Service-Learning

Theoretical Foundations

Meany et al. (2009) have documented the theoretical foundations of service-learning:

Several initiatives since then have heightened awareness and support for service-learning programs. The 1985 formation of the National Campus Compact provides training, education, and resources to faculty, students, and community members committed to educating students in civic responsibility. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professorate, Ernest Boyer's seminal work in 1990, revitalized the implementation of service-learning curricula in institutions of higher education. Additional support for the expanded definition of scholarship with the Carnegie Foundation's addition in December 2006 of the elective classification Community Engagement underscores the importance of universities' involvement with local, regional, and global populations.

Critical Components

At times the term service-learning is used broadly and inappropriately to refer to students engaging in volunteer projects. Although volunteerism is an altruistic undertaking, volunteer service activities primarily benefits the recipient. Service-learning is also confused with the student internships and practicum courses. In these instances, the work completed during internships and practicum experiences primarily benefits the student's career development. A defining attribute of authentic service-learning is the collaborative partnership between the academic institutions (university, junior college, secondary and elementary school) and the community agency, institution, or partner. This mutual relationship results in reciprocal benefits for all stakeholders. Consequently, genuine service-learning programs are founded on six components: (1) high-quality service to the community, (2) integrated learning between the service activity and classroom, (3) reflection by the student to assist in incorporating service experiences with academics, (4) student voice to enhance [Page 601]students' role in planning and implementing the learning activities, (5) collaboration to ensure benefits for all (i.e., students, community, and university), and (6) evaluation to effectively assess progress toward both the learning and service goals.

Reflection

Developing meaningful connections between course objectives and community service experiences is accomplished through student participation in thoughtful reflection activities. Engaging students in carefully planned reflection exercises assists the learners in transferring their relevant community service to a specific academic concept or discipline. Traditional reflection activities have primarily taken the form of written narratives. Journaling is often used to record and describe student's feelings encompassing their service experience. This structured journaling format asks the students to respond to specific questions posed by the teacher and promotes the association of service to academics. Critical incident journaling asks the students to thoroughly describe a specific event that took place during their community service and explain how this occurrence contributed to their knowledge of a particular course concept. Recently, electronic journaling has served as a viable and efficient means of sharing thoughts about, and knowledge gained via service-learning to both the instructor and classmates. Effective reflection activities may also occur through oral class discussions and presentations, or multimedia forums such as photo and video essays. There is no right or wrong reflection modality. Appropriate reflection activities are designed to foster student's critical thinking and thorough understanding of the intersection of how their service experience contributed to learning.

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