Bridging the Science-to-Service Gap: Service Learning in Graduate-Level Psychology Education

Abstract

Introduction: The discrepancy between what is known from clinical research and what is done in applied clinical practice is called the “science-to-service gap.” Teaching students to bridge this gap must be a primary focus of graduate education in applied psychology sub-disciplines. Statement of the Problem: Since science is fluid, an exclusive focus on teaching current empirically supported practices is insufficient. To make a meaningful impact, graduate students need opportunities to practice scientific reasoning in community settings. Literature Review: Service Learning facilitates applied experiences for students to practice scientific reasoning in “real world” settings in collaboration with community partners. Objective: In this paper, we describe the SL pedagogy and model how to apply the pedagogy to a sample graduate-level course. Teaching Implications: SL courses facilitate high impact opportunities for students to practice data-driven decision-making while serving the community. Conclusion: SL benefits students and the community. Future work can build on the model course we describe by evaluating the outcomes of SL courses against other models of effective teaching.