The purpose of this paper is to report student perceptions articulated in surveys conducted in six school districts over two years (1996 and 1997) and to explore the hypothesis that service activities, including service-learning, can contribute to cognitive, affective, civic and social development among students. Analyses of the data revealed patterns of behavior that can be interpreted with consistency and in ways that advocates of service-learning would generally expect. The results support the hypothesis that community service, including service-learning, relate positively to the cognitive, affective, civic, and social development of youth, and supports the utility of the service-learning pedagogy.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarberB. (1991, Spring). A mandate for liberty: Requiring education-based community service. The Responsive Community, 1(2), 46–55.
2.
BattistoniR. (1995). Service learning, diversity, and the liberal arts curriculum. Liberal Education, 81, 30–35.
3.
BryantM.GradyM. (1990). Community factors threatening rural school district stability. Research in Rural Education, 6, 21-26.
4.
ColbyA.DamonW. (1992). Some do care: Contemporary lives of moral commitment. New York: The Free Press.
5.
ColemanJ. (1987). The relations between school and social structure. In HallinanM. (Ed.), The social organization of schools: New conceptualization of the learning process (pp. 177–204). New York: Plenum.
6.
ColesR. (1993). The call to service: A witness to idealism. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
7.
ConeD.HarrisS. (1996). Service-Learning: A theoretical framework. Michigan Journal of Community Service, 2, 31–43.
8.
DeweyJ. (1916). Democracy and education. New York: MacMillan.
9.
DunlapM. (1998a). Adjustment and developmental outcomes of students engaged in service learning. Journal of Experiential Education, 21, 147–153.
10.
DunlapM. (1998b). Methods of supporting students' critical reflection in courses incorporating service learning. Teaching of Psychology, 25, 208–210.
EylerJ.GilesD.Jr. (1997). The importance of program quality in service-learning. In WatermanA. (Ed.), Service-learning: Applications from the research (pp. 57–76). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
13.
GilesD.EylerJ. (1994). The impact of a college community service laboratory on students' personal, social, and cognitive outcomes. The Journal of Adolescence, 17, 327–339.
14.
KahneJ.WestheimerJ. (1996). In the service of what? The politics of service learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 78, 593–599.
15.
MooreD. T. (1986). Knowledge at work: An approach to learning by interns. In BormanK.ReismanJ. (Eds.), Becoming a worker (pp. 116–139). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
16.
PutnamR. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.
17.
RiceK.BrownJ. (1998). Transforming educational curriculum and service learning. Journal of Experiential Education, 21, 140–146.
18.
SaxL.AstinA. (1997). The benefits of service: Evidence from undergraduates. Educational Record, 78, 25–32.
19.
SchineJ. (1997). Service learning. Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education.
20.
SheckleyB.KeetonM. (1997). Service learning: A theoretical model. In SchineJ. (Ed.), Service learning (pp. 32–51). Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education.
21.
SilcoxH. (Ed.). (1993). A how-to guide to reflection: Adding cognitive learning to community service programs. Philadelphia: Brighton Press.
22.
SmithM. (1994). Community service learning: Striking the chord of citizenship. Michigan Journal of Community Service, 1, 37–43.
23.
TocquevilleA. (1898). Democracy in America. (ReeveH., Trans.). New York: The Century Co.
24.
WarrenK. (1998). Educating students for social justice in service learning. Journal of Experiential Education, 21, 134–139.
25.
WatermanA. (1997a). An overview of service-learning and the role of research and evaluation in service-learning programs. In WatermanA. (Ed.), Service-learning: Applications from the research (pp. 1–24). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
26.
WatermanA. (Ed.). (1997b). Service-learning: Applications from the research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
27.
ZeldenS.TarlovS. (1997). Service-learning as a vehicle for youth development. In SchineJ. (Ed.), Service learning (pp. 173–185). Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education.
