Design and validation of a questionnaire for selfassessment of university service-learning experiences

Abstract

The number of university teachers that use service-learning as an alternative to traditional teaching and learning methods is increasing rapidly. This reality highlights the need to have tools that facilitate the design, implementation and evaluation processes for this new educational method. Currently, resources for ensuring the quality of service-learning experiences are scarce and often not validated. This paper describes the procedure followed for the design of the Questionnaire for Self-Assessment of University Service- Learning Experiences and its validation using the modified Delphi method online, which is a qualitative technique that aims to provide a reliable group response. In this study, two rounds of consultation were conducted by email, involving 16 academic experts who assessed the relevance and clarity of the items. While the first round of consultation aimed to analyze the relevance and clarity of all items, in the second round the clarity of the items which had been reformulated was analyzed. Results on the construct and content validity suggested the elimination or reformulation of some of the initial items. The final questionnaire was composed of 41 relevant and clear items, which are estimated through a 5 point Likert scale. Finally, two possible ways of giving continuity to this work are presented: to the opinion of experts who participate in service-learning but are not academic in the validation process; and to undertake a psychometric validation of the questionnaire through intra-test and inter-test methods.