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Integration of a service-learning component into a course on nursing care for children with developmental disorders:
1Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
Background:
Service-learning provides nursing students with hands-on experience in a real-world setting. Students learn how to care for others and manage their emotions.
Aim:
This study examined the effectiveness of integrating service-learning into a nursing course on nursing care for children with developmental disorders.
Design:
This was a mixed-methods study with two pretest-posttest quantitative analyses and a qualitative component.
Methods:
Nursing students (N = 74) enrolled in a semester-long course in nursing care for children with developmental disorders participated in the study. Data were collected between February 2017 and June 2021. The service-learning part of the course assigned teams of two to three students to provide nursing care for a child (ages 5-19 years) diagnosed with a developmental disorder. At the conclusion of the course, students presented a short video with reflections of their experiences. Pretest versus post-test scores compared mid-term and final exam scores regarding knowledge of children with developmental disorders and scores on a 9-item self-report instrument on service-learning skills. Self-reflections from the video presentation provided qualitative data about the impact on students' awareness of the caregiving needs of children with developmental disorders.
Results:
The mean final exam scores were significantly higher compared with midterm scores (96.12, (SD = 4.63) vs 94.82 (SD = 12.08); F = 6.81, p < .001), indicating knowledge of developmental disabilities had increased. Pretest vs posttest scores for service-learning skills indicated confidence had significantly increased (p < .001). Students' video reports indicated sensitivity to the challenges and needs of these children had increased.
Conclusions:
Service-learning exposed nursing students to the challenges and rewards of caring for children with developmental disorders. Knowledge, as well as confidence, increased. Nurse educators could easily integrate service-learning into courses required as part of the curriculum for pediatric nursing students.
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