Abstract:

Higher education curricula based on academic service learning are underrepresented in post-communist countries. In Croatia, only one quarter of universities include academic service learning in their strategic documents. Interconnection between successful academic service-learning programs and the community is established through the synergy between the teaching, curriculum transformation, community-oriented research priorities and the production of new knowledge. In this way, the social mission of the university is strengthened, where the scientific and artistic production aims to contribute to public economic development, but also for the benefit of all community members. In this context, academic service-learning course „Communication with Vulnerable Groups “, was performed at the Croatian University „North “starting from the academic year 2019/2020 as part of the education of future experts in public relations and communication. In order to strengthen their emphatic communication skills and their methodological skills graduate students learn about the concept and models of social inclusion using method learning by doing, namely, by designing and conducting the ethnographic research in the helping professions.

The paper presents the results of the student qualitative research conducted in June 2021. The aim of research was to explore the experiences of members of the Association "View" (N = 5) in their therapeutic work with children with autism spectrum disorders using auto-ethnographic methods. In this sample of respondents, the obtained results indicate the importance of intrinsic motivation, strong sense of community, focus on goal achievement and positive acceptance of work challenges, the need for enhanced cooperation with parents, but also the need to identify existing social barriers. In the context of academic service learning, the course learning outcomes were achieved and the increase of the social and cultural capital of graduate students was demonstrated. Further, the results contribute to greater visibility of institutional active resources in providing the support and good life quality to vulnerable groups. Given the scarcity of research based on the experiential perspective of helping professions, the obtained results contribute to the new knowledge and valuable insights in this field.

Keywords:

Academic service learning, emphatic communication skills, helping professions, learning by doing, vulnerable groups.