Student Mental Health and Wellness: Pedagogical Implications for Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning

Abstract: Based on the findings of dissertation research, this presentation provides important pedagogical implications for community-engaged teaching and learning, specifically related to student mental health and wellness. The data for this qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven undergraduate students who participated in semester-long community-engaged learning courses. The students shared not only their lived-experience during their community-engaged course, but also exemplified vulnerability in the telling of their related experiences with mental health, many of which included the sharing of identity-based traumas. The findings of this study, and resulting implications, focus on important needed pedagogical changes. As we consider the inclusion of student voices, needs, and priorities in the creation of community-engaged teaching and learning opportunities, we surface otherwise silenced stories and lived-traumas. This inclusion of student voice in curriculum planning, provides space for vulnerability, compassion, validation, and the development of student agency. Recognizing the emotional impact that these community-engaged learning experiences have on students helps us to better balance the needs of the student, the institution, and the community partners. These insights concerning the lived experiences of community-engaged learning participants will help higher education institutions to better understand their role in supporting student participants, and to create trauma-informed, healing-centered, and resilience-focused community-engaged learning practices. These practices are important not just for the student participants and campuses at large, but also for the communities with which they engage as well.

Narrative: Based on the findings of dissertation research, this presentation provides important pedagogical implications for community-engaged teaching and learning, specifically related to student mental health and wellness. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences of undergraduate students who participated in academic community-engaged learning, specifically as those experiences related to student mental health and wellness. Student mental health is a growing priority for higher education institutions, and the number of students who are struggling with mental health concerns is rising. Understanding the nuances of these lived student experiences will help higher education institutions to better understand their role in supporting these students, ultimately maximizing potential positive impacts and mitigating potential negative impacts on student mental health and wellness. Further, these insights are needed in order to create trauma-informed community-engaged learning practices, which are important not just for the student participants but also for the communities with which they engage as well. This study examined the following research questions:

1. What are the lived experiences of undergraduate student participants of community-engaged learning, specifically as they relate to their mental health and wellness?
2. How do undergraduate student participants of community-engaged learning make sense of the impact of these pedagogical experiences on their mental health and wellness?

The data for this qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven undergraduate students who participated in semester-long community-engaged learning courses. The students shared not only their lived-experiences during their community-engaged course, but also exemplified vulnerability in the telling of their related experiences with mental health, many of which included the sharing of identity-based traumas. Analysis resulted in the identification of essential components of the student community-engaged learning experience as it relates to their mental health and wellness and included three main themes: Identity (Head), Belonging (Heart), and Agency (Hands). The participants' experiences highlighted that reflection on identity, and knowledge development around identity, are essential parts of the mental health and wellness experience of community-engaged learning. It is important that these reflection experiences be restorative, give space to explore personal identity-based trauma, and provide opportunities for validation, so that participants are more likely to feel safe to continue exploring new ways of thinking and knowing. Further, the participants' experiences highlighted that developing a sense of belonging is an essential part of the mental health and wellness experience of community-engaged learning. Participants' sense of belonging was facilitated by the practice and reciprocation of vulnerability, empathy, and compassion. Finally, the participants' experiences also highlighted that agency is an essential part of the mental health and wellness experience of community-engaged learning. Participants practiced taking control over their environment and telling their stories, and also struggled with what it means to have impact while ultimately working to understand their sense of purpose.

The implications of these findings for community-engaged learning practices at higher education institutions are many, including pedagogical considerations for community-engaged classrooms. As we consider the inclusion of student voices, needs, and priorities in the creation of community-engaged teaching and learning opportunities, we surface otherwise silenced stories and lived-traumas. This inclusion of student voice in curriculum planning, provides space for vulnerability, compassion, validation, and the development of student agency. Recognizing the emotional impact that these community-engaged learning experiences have on students, helps us to better balance the needs of the student, the institution, and the community partners. These insights concerning the lived experiences of community-engaged learning participants will help higher education institutions to better understand their role in supporting student participants, and to create trauma-informed, healing-centered, and resilience-focused community-engaged learning practices. These practices are important not just for the student participants and campuses at large, but also for the communities with which they engage as well.