Students‟ reflections on the attainment of competencies in a community service-learning module in human movement science

Abstract

Community service-learning (CSL) is advocated as a pedagogical tool to impart knowledge, attitudes and skills to students. This study aimed at determining whether community service-learning was a suitable method of instruction for recreation students to acquire the competencies needed in the field. Competencies needed in the recreation industry were identified in the literature and in job descriptions on the internet. The findings suggested that communication skills, group dynamics and diversity, management and self-evaluation were competencies that were most important in the recreation industry. Through the use of various qualitative research techniques, students‟ perceptions of the gaining of competencies in a community service-learning module were obtained. The results suggest that community service-learning could be used as a valuable tool for developing competencies to students in the recreation field.

Key words: Recreation, competency, community service-learning, reflection.