A Bifocal Analysis of Service-learning Program in Teacher Education

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education

Year: 2025

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A Bifocal Analysis of Service-learning Program in Teacher Education

Jesús Gil-Gómez, Manuel Martí-Puig, Sheila Parra-Gómez, Celina Salvador-García

ABSTRACT:

The AVATAR project is a research aimed at addressing current challenges related to the construction of an inclusive society and personal well-being, focused on the educational field and initial teacher training. Its methodological axis is Service-Learning (SL), from which two main lines of research are developed: (A) the possibilities for improvement offered by SL in initial teacher training -especially in the development of values, professional identity, well-being and mental health, as well as in the acquisition of pedagogical skills and disciplinary knowledge-; and (B) the social benefit generated in the socio-community environment, through attention to disadvantaged populations and the promotion of inclusion.
The methodological design adopted is mixed, convergent, integrating quantitative data-through a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group- and qualitative data, analyzed from a phenomenological interpretative approach to experiences. AVATAR gives continuity to previous projects of the ENDAVANT research group of the Jaume I University and to collaborations with other universities through the RIADIS Network.
A high social and educational impact is expected, since SL favors the transfer of knowledge and the comprehensive training of future teachers, considering personal, professional and social dimensions. The project incorporates the gender perspective in a transversal way, both in its approach and in the analysis of results. Among the transfer products, the preparation of a practical guide for collaborating groups stands out, with the aim of generalizing its application and responding to a need detected in the educational field.
*Funding: This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (PID2023-150425OB-I00)

Keywords: Diversity, Higher Education, Inclusion, Professional Identity, Well-Being