The aim of this research was to examine determinants of service learning in Ethiopian
Universities with a view to suggesting remedial solutions. Qualitative case study was
employed to understand management of service learning in the purposively selected
three case Universities. Data were collected from interns, mentors, department heads,
Academic Vice Presidents, service learning office heads and agency supervisors
through semi-structured interviews. Besides, focus group discussion with interns and
document review were conducted. Collected data were analysed through narration.
Service learning is used for pedagogical necessities, personal and civic development,
career development and social responsibility in the Ethiopian Universities. However, its
application is challenged by several factors. Product curricular model, low time ration for
community service, limited teachers' involvement and discipline-based curriculum
framework were identified as major hindrances to service learning implementation. As a
result, most students and teachers were not committed to service learning. For
instance, in government Universities, service learning offices were not well-organised.
Partnership agreements were either weak or not in place, as a result, the majority of
interns were placed based on their preferences. Resistance not to host was also found
to be a common factor. An interesting finding of this study is that privileging interns for
self-identification of hosting organisations resulted in dispersed and individualised
placement that caused interns to develop feeling of strangeness and insecurity.
Moreover, this placement hindered collaborative learning with their peers. Assessment
error, absence of service learning programme evaluation and shortage of budget were
common problems. Hence, the following suggestions along with a proposed strategy
are recommended.
Considering these challenges, the following recommendations are made. Service
learning should be applied in a wider scale from junior through senior courses in the
Universities. The curriculum should be designed to include extensive context-based and
interdisciplinary-learning approaches. Government Universities should strengthen
service learning offices. Placement of interns should mainly be based on partnership
agreement. Time ration for community services and research functions should be
increased to at least 50%. And lastly, Universities should closely support agency
supervisors and arrange evaluation forums and celebrity events. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/26456 |
| Date | 09 1900 |
| Creators | Tesfaye Amsalu Birhanu |
| Contributors | Mokoena, Sello P. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xvii, 260 leaves) : illustrations (chiefly color), application/pdf |
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