The Pre-Questionnaire

On the 3rd of August, two and a half weeks before the first practical, the pre-questionnaire was administered by me after the introductory talk about service-learning and the research project that I gave to the second years. Hence all the students answered and returned the questionnaire to me timeously. All the students at the lecture had signed informed consent forms and therefore every questionnaire received in that session was used for research purposes.

The first three sections of the questionnaire focused on student demographics, student understanding of service-learning and student expectations of the course. These sections were used to provide background information in answering Research Question 1 (See Appendix G). The question about student understanding of service-learning in particular, was also used as a check for me, to see if students understood what the aims of service- learning were, and the variations in how service-learning was understood would help to elucidate why some students seemed to value some types of learning above others.

Questions 4 and 5 concern the student understanding of learning outcomes, both for them and for the community. Question 6 asks what effect researching the course will have on the students. Question 7 invites comment, opinion or feelings on the prospect of doing the service-learning course component. These questions all centre on answering Research Question 1. Question 8 will also help to answer Research Question 1, since the question covers student perception of and view of chemistry as well as student view of themselves in terms of their field and in relation to society. Question 9 which focuses on previous community service and citizenship will, in conjunction with Question 8, answer Research Question 2.

The questionnaire was explained and introduced before it was handed out and students were encouraged to give their own opinions and write as much as they could. It was stressed that there were no ‗right‘ or ‗wrong‘ answers.

3.7.2 Observation

3.7.2.1 Researcher Participant Observation

Observation formed a large part of the data collection methods. This was necessary especially in the light of Research Question 1, where learning needed to be explored. Thus my observation started with the introductory lecture and ended with the lecture at the end of the term where I thanked the class. In terms of my own observation, I was mostly looking for indications of attitude and enthusiasm, as well as growth and changes taking place in these attitudes. I was looking at the class as a group and wanting to get a

sense of the collective feeling towards and participation in the activity, as well as collective understanding of the chemistry content.

During the first practical, I was specifically looking for sigs of understanding and enjoyment of the practical experience as well as the types of questions students were asking, as this would give an indication of the depth of engagement and depth of understanding of the academic material. I was also looking for indications that the students were taking responsibility for their own learning. For example, changes in interaction with demonstrators, changes in behaviour in the laboratory, improved efficiency and cleanliness.

For the service-learning practical I was interested in the interactions between students and learners, and how this developed through the course of the afternoon. I wanted to see how the students organised themselves, how they involved the learners in the practical, and how their reaction to and interaction with their fellow students and demonstrators changed to accommodate the learners.

3.7.2.2 Demonstrator (and lecturer) Participant Observation

In order to answer both research questions more fully, and because I was focused on the whole group dynamics, I needed the demonstrators, who deal individually with the students to observe smaller groups of people and give detailed observations on how individuals interacted.

In the first practical this was not so much of an issue, and the demonstrators gave their general impressions of the practical and the student response in informal conversations during the afternoon.

During the second practical, however, with so many people (students and learners) in the laboratory, demonstrators were assigned to a group of students and learners and they formally observed and assessed each student‘s interaction according to the rubric that I

had given them. This sheet and rubric are discussed in Section 3.4.2.4 and can be accessed in Appendix F.

The four demonstrators and the lecturer were ideal participant observers because they are present in every practical session with the students. Thus they know the students relatively well and have a rapport with them. They could also compare student behaviour, the types of questions they asked and their comments in comparison to other practical sessions.

3.7.2.3 Observation by „critical friend‟

The observation by an external observer with no vested interest in the success of the project was paramount to ensure validity of the observation data generated. As a Xhosa speaker, she was also ideally placed to talk to and gather data from the learners. Her observations, like mine, were focused on the interaction taking place between learners and students and the evidence of learning on the part of the learners. This was important, because although the focus of the research is student learning, in terms of evaluating whether a service-learning effort has been successful, the mutually beneficial concept cannot be ignored. Thus if the learners were not enthusiastic and learning something, then the students, firstly had not managed to fulfil the requirement of the service-learning practical, and secondly would learn less themselves. This information was very important to answering both research questions.