The International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IJRSLCE)
Not a member yet
92 research outputs found
Sort by
A Contextual Examination of High-Quality K-12 Service-Learning Projects
Get PDFIn the service-learning literature, there is limited significant evidence for understanding and describing the context of high-quality service-learning programs. For instance, only four of the eight K-12 Service-Learning Standards of Quality Practice developed by the National Youth Leadership Council have adequate research to support the relationship between the standard and its impact. This qualitative study was conducted to describe the service-learning process in high-performing programs. Using a grounded theory approach, the researchers conducted structured interviews with nine service-learning project organizers to generate a model of an award-winning service-learning experience. From the data, a set of diverse and complex service-learning themes emerged that exceeded the Standards for Quality Practice. Most prominent among the analysis results were the themes of temporal influences, human capital contributions, locus of support, relationship to topic, and the development of a culture of service-learning. Temporal influences related to the time needed for students to understand and fully engage in the service-learning cycle. Human capital contributions included the skills and extraneous factors that participants brought to the project. Locus of support encompassed all the areas of support within the project. The participants’ relationship to the project contributed to project success, buy-in, and continued engagement. The culture of support set the tone and expectations of the project. Overall, the study findings suggest that high-quality service-learning programs evolve over time and that the human element and social context of a service-learning project help to create a highly powerful setting, acting in concert with and going beyond quality standards. The article also identifies specific limitations of the study, as well as directions for future research
Authentic Reflection for Experiential Learning at İnternational Schools
Get PDFWhen students are required to reflect on their experiential learning, they face many challenges. Moreover, if teachers and advisors do not implement reflection effectively, students are less likely to internalize the lessons they learn from their experiences. Based on a multi-case study applying grounded theory, this research examined how reflection on experiential learning was implemented at six International Baccalaureate schools in Turkey. Several patterns emerged across schools from which the authors developed a theoretical framework for conceptualizing the reflection process for experiential learning with respect to (1) timing and frequency of reflections, (2) formats and contexts for reflection, and (3) feedback about reflection. The authors make a number of recommendations for improving the reflection process in the aforementioned areas and offer suggestions for future research
Community-Based Service-Learning: A Rural Australian Perspective on Student and Academic Outcomes of Participation
Get PDFThis article reports on a community-based service-learning program that aligned occupational therapy and speech pathology student learning with service provision in order to address the unmet developmental needs of children residing in rural New South Wales, Australia. The article describes academy outcomes for participating allied health students and academics. A pragmatic qualitative research study was undertaken and data collected through focus groups with students and individual interviews with academics. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative analysis method. Broad codes were developed and then collapsed into two themes: catalysts for program participation and civic impacts of participation. Based on the study findings, the authors argue for the need to ensure the development of community-literate health students, academics, and practicing professionals if colleges and universities are to create a rural-ready and responsive health workforce. This community-literate approach must inform how Australian higher education institutions engage with rural communities in community-based service-learning innovation
A Student-Led Approach to eService-Learning: A Case Study on Service Project Effectiveness within a Fieldwork in Leadership Studies Course
Get PDFThe purpose of the study described in this article was to explore factors contributing to effective student-led eservice-learning (SLESL) projects and to provide insights for educators to enhance the delivery of SLESL courses. Utilizing a case study methodology, the researchers interviewed 12 participants who successfully completed SLESL projects. Analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed categories of factors that facilitated project effectiveness, including reasons for engaging, project strategies, project assets and asset mobilization, course interaction, and project outcomes. In addition to highlighting the study results, this article discusses the transferability of the findings and explores their implications for practice
APRENDIZAJE Y SERVICIO COMO PROMOTOR DEL DESARROLLO DE LA COMPETENCIA DE RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EN UNA FACULTAD DE ECONOMÍA Y NEGOCIOS
Get PDFEl enfoque metodológico de Aprendizaje-Servicio ha sido utilizado desde el año 2009 por la Facultad de Economía y Negocios de la Universidad de Chile, para propiciar, por una parte, la vinculación de la formación profesional de sus estudiantes con problemáticas y desafíos reales del entorno, y por otra parte, el desarrollo de la competencia de Responsabilidad Social. El artículo tiene como finalidad presentar los resultados comparativos entre la percepción inicial y final de los estudiantes, que participan en cursos con enfoque de Aprendizaje-Servicio, respecto a su desempeño esperado y real de la competencia. Entre los principales resultados destaca que, los ítems del instrumento asociados a la recolección de información con socios comunitarios y la estimación de impactos económicos a pesar de mostrar una leve disminución esta no es estadísticamente significativa, el resto de los ítems presenta una leve disminución. Lo anterior, puede explicarse debido a que ciertos desempeños son mayormente abordados en el plan de formación, ratificando la necesidad de seguir fortaleciendo la institucionalización de la metodología, así como buscar nuevas formas y estrategias metodológicas para el desarrollo de la competencia de Responsabilidad Social en la formación de profesionales.
Effect of Service-Learning on the Multicultural Competence of Teacher Candidates: From a Doing With Community Framework
Get PDFThis article details the findings of a study investigating the effect of service-learning with a Doing With Community framework on teacher candidates’ multicultural attitudes and competence. Fifty-one teacher candidates participated in the research: 27 in an experimental condition and 24 in a comparison classroom. In order to transform the conventional service-learning experience into one incorporating the Doing With framework, a Dialogue with Diverse Families component was included in the experimental condition. A mixed-methods design was employed; specifically, a quasi-experimental design was utilized to obtain quantitative data from measures on multicultural attitudes and competence, and a phenomenological method was used to collect qualitative data from the students’ reflections on project experiences. The service-learning project with the Dialogue With Diverse Families component had a significant effect on teacher candidates’ multicultural competence but not on their multicultural attitudes. This article argues that the Doing With framework of service-learning contributes to teacher candidates’ multicultural competence and civic responsibility
Fostering Undergraduate Spiritual Growth Through Service-Learning
Get PDFScholars and educational leaders have expressed concern that higher education is not adequately meeting students’ desire for spiritual growth within an academic context. Prior studies have demonstrated a relationship between the pedagogical method of service-learning and spiritual development. This study analyzed the relationship between specific service-learning components and the occurrence of spiritual growth in an effort to better understand how such growth can be fostered within the curriculum. Findings indicated that spiritual growth occurred when students experienced significant challenge balanced with support. Challenge was initiated when students witnessed injustice while simultaneously being exposed to new, diverse perspectives in class. Support emerged from relationships as well as the effective integration of coursework with the service experience.
University-Community Engagement and Public Relations Education: A Replication and Extension of Service-Learning Assessment in the Public Relations Campaigns Course
Get PDFThis study replicated and extended Werder and Strand’s 2011 research by framing service-learning within the larger context of a university’s overall community engagement strategy and by including alumni within the survey population. The findings supported a general service-learning assessment instrument measuring students’ perceptions of their development of key public relations skills, along with citizenship and social responsibility mindsets, as a result of their participation in community-based projects in a public relations capstone course. While the results, overall, were consistent with Werder and Strand's study, there were notable differences. For example, this study found that there were no statistically significant difference in means— by gender, time, and client type—for most variables. However, alumni who had worked for businesses in a town designated as an official community engagement partner had higher mean scores on three items: community involvement, strategic planning skills, and ability to work with others. The findings contribute to the collective understanding of community engagement, public relations education and practice, and the lasting impact of service-learning on students post-graduation. Whether service-learning values such as citizenship and social responsibility "stick" after graduation is a key consideration for any profession, but especially for public relations
Introduction to the Section: Community Partnerships and Impacts
No full textFrom early in its history, IARSLCE has been committed to promoting reciprocity and mutuality between students, faculty, and institutions, and the communities with which they work. The introduction to the Community Partnerships and Impacts section introduces articles in the 2016 volume that address these topics. The section editors also note that in actual practice and research, faculty and institutional agendas and needs have overhwlemingly dominated those of community partners and challenge the field to work toward resolving the differences in power and resources that keep these inequities in place
The Institutionalization of Service-Learning Projects in Argentine Schools
Get PDFThis article discusses the theoretical and methodological standards used to evaluate the processes of institutionalizing service-learning experiences in Argentine schools. It also presents the major findings of a study conducted in 2014 that focused on primary and secondary schools participating in the Solidarity Schools support program “Creer para Ver” (“Believe to See”). The author organizes the analysis of the institutionalization process according to three dimensions: (1) project trajectory, (2) support of institutional actors, and (3) insertion of service-learning in daily school practices