Undergraduate Perceptions of Teaching Science Abroad as a Service-Learning Experience

Abstract

Service-learning is a type of experiential education, contextualizing classroom knowledge into real-world experiences. In this study, we investigated a course with an integrated service-learning component of teaching science to children in Kenya to learn more about how participants perceived their experiences. Using surveys, we found that the undergraduates who participated in this service-learning experience felt that they were more connected to their academic major and gained new or strengthened relationships. This experience allowed students to gain new perspectives about their studies or the world, and make deeper connections between classroom knowledge and the real-world context.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website

Notes

¹ The term street kids is a Kenyan term for unhoused youth, and is not derogatory in the Kenyan context.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Flora L. Thornton Endowment and Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) at Pepperdine University, summer 2022.

Notes on contributors

Krista L. Lucas

a

Krista L. Lucas ([email protected]) is a member of the biology faculty at Pepperdine University, where she also researches the undergraduate experience. She primarily studies science identity and belonging in higher education.

Loan P. Kim

b

Loan P. Kim ([email protected]), professor of nutritional science and public health, researches the impact of environmental factors on the health of communities. She is passionate about engaging students in experiential learning about global health issues.

Vanessa Zubas

c

Vanessa Zubas ([email protected]) is a senior nutritional science major at Pepperdine University. After graduation, she plans to earn her master’s degree in nutrition or a related field and become a registered dietitian nutritionist.

Amanda Kiang

d

Amanda Kiang ([email protected]) is a senior nutritional science major who hopes to pursue a career in healthcare after graduating from Pepperdine University.

Donna Nofziger

e

Donna Nofziger ([email protected]) is professor of biology at Pepperdine University. Her research and teaching focus on the cellular processes regulating key events in developmental biology.

Hung Le

f

Hung Le ([email protected]) serves as Pepperdine’s senior vice chancellor and directs the university’s international program in which students integrate their classroom learning and research with hands-on service.