa. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 17(1), 61-94. https://files.eric.ed.gov/ fulltext/EJ1005300.pdf
Stoecker, R. (2009). Are we talking the walk of community-based research? Action Research, 7(4), 385-404. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476750309340944 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1476750309340944
Torrecilla, J. S., Cancilla, J. C., & Lopez-Martin, E. (2020). Service-Learning at the Postgraduate Level to Reach Depressed Sectors of Society. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 20 (9), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v20i9.3636 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v20i9.3636
Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Original work published 1934). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/11193-000
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge University Press. World Health Organisation (2014). Social determinants of mental health. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/112828/9789241506809_eng.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803932
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Professor Jacqui Akhurst , Nqobile Msomi, Anneliese Maritz
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
