Incident-Based Storytelling in Service-Learning: Dental Learners' Experiences and Key Insights

Community service-learning (CSL) is increasingly used in education to promote oral health equity and social responsibility; however, few studies have examined how reflective incident-based storytelling narratives shape learner development within CSL contexts. This study aimed to explore how an incident-based storytelling reflective approach can contribute to the learning and professional development of undergraduate dental learners at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University in Canada.  .

Kolb's experiential learning theory (1984) guided the development of a structured, dynamic approach to writing incident-based storytelling narratives within the CSL program. After completing their CSL placements, learners submitted reflective essays based on this framework. Forty-nine essays were thematically analyzed using an inductive interpretive approach.

Three major themes emerged from the learners' reflective essays: (1) Barriers to accessing oral healthcare, (2) community-integrated care, and (3) personal and professional development. By recounting specific incidents and patient encounters, learners expressed increased awareness of the social determinants of health, and reflected on how these experiences deepened their understanding of cultural humility, empathy, and professional development.

Integrating incident-based storytelling narratives may contribute towards deeper understating of empathy and cultural humility, including barriers to dental care. These findings highlight the learners' immediate perceptions during CSL and highlight the potential of narrative reflection in dental profession as a transformative pedagogical tool in dental education.