Assessing spiritual development through service-learning in higher education

This study analyzes the relationship between the ApS methodology and the potential development of the spiritual dimension – understood from a secular and existential perspective – among college students participating in civic actions. Utilising a quantitative, longitudinal design with repeated measures and pre-test and post-test assessments, the study examined a sample of 89 college students from various degree programmes following their participation in different social projects. Factor analysis yielded three distinct underlying dimensions associated with participation in community service. The results indicate that mean spirituality scores exhibited an increase, though this increase did not attain statistical significance. Concurrently, areas for enhancement were identified that can be utilised to assess students’ progression over the course of their university education with respect to the construct under scrutiny. Among the resulting strengths, the finding that spiritual development is more strongly associated with specific pedagogical conditions linked to parallel activities – such as sustained reflection, the intentional creation of meaning, and adequate time for personal integration – than with the immediacy of participation in a specific social action is particularly salient. The findings indicate that the intricacies involved in measuring spiritual development should be taken into account within the broader context of educational interventions.