Significant socio-emotional learning and improvement of empathy in physiotherapy students through service learning methodology: A mixed methods research

Abstract

Background: Research into service learning (SL) in education has increased since the 1990s.In higher education physiotherapy programmes, this technique is used to achieve real practical learning and to grasp how to recognize and manage emotions, to be concerned for others and to take decisions in clinical contexts.Objectives: To create a community experience through SL methodology for physiotherapy university students and to analyse their perceptions of the learning experience and changes in empathy Design: A mixed research method, a quasi-experimental quantitative approach with pre-and post-measurements of a single group and a qualitative approach through reflective diaries subjected to a contents analysis Participants: 29 students of the Faculty of Health Sciences (Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy) designed and put into practice a workshop for promoting physical activity in 277 children from the first and the sixth year of compulsory primary education. Methods:The project was divided into three phases: planning, performing and reflecting on the service. At the start, participants completed a questionnaire to determine their scale of empathy on the Interpersonal Reactive Index (IRI).One week after performing the service they handed over reflective diaries and completed a second IRI scale survey. An analysis was carried out of the contents of the reflective diaries 3 Results: Twenty-nine students agreed to participate. These learners consolidated their skills in the subject, indicating their satisfaction with the significant learning they achieved. The IRI scale showed a significant improvement in the Personal Distress dimension (p=0.002). Conclusions: Active learning in the context of processes of a participatory and reflective type implies greater understanding of the phenomenon studied. It allows an enhance awareness of the importance of inclusivity and involvement of users in the context of clinical practice. It also provides socio-emotional learning, improving interpersonal abilities and the capacity to face up to stressful situations.

Emotional and Educational Accompaniment through Dialogic Literary Gatherings: A Volunteer Project for Families Who Suffer Digital Exclusion in the Context of COVID-19

“…From the volunteers' point of view, participation in this activity led to increased well-being, and this result was consistent with previous studies in the areas of volunteering and solidarity actions [28][29][30][31][32]. The volunteers explained how they had developed a series of interesting competencies, especially their capacity for "citizenship, inclusion, and diversity", "social commitment" and "personal growth".…”

“…Solidarity is "the most important task that modern societies entrust to educational systems" [25] (p. 201), a point of view that is consistent with other studies [26,27]. It is also necessary to highlight the importance of volunteering promoted by initiatives such as learning communities as an alternative to the difficulties indicated above [28][29][30][31][32].…”

The impact of a participatory intervention on the therapeutic relationship in mental health nurses: A multicentre study

“…For the remaining secondary outcomes evaluated, the impact of the intervention varied. In the case of empathy, as in other studies, there were no significant changes in most of the dimensions (Avasarala et al, 2015;Imran et al, 2013;Rodríguez-Nogueira et al, 2020;Webster, 2010;Zeppegno et al, 2015). Significant changes were only observed in the case of empathic concern.…”

Examining the Association between Evidence-Based Practice and Burnout among Spanish Physical Therapists: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This dimension, closely related to empathy, refers to an attempt to set a distance between oneself and the recipients of the service, making their demands more manageable [ 37 , 38 ]. Several studies suggest that women in health care are more empathetic [ 39 , 40 , 41 ], which could justify a greater resistance to emotional distancing and impersonal treatment.…”