Learning relationships in community-based service-learning: a social network analysis.

Area of Science:

• Social Network Analysis in Health Professions Education
• Allied Health Service-Learning
• Student Learning Networks

Background:

• Limited understanding of social learning dynamics in community-based clinical placements for allied health students.
• Need to identify and support effective learning relationships within these placements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify learning relationships and sources for students in community-based allied health service-learning programs.
• To analyze the structure of student learning networks across different learning domains.

Main Methods:

• Social learning network survey administered to a cohort of 10 allied health students.
• Exploration of learning relationships (ties) with various roles (alters) across four domains: clinical knowledge, procedural skills, professional development, and complex determinants of health.
• Application of exponential random graph models (ERGMs) to analyze network structure and relational processes.

Main Results:

• Students reported significant learning from academic supervisors, peers (reciprocal relationships), and local administrative staff.
• Peer learning was prominent in clinical knowledge, procedural skills, and professional development domains.
• Local administrative staff were key sources for learning about complex determinants of health and local context.

Conclusions:

• Social network analysis provides insights into enhancing learning in community-based service-learning.
• Students value learning from peers and administrative personnel, extending beyond direct placement content.
• Educators can leverage these findings to prepare students as agentic learners, utilizing diverse learning relationships.