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Increasing Self-Efficacy Among Future Health Educators: An Exploratory Study Using Service Learning

Background. Service learning is a pedagogical tool that involves students delivering a service, linked to course learning outcomes, to the community and measured through acquisition of knowledge, attitudes, and skills along with overall satisfaction of the experience. Undergraduate students enrolled in a peer health education course, collaborated with campus health promotion staff, in a semester-long service learning project to plan, implement, and evaluate a campus-wide health fair. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to examine how participation in a service learning project affected students’ self-efficacy aligned with the seven Areas of Responsibilities (AoR) of Certified Health Education Specialists. Method. The multimethod design used pre- and posttest results and reflective writing samples to evaluate changes in students’ (n = 58) self-efficacy related to the seven AoR of Certified Health Education Specialists. Students completed semistructured reflective journals responding to overall satisfaction, barriers to implementation, and significance of the learning experience and health fair on their professional development. Results. Results indicated students’ self-efficacy increased across all AoR, with the largest improvements reported in Areas III, V, and VI. Students described feeling competent responding to questions and directing attendees to available on- and off-campus resources. Results emphasized overall satisfaction with the service learning health fair project, uniquely the importance of applying information from the classroom setting to the real world. Conclusions. Service learning opportunities in classroom settings and professional preparation programs aid in preparing future leaders within the field of health education to exemplify the seven AoR with competency and confidence.