Overview
Starting from our research questions, we were interested in the learning that occurred throughout the EVS volunteering service and in what capacity relationships and intercultural settings played a role in the processes. As such, we analysed experiences which were referred to, by participants themselves, as “learning”. It became apparent to us that these learning experiences almost entirely resulted in implicit learning outcomes rather than explicit (those which are easily measurable.
We then grouped them as seen in Table 1 with what Elsdon (1995) observed as learning outcomes: growth in confi dence, self-discovery, undertaking tasks, belief in one’s self and in one’s potential, and ability to change. In this categorisation, it is important to note that although undertaking tasks may be considered as explicit learning outcomes, we treated them as implicit, since identifi ed items were explained within a context of “learning how to perform, with the confi dence to do so,”
or “executing something for the fi rst time.” Further, in order to ana-lyse the capacity in which relationships played a role in this implicit learning, we recorded if the learning occurred autonomously, within a specifi ed relationship, or within an unspecifi ed relationship.
Autonomous learning describes learning that participants reported as a process taking place through self-refl ection and observations made on past experiences that they recalled. Learning that participants referred to as occurring within relationships was sub-divided into fi ve categories as mentioned by the volunteers themselves: through colleagues (including superiors, subordinates, team-mates / other EVS volunteers in a professional setting); through other EVS volunteers (that they have interacted with in their personal time); through locals (acquaintances and friends, including signifi cant others, that are Danish); through direct and indirect benefi ciaries of the social service that the host organisation was providing (almost all Danish); and through people associated with home (relatives, friends from home, etc.). In the category of unspecifi ed relationships, the participants articulated learning as if it emerged from a totality of realms, or through time, space, and indefi nite relationships. Furthermore it typifi es forms of learning that got reaffi rmed through ongoing experiences.
Table 1. Implicit Learning for EVS Volunteers
Implicit Learning Outcomes
Relati onship: Autonomously
Growth in Confi dence
• Thinking, “I can”
• Learning how to say, “No”
• Living on one’s own
• Being proud
Self-Discovery
• Learning about stress thresholds
• Learning about the emoti onal self
• Learning about strengths and weaknesses
• Taking initi ati ve to research on topics related to work in areas of interest
Undertaking Tasks
• Becoming an Art-Team Founder and Manager
• Learning to ride a bike
• Taking on responsibility (in general)
• Making acti on plans for coping and change
Belief in Oneself & One’s Potenti al
• Believing that one can improve the way things are run (professionally)
• Learning how to orient oneself in a city, taking public transport, getti ng civil registrati on, etc…
• Staying committ ed and viewing oneself as a contributi ng agent
• Developing the belief that one can learn a foreign language
• Taking the initi ati ve (with responsibiliti es or peo-ple; confronti ng uncertainty)
• None menti oned in the interviews Relati onship: Colleagues
(any, including volunteers, in a professionalsetti ng)
Growth in Confi dence
• Shift ing from avoiding confl ict to facing it
• Realising what is one’s responsibility versus oth-ers’
Self-Discovery • Developing self-insights that arise from confl ict management
Undertaking Tasks
• Undertaking tasks one never thought they would / could do
• Learning how to run a non-profi t café
• Learning how to keep spirits high for others
• Learning how to work in a team
• Organising and leading language / cultural aft er-noon sessions
• Learning how to cook
Belief in Oneself & One’s Potenti al
• None menti oned in the interviews
Ability to Learn & Change
• Learning about ethics and spirit
• Dealing with discriminati on (of self and others)
• Developing confl ict-management skills due to intercultural clashes
• Learning to be fl exible with changes at work (i.e.
in management, working schedule, etc…)
Relati onship: EVS Volunteers (personal relati onships only) Growth in Confi dence None menti oned in the interviews
Self-Discovery • Developing self-insights about career orienta-ti on
Undertaking Tasks • None menti oned in the interviews
Belief in Oneself & One’s Potenti al
• None menti oned in the interviews
Ability to Learn & Change • Learning how to live with others
Relati onship: Locals (acquaintances, friends, including signifi cant others) Growth in Confi dence • None menti oned in the interviews
Self-Discovery • Becoming a part of the local culture and forging relati onships with locals
Undertaking Tasks • None menti oned in the interviews Belief in Oneself & One’s
Potenti al
• None menti oned in the interviews
Ability to Learn & Change • Realising changes in personal values
• Learning how to live with others
Relati onship: Users / Customers (also locals) Growth in Confi dence • None menti oned in the interviews
Self-Discovery • Developing self-insights about career orienta-ti on
Undertaking Tasks
• Learning to communicate with diff erent people on almost any issue
• Learning Danish
Belief in Oneself & One’s Potenti al
• Having the moti vati on to go and make a diff er-ence in other people’s lives
Ability to Learn & Change
• Developing an ability to be fl exible in one’s pro-fession roles
• Developing an ability to empathise with disad-vantages groups
• Learning about values
Relati onship: Home Relati onships (family & friends) Growth in Confi dence • None menti oned in the interviews
Self-Discovery • None menti oned in the interviews Undertaking Tasks • None menti oned in the interviews
Belief in Oneself &
One’s Potenti al • None menti oned in the interviews
Ability to Learn & Change
• Realising change in the self (personality, behav-iour and values) through discussions with people from home
Relati onship: Unspecifi ed Relati onships
Growth in Confi dence • Developing the freedom of being ”who you are”
Self-Discovery
• Learning about career orientati on
• Learning about one’s own levels of tolerance
Undertaking Tasks
• Dealing with the logisti cs of moving to a new country
• Learning Danish Belief in Oneself & One’s
Potenti al • None menti oned in the interviews
Ability to Learn & Change
• Learning to accept diff erences in cultural norms and traditi ons
• Learning “a lot about other people”
• Becoming fl exible and pati ent
• Developing an ability to learn for survival
• Learning to be self-reliant and responsible for oneself
• Developing an ability to empathise with foreign-ers in one’s home country and immigrants in general
• Finding moti vati on