The Integration of Community Service Learning and Reflection in a Post-Secondary Chemistry Lab

Ho, Karen

The Integration of Community Service Learning and Reflection in a Post-Secondary Chemistry Lab

dc.contributor.advisor	Clark, Douglas B.
dc.contributor.author	Ho, Karen
dc.contributor.committeemember	Bohac-Clarke, Veronika Elizabeth
dc.contributor.committeemember	Friesen, Sharon L.
dc.contributor.committeemember	Koh, Kim Hong
dc.contributor.committeemember	McCollum, Brett
dc.date	2023-11
dc.date.accessioned	2023-07-06T17:58:47Z
dc.date.available	2023-07-06T17:58:47Z
dc.date.issued	2023-06
dc.description.abstract	This manuscript-based dissertation was prompted by first and second-year university students' challenges in learning chemistry due to the traditional focus of chemistry labs on recalling information rather than applying critical thinking. The three manuscripts (Chapters 2 to 4) in this dissertation explore the possibility of supporting students’ meaningful learning through the integration of Community Service Learning (CSL) and Reflection in the Analytical Chemistry II lab. This multi-year project analyzes three different cohorts of students. Chapter 2 (Manuscript 1) focuses on the CSL design intervention and students’ attitudes toward the service learning activity. Post-instructional surveys were completed, and the data was analyzed using a mixed methodological approach. All learners self-reported favourable engagement, attitudes, and higher self-confidence after the CSL activity. Chapter 3 (Manuscript 2) builds on the previous chapter by exploring how intentional reflection enhances students’ conscious awareness of their learning. A series of reflective essays were assigned at the beginning, during, and after the CSL activity. Reflective essays, focus group interviews, and student observations were collected from fourteen students using a case study methodology. Students articulated their learning progression across three phases: (a) connection with and contribution to the world, (b) identification of areas that are missing and development of reasoning abilities, and (c) integration in learning. Students reported liking the reflective essays because they enhanced their abilities to develop self-competency in learning. Chapter 4 (Manuscript 3) further extends this research by exploring students' attitudes toward a range of different reflective strategies. Content analysis was selected as both methodology and method to analyze the data from reflective writings, reflective discussions, and scrapbook reflections. The combination of reflective exercises supported students in recognizing the interconnections between the ideas they were learning. In addition, the step-by-step process of teaching reflection increased students’ comfort level and willingness to learn Chemistry. Chapter 5 concludes that the integration of CSL and Reflection can serve an important role in students’ academic enhancement, personal growth, and civic engagement while supporting practical skills and intellectual stimulation in the laboratory.
dc.identifier.citation	Ho, K. (2023). The integration of community service learning and reflection in a post-secondary chemistry lab (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/116703
dc.identifier.uri	https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/41545
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Werklund School of Education
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	reflection
dc.subject	community service learning
dc.subject	teaching and learning
dc.subject	laboratory
dc.subject	chemistry education
dc.subject.classification	Education
dc.title	The Integration of Community Service Learning and Reflection in a Post-Secondary Chemistry Lab
dc.type	doctoral thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Education Graduate Program – Educational Research
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Education (EdD)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.