How Community College Nursing Faculty View Service Learning Integration

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of
community college nursing faculty related to the integration of service learning. An
exploratory case study was conducted at three Florida community college nursing
programs. The data were collected primarily through structured interviews with 14
community college nursing professors, three nursing administrators, and one service
learning coordinator along with document analysis and site observation.
The researcher posed six research questions related to service learning integration.
These six questions addressed: (a) the differentiation of service programs at the three
sites, (b) the meaning of service learning, (c) faculty motivation to use service learning,
(d) institutional supports needed by nursing faculty, (e) the obstacles that nursing faculty
face, and (f) the strategies they use to overcome them. The major conclusions were that community college nursing faculty members are
vital to the integration of service learning and need training in service learning
procedures. Service learning has potential for further development in community college
nursing programs and may lead to a perspective change in how nursing students view the
social dynamics of nursing. Time and workload obstacles, along with confusion
regarding service learning, clinicals and community service have contributed to the slow
growth of SL in nursing programs. There is a need for new models to guide service
learning integration in nursing education. Two models for integration of service learning
into community college nursing are offered. Recommendations for practice, educational
leadership and further research are presented.