INFLUENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY SERVICE-LEARNING ON PROFESSIONAL SKILL OF STUDENTS FROM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT DEGREE

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the perception of the professional competence of students who are attending Physical Activity and Sport (PAS) related degrees, participating in University Service-Learning (USL) projects, according to their sex and age, as well as the profile of the group recipient of these projects. 211 students from seven Spanish universities participated in the study (male = 88, female = 123). Their age ranged between 19 and 35 and all students were participants of USL projects in PAS with nine different vulnerable groups. The instrument used to determine the professional learning and effects of USL in PAS was the scale “Service-Learning in Physical Activity” (S-LPA, E-ASAF in Spanish). Six dimensions form S-LPA: learning, pedagogical value, social impact, professional development, professional skills and opinion. With regard to the relationship between the characteristics of the students and the results, gender (men and women), age range (<20 years, 21-24 years and >25 years) and the types of recipient groups in this study (functional, social and cultural/religious diversity) were studied. Statistical analyses were carried out using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). All dimensions of the scale were significant except the social impact and professional skills. Gender, age range and type of recipient group showed significant differences with respect to the dimensions of the S-LPA scale. In addition, the interaction between type of recipient group/gender and type of recipient group/age range showed a relationship with the dimension of pedagogical value and professional development. In conclusion, this study shows the relationship of the USL with the consolidation of curricular content and the perception of professional learning in PAS students, as well as the relation with factors such as the sex, the age of the students and the type of recipient groups.