Meaningful learning through reflective practice: insights from an interdisciplinary service-learning experience in higher education

Service Learning (SL) is an educational approach that combines practical community service experiences with academic know-how to promote the integral development of students. When this approach is interdisciplinary, it promotes collaboration between different scientific areas in addressing complex community issues, thus offering a unique opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts, while promoting a holistic understanding of social and cultural issues. Throughout the entire process of a SL experience, creating spaces for reflection plays a crucial role, allowing students to integrate their practical experiences with theoretical concepts, develop critical and ethical thinking skills, and build a deeper understanding of social and community issues. By integrating theory and practice, promoting critical and ethical thinking, and facilitating collaborative dialogue, these spaces play a vital role in building meaningful learning. Given the importance of these spaces, their creation must be planned and structured, keeping in mind the learning objectives inherent to the experience in question and the definition of a strategy (how, who, when, and where). In this context, this work intended to explore the definition of such spaces for reflection around an interdisciplinary service learning experience in higher education, the Capacitamente project, which aims to address the social and economic challenges faced by third-sector institutions, and its employees, consisting of its main mission in providing ongoing training for these employees. This experience involves two curricular units from two degrees: Work and Quality of Life, from the Psychology degree, and Social Economics, from the Social Service degree. The spaces created to encourage self-reflection and collaborative dialogue between everyone involved in the project (students, teachers, and collaborators from partner institutions) took different forms at three different moments: a first moment before the service to the community, a second moment during the service and a third moment after the service. The first reflection took the form of a debate in small groups formed by students, with a written record according to a grid provided. The focus of the reflection was on the SL methodology and the project Capacitamente, taking place inside the classroom. The second moment of reflection consisted of an individual task, also with a written record, in the form of a field diary, focusing on the expectations and dynamics inherent to the service to be provided. Finally, the third moment of reflection involved everyone (students, teachers, and partners) in an oral sharing of the results of the experience (in terms of knowledge and skills developed), taking place on the premises of the partner institutions. Highlighting the contributions of these spaces for reflection in the construction of learning, it is important to note that these spaces allowed a deeper integration between theory and practice, enabling students to apply academic concepts in real-world situations. Additionally, they encouraged the development of critical thinking skills as students questioned their assumptions and explored alternative perspectives on complex social issues. Through dialogue and collaboration developed in these reflection spaces, students also developed communication and teamwork skills, essential for success in academic and professional environments.