Service-learning practices vary drastically across programs, courses, and locations with little consideration for these variations in the research. This study serves as an introduction to a research agenda exploring the components of service-learning practices--particularly those "best practices" recommended with little or no basis in…

Our multi-institutional study addresses the question: How do college students' backgrounds, collegiate engagement, and perceptions of the campus climate relate to the development of an activist orientation? Activism is framed as engagement in collective, sociopolitical action and measured using the Activism Orientation Scale (AOS). Meaningful…

Research on individuals' experiences engaging in outdoor education programs suggests participants are impacted in a number of ways. This study investigated the impact of participation in a wilderness education course on undergraduates' experiences with public service. This study asked the research question, what is the impact of an Outward Bound…

In this mixed-methods study, we examine the potential of place-based stewardship education (PBSE) for nurturing rural students' community attachment and aspirations to contribute to the preservation of the environmental "commons." Analyzing pre- and post-experience surveys (n = 240) and open-ended responses (n = 275) collected from…

With nationwide concerns about the declines in youth voting turnout across the United States, increased attention has focused on schools to promote "civic education," a broad curricular approach aimed at facilitating students' development of key civic knowledge, skills, and behaviors. However, less is known about how civic education…

Service-learning is a pedagogical approach that higher education can use to promote civic engagement among students, but it has not fully realized its original civic purpose. Butin (2010) argues that to meet its civic mission, service-learning must move toward a more justice-oriented pedagogy that empowers stakeholders to bring about social…

Service learning (SL) is gaining popularity in business schools as a way to supplement traditional pedagogies. Research indicates that SL improves particular learning outcomes, but little is known about how this happens. Using Kolb's theory of experiential learning, the authors develop and test a conceptual model that explains how SL activates the…

In this study, we investigated the impact of past and current service-learning on the civic attitudes of African American college women: 44 students enrolled in either service-learning or non-service-learning courses were given pretests and posttests measuring civic attitudes. Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to examine the…

Service-learning (SL) is a relatively new pedagogy in Hong Kong and so far, no study of SL's long-term impact in Hong Kong exists. To explore SL's impacts on Hong Kong students, researchers conducted a quantitative study to compare graduates with SL experience to graduates without SL experience in terms of three domains: (1) adaptability, brain…

A literature review identified various kinds of altruism, including altruism devoted to social change and a charitable form of altruism, along with the concept that it is possible for these types to occur independently or simultaneously. A study was conducted with university students in a Deaf studies program to determine the effect of a…

The context of privilege provides unique opportunities and challenges for youth civic development. A mixed-method approach was used to examine links between school-based community service, school climate, and civic orientation among students in cultures of privilege. Surveys completed by students (N = 376) at two private high schools--one with an…

An explanatory correlational study was conducted to explore whether and to what extent a relationship between hours of participation in service learning and commitment to social responsibility exists for students enrolled in pre-licensure baccalaureate-nursing programs currently participating in the Nursing Licensure Compact. The convenience…

Colleges and universities have a long-standing tradition of preparing students to be civically engaged (Colby, Beaumont, Ehrlich, & Corngold, 2007; Jacoby, 2009; Kezar, 2002). In response to a decline in civic engagement among college students and the greater American public, colleges and universities began offering a wide array of civic…

Higher education has renewed its focus on civic engagement due to a growing recognition of the distinctive opportunities for students to internalize civic values during college. This unique role has become increasingly important in context of the shifting trend in American youth away from traditional political participation towards increasing…

Community colleges educate students from both oppressed and marginalized groups, yet there is almost no literature on community colleges and issues of social justice. Student participation in service learning has been tentatively linked to development of a social justice lens. In this study, I analyze community college students' post-course civic…