Examining Community Service-Learning Process Through Reflective Journals`

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine Community Service Learning (CSL) process through reflective journals of the pre-school teacher candidates. Phenomenology, which is a type of qualitative research method, was used in this research. Research was conducted with pre-school teacher candidates who took CSL lesson during the 2011-2012 academic year spring semester. In the research, unstructured reflective journals were used in order to determine the views of teacher candidates on CSL activities. Journals were subjected to descriptive analysis. Findings obtained from the journals provided the opportunity to determine how they perceive CSL, how they conduct the community service process, what kind of activities they perform, which problems they face and what kind of attainments they obtained. As a result of the research, it is determined that teacher candidates faced many social phenomena and events during the CSL process, developed several projects in the context of community service, became more aware of the individual properties in the CSL process, encountered many problems during practice, used various strategies to overcome these problems and
they also considered community service learning as an experience that provides positive benefits.