Does Location Really Matter? Exploring the Role of Place in Domestic and International Service-Learning Experiences

Although increasingly popular, international/global service-learning programs are not without critique; in fact, the role of crossing national borders in service-learning is highly contested. The purpose of the study discussed in this article was to explore this role of crossing borders within the context of a particular experience: participation in an alternative break (AB) program. The authors sought to understand whether there is an aspect of learning in specific places, namely learning across national borders, that is separate (and separable) from what happens in those places. Participants reported a high level of influence of their AB experience on both their intentions to volunteer and to travel internationally, although there were a number of differences between students who participated in domestic and international ABs. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to volunteer was mediated completely by features of the AB program itself, while the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to travel internationally was only partially mediated by program features

Pre-Service Educator Preparation to Teach Children with Disabilities Through Service-Learning

The purpose of the multi-year study discussed in this article was to investigate the impact of pre-service educator participation in a community-based service-learning program for children with disabilities. Pre-service educators who were enrolled in either an adapted physical education or introduction to special education course participated in the Children’s Adaptive Physical Education Society!, a skill-development program for 35 children (ages 5-12) with developmental disabilities. Two measures—a modified regular education initiative survey and a reflective blog assignment—were administered to the participants to identify changes in their beliefs and attitudes toward teaching and including children with disabilities in their future classrooms. The results revealed statistically significant gains in their understanding, confidence, willingness, skill set, and educational satisfaction. Responses in the reflective blogs further supported the statistical findings, suggesting that a community-based learning program provides pre-service educators with sufficient experiences to positively and effectively change their beliefs and attitudes toward teaching and including children with disabilities in their future classrooms

Evolution of a Profession: A Review of The Community Engagement Professional in Higher Education: A Competency Model for an Emerging Field

In The Community Engagement Professional in Higher Education: A Competency Model for an Emerging Field, editor Lina D. Dostilio and her co-authors collectively assemble—through rigorous literature reviews and a survey of more than 400 respondents—a comprehensive list of competencies and personal attributes of community engagement professionals (CEPs),  professional staff whose primary role on a university campus is to manage and support a wide spectrum of initiatives around community-campus partnerships. The volume is an important one, both for its attempt to identify the core characteristics and expertise needed to negotiate these increasingly nuanced partnerships and for its ability to illuminate the magnitude of responsibilities and resources that institutions of higher education need to employ in order to successfully impact their surrounding communities

Indigenous Perspectives on Community Service-Learning in Higher Education: An Examination of the Kenyan Context

oai:iarslce.journals.sfu.ca:article/252To understand community service-learning (CSL) in global contexts, an Indigenous perspective is needed to reflect the range of contextual and historical issues. Theoretical discussions of CSL generally reference theories of experiential and reflective learning; however, work in critical pedagogy and anti-colonial discourse can be utilized to generate a framework that embraces the breadth and depth of CSL in different regions. Extant research on CSL in Africa has found that student learning and development are influenced by pressures faced by the higher education system as well as historical and contextual issues encountered by students while engaged in CSL.  As discussed in this article, incorporating an Indigenous perspective within existing theoretical frameworks can enable the development of models, pedagogical approaches, and practices that reflect needs of Kenyan communities. The authors present a rationale for further CSL research in Kenya to ensure culturally sensitive, theoretically sound, and non-exploitive CSL that fosters positive outcomes for students, partner organizations, communities, and higher education institutions.

Moving from Thin to Thick Conceptions of Civic Engagement: Faculty Identity and Goals for Democratic Learning

Colleges and universities continue to respond to the call for a deepening of community-engaged research and teaching that contributes tangibly to the public good. Coupled with a new generation of scholars eschewing traditional markers of academic success, the authors set out to discover what faculty members at an urban university identify as priorities for teaching and research to advance democratic engagement. They collected quantitative and qualitative data from faculty members and their community partners. The study findings suggested that while community-engaged activity continues to grow and even thrive among an increasing number of faculty members, there remain three targeted areas needing improvement in order for democratically informed scholarship to better serve the public good: (1) The need to transform “thin” student learning goals into more robust, “thick” civic learning goals; (2) increasing what now is minimal, if existent, discussion of the political opportunities for and constraints to community work; and, (3) a fuller integration of faculty interests, personal and professional, with teaching and research priorities centering on democratic engagement

Updates to the “Common Rule”: Implications for International Service-Learning and Community Engagement Research

This article provides an overview of recent changes to 45 C.F.R. § 46, the policy that undergirds human-subjects protections in research and that is manifested in institutional review board (IRB) review of research. Originally published in 1991, this policy was updated on January 19, 2017, with the changes set to be implemented in early 2018. This article discusses the unique process of engaging with local IRBs and addresses how updates to federal policy regarding international research may impact service-learning and community-engaged scholarship. Specifically, researchers should be familiar with regulations outside of the United States and engage thoughtfully with the study design process such that IRB submission and review are most effective and expedient. These goals are fortified by considering the updated regulatory framework as justice-oriented

Service-Learning and Undergraduates: Exploring Connections Between Ambiguity Tolerance, Empathy, and Motivation in an Overseas Service Trip

As service-learning becomes more common in undergraduate education, further research is needed around assessing student learning outcomes and character development. One component of high-quality service-learning is written reflection, which has the potential to capture a wealth of data on learner characteristics.  This study evaluated learners’ behavior and motivation to participate in service trips, the development of personality characteristics, and the revelation of those characteristics in reflection using Winne and Hadwin’s 1998 model of the self-regulated learner as it relates to the service-learning context.  Researchers analyzed connections between learner experiences and changes in their ambiguity tolerance, empathy, and motivation via pre- and posttest surveys and reflection data. Relationships were identified between motivation and satisfaction, as well as frequency of reflection and personal change.  The authors offer a profile of an “optimal” overseas service-learner for consideration

Measurement Matters: Estimating Students’ Community Engagement Participation

Many community engagement and service-learning studies require the researcher to identify whether or not a particular student has participated in an engagement activity. In this article, the author explores the importance and challenge of measuring college students’ community engagement by detailing one institution’s rigorous effort to answer the question, “What percentage of students participate in community engagement during their time at college?” The article illustrates the results of a study in which an institution supplemented an existing database of student participation with several other nontraditional sources of student participation data to construct an expanded measure of engagement. Results indicated that, compared with the expanded measure, the existing database produced a biased estimate of engagement with regard to gender, race and ethnicity, financial aid, and athletic status. Implications for future research, assessment, and practice are discussed.

University-Community Engagement and Public Relations Education: A Replication and Extension of Service-Learning Assessment in the Public Relations Campaigns Course

This 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

Revisiting Pedagogical Variations in Service-Learning and Student Outcomes

This article presents results from a quasi‐experimental replication study that extended Mabry’s 1998 correlational study by introducing a counterfactual (using psychometrically defensible measures) and controlling for academic motivation and relationships among students, faculty, and staff. The study offered evidence of the effectiveness of frequency of contact, reflection, and service duration in influencing civic and academic outcomes. Though the study’s quasi-experimental approach posed modest limitations, the measured effects were similar to those identified in Mabry’s study, thus improving confidence around findings related to the impacts of service-learning pedagogical variations and their implications for instructional design.