A Service Learning Program Enhancing Learners’ Early Literacy and Pre-Service Teachers’ 21st-Century Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2024.0452Keywords:
21st-century skills, Early literacy, Pre-service teachers, Service learning programAbstract
Service Learning Program(SLP) is encouraged in all courses in the University of Saint Louis as a strategy in the teaching and learning process. In response to this, the Teacher-Education department developed a structured SLP named Project TEACHER (Tutorial for Engagement, Advancement, and Collaboration towards Holistic Educational Reform), which caters primarily to the needs of daycare learners. This study aimed to describe the effects of SLP on learners' early literacy. It focuses on the foundational skills of reading, writing, and phonemic awareness. Furthermore, the study also described the program's effect on the development of the 21st-century skills of the pre-service teachers. Coordinators of the program coordinated with the Early Child and Care and Development (ECCD) center at Linao East, and the Early Learning Observation and Rating Scale (ELORS) was used to identify learners needing additional early literacy assistance. It was the same tool used to monitor the progress of the learners. Data from 17 learners who completed the five tutorial sessions were included in this study. Using a paired-sample t-test, this study revealed that the project TEACHER significantly affects the learners' reading and phonemic awareness skills but not their writing skills. Meanwhile, the 26 pre-service teachers involved in the program were interviewed. Thematic analysis of their answers revealed that the program was effective for the following skills: communication, socio-emotional, collaboration, adaptability and flexibility, social responsibility, and classroom management. Hence, the project TEACHER is an effective SLP as it enhances the learners' early literacy skills and helps develop 21st-century skills among pre-service teachers. However, further planning must be done to make it effective for the learners' writing skills.
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