SERVICE LEARNING

Service-learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a
pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.
Service-learning involves students in service projects to apply classroom learning for local agencies that exist to effect positive
change in the community. The National Youth Leadership Council defines service learning as "a philosophy, pedagogy, and model for
community development that is used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards".
Author Barbara Jacoby defines service-learning as "a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that
address human and community needs together with structured opportunities for reflection designed to achieve desired learning
outcomes".

Typology
As defined by Robert Sigmon, 1994:

 Service-LEARNING: Learning goals primary; service outcomes secondary.

 SERVICE-Learning: Service outcomes primary; learning goals secondary.
 service learning: Service and learning goals completely separate.
 SERVICE-LEARNING: Service and learning goals of equal weight and each enhances the other for all participants.
As stated above, there are four different categories that define various levels of Service-Learning that Sigmon created, using
graphical representations of the two words. Each have their different advantages, and their different purposes in the world of
Service-Learning. An activity such as students offering community service to an agency would classify as “SERVICE-learning”, because
the service aspect is taking the forefront of the work. If a student, or a group of students studies the observation of community
groups, or something along those lines, it would be classified as “service-LEARNING”, because the learning aspect is the main focus
of that type of project. Now “service learning” is a little different than the last two, as the service and learning aspects are separate
from each other, with neither taking the spotlight. An example of this definition would be volunteer programs within a college, that
have no real connection to the academics they are pursuing. When both service and learning are of equal weight, it is seen as
“SERVICE-LEARNING”, as both are being put together instead of being separated, or one taking the main focus over the other. An
example of this type of service could be a group of students volunteering to serve in a certain area, but also studying the subject
while putting in their service, and coming up with ideas to help improve the work they are doing. All of these variants come
underneath the wing of Service-Learning, and each of them can be used at different times, depending on the circumstances.

Examples of service-learning typologies

Service-learning, as defined by Robert Sigmon, "occurs when there is a balance between learning goals and service outcomes." As
follows, there are various methods of hands-on learning that fall into this category, these include:

 Volunteerism: Volunteerism is acts of service performed out of free will without expectation of recompense and is generally
altruistic in nature; the main beneficiaries (at least in a visible sense) are generally those served by the student.
 Community Service: Community service is quite similar to volunteerism, the main difference being that it is said to "involve
more structure and student commitment than do volunteer programs.
 Internship: Internships can provide students with experience in various fields of work; however, unlike volunteerism and
community service, students gain a more measurable benefit from this aspect of service learning.
 Field Education: Field education, like internships, is generally more materially beneficial to the student. Field education involves
programs that, "provide students with co‐curricular service opportunities that are related, but not fully integrated, with their
formal academic studies."
The purpose of service learning is, in essence, to, "equally benefit the provider and the recipient of the service as well as to ensure
equal focus on both the service being provided and the learning that is occurring." Volunteerism, community service, internships,
and field education all exemplify, in some way or another, the core value of service learning, as all of them benefit the student as
well as the one they served to an equal degree, the only difference being how material the benefit is. These methods also tend to
focus on ensuring that the student not only serves, but learns something, whether it is interpersonal skills, work experience in their
future field, or a change in how they view themselves and others.
Factors
According to Eyler and Giles Jr., who conducted nationwide studies on service-learning, factors which influence its impact on
students include placement quality, duration, and reflection. A recent sample study assessed the benefits of service learning in
undergraduate public health education course using the Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire. Overall, students reported
increases in their civic attitudes and skills. However, individuals reporting poor team dynamics consistently reported lower levels of
improvement than those reporting great team dynamics.

Placement quality
According to Eyler and Giles, "Placement quality refers to the extent that students in their community placements are challenged,
are active rather than observers, do a variety of tasks, feel that they are making a positive contribution, have important levels of
responsibility, and receive input and appreciation from supervisors in the field." According to their research, placement quality has
measurable effects on such things as "personal development outcomes," "increased leadership and communication skill," and
connection to community, faculty, and other students.

Duration
In The Importance of Program Quality in Service-Learning, Eyler and Giles state: "a program or a sequence of experiences needs to
be of a long enough duration to have a developmental impact." This view is expanded upon by Alexander W. Astin and Linda J. Sax.
In their opinion, "the amount of time devoted to providing service carries additional benefits beyond those benefits associated with
the type of service performed, especially in the areas of civic responsibility and life skill development."
But how much time is enough? According to J. Beth Mabry, "students should spend at least fifteen to nineteen hours in their service
activities to have adequate exposure to the people and issues their service addresses.

Reflection
An essential feature of service-learning programs, reflection is a period of critical thinking performed by the student. For many
advocates of the pedagogy, reflection may symbolize the learning that occurs in the student. Janet Eyler and Dwight E. Giles provide
an example of this opinion in their book, Where's the Learning in Service-Learning? when they state: "learning occurs through a cycle
of action and reflection, not simply through being able to recount what has been learned through reading and lecture." Also, the
National Service Learning Clearinghouse considers reflection to be a "core component" of service-learning.
Some higher education programs require a reflection component in their service-learning classes. The University of Minnesota is one
such institution that includes required reflection activities with its service learning classes.
Reflection may be done individually or as a group activity. Wartburg College in Indiana published a list of reflection activity
suggestions on their website. These included various types of journaling, brainstorming as a group, using quotes, writing essays and
papers, structured class discussions, and class presentations among other ideas.
Effective service-learning programs also include required written reflection. Not only does writing permanently record a student's
service-learning experience, but it also provides a helpful tool for continued reflection long after the program has been completed.
Written reflection assignments also require students to stop, think, and articulate their learning. This evaluation is of incredible
value to students.

Service
High quality placements are a key to the success of a service-learning program. This requires the service learning establishment to
have a broad network of connections within the community. Students need to have a positive connection with the establishment
they're serving in order to maximize their learning.
Diversity is also a component of a successful service-learning program. By working with people of different ethnicities, lifestyles, and
socioeconomic statuses, a student's learning and tolerance will increase. By serving in a diverse learning environment, student are
more likely to reduce stereotypes and increase their cultural appreciation. This can help a student learn how to more effectively
serve a broader array of people.
The Service in Service Learning takes knowledge outside the classroom into the real world with real people and situations. In his
book Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the Battle Against World Poverty, Muhammad Yunus states that "If a university is a
repository for knowledge, then some of this knowledge should spill over to the neighboring community. A university must not be an
island where academics reach out to higher and higher levels of knowledge without sharing any of their findings."
Service brings community together as a whole, towards a common goal or purpose. Service is about what is for someone else. The
action of service in and among the community, provides chances for sociocultural norms and prejudices to be removed. While some
have questioned the positive effect and collective interest of the service side of service-learning, among those who perform the
services, it has been made known that many would say otherwise

Effects
Based upon various studies, students who participate in service-learning courses or projects seem to encounter a multitude of
benefits. The book Where's the Learning in Service-Learning? discusses the effects of service learning on students, as well service
learning in general.

Effects on the student

In addition to interpersonal skills students have also reported developing personal leadership skills. Another benefit seen is that it
can also develop a sense of meaning and purpose in their academics.
Though one might not immediately think of serving others as affecting oneself, studies have found that "coming into contact with
people whose life experiences and assumptions about the world are different calls one's own world into question." Not only does
the service experience move one to examine his own life, but it also allows him to produce a better version of himself. In their
book, Where's the Learning in Service-Learning? Janet Eyler and Dwight E. Giles Jr. identify five key personal growth outcomes of
service-learning: self-knowledge, spiritual growth, the reward of helping others, career benefits and careers in service, and changes
in personal efficacy. As one goes out into the community with the intent of reaching out to those within it, this broader social
context causes one to see himself more clearly.
Being involved in the educational process of service-learning also strengthens one's critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which
is vital to facing modern-day dilemmas. This will transform a person's prior way of thinking, for critical thinking stimulates people to
question assumptions and to "color outside the lines". According to Eyler and Giles Jr., "Transformative thinking is about thinking
about things in a new way and moving in new directions—creating a new picture without relying on the old lines".
It is in this way that service-learning motivates individuals to become better citizens of their communities. Many of those interested
in reforming higher education have found that this experiential pedagogy helps to "cultivate civic and social responsibility as part of
education for citizenship". As individuals acquire knowledge about serving those around them, they can apply that knowledge to
community problems, thus being able to make a greater difference in the world. People who realize their responsibility to their
community will naturally develop into more productive members of society.
Service-learning begins in the heart and mind of the individual; he must understand himself before he can attempt to understand
others. This will prompt him to develop personal connections with those whom he is serving, for it is within community involvement
where one's own understanding and knowledge are transformed.
Researchers have found that these personal and interpersonal gains from engaging in service-learning classes where higher when
the programs were of better quality. The biggest predictor of increased learning in communication skills was the high placement
quality that the students were put into, allowing them to develop and "hone" their skills.
Many experience interpersonal development through the service learning process. According to Where's the Learning in Service-
Learning?, among the students in their survey, "40 percent reported that learning to work with others was among the most
important things they learned from service-learning, and 81 percent indicated that it was the most or very important." Learning to
work with others is crucial for job placement in our world today. Another effect this has on the students is that they are more apt to
learn how to lead. By working with others, the students are given opportunities to be more responsible and take initiative. Service-
learning also encourages connection within the community. Truly, many learned how to listen to the voice of their communities. Not
only that, but it helps form friendships and find other like-minded individuals who are involved with service learning. Above all it
helps students to feel as though they are making a difference and matter to their communities. It was also found that quantity and
quality of reflective discussion was linked to the outcome of feeling a closeness among the community and other students. An even
more powerful outcome was the creation of a bond between a student and faculty member. In most classroom settings there's little
room for a deep relationship between the student and teacher, while in service-learning often student and teacher will work
alongside each other and develop a more lasting bond. As stated in Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?, "Service participants
in their assessment of Learn and Serve America were more likely than their peers to spend at least an hour a week interacting with a
faculty member." Service-learning has a tremendous impact on students and how they learn, but also how they interact with others.
Diversity awareness
Service-learning offers an opportunity for students to experience different cultures, which in turn reduces many negative and
unnecessary stereotypes derived by inexperienced students. The appreciation of different cultures in service-learning happens
because of the interaction that often occurs while completing a service. A survey on students who participated in service-learning
finds that, "63 percent reported interacting with those receiving services at least fairly often, 60 percent reported frequent
interaction with other volunteers, 51 percent felt that professionals at the placement site often took an interest in them, and 57
percent reported that they had frequent chances to work with people from ethnic groups other than their own."
One of the goals of service-learning is positive interactions.
People often only distinguish the differences between other cultures and communities and their own. These perceived differences
often influence the decisions made when interacting with people of other cultures. Service-learning provides the opportunity for
students to not only appreciate other cultures, but to appreciate their shared humanity.

Effects on community partner

Service learning programs have developed rapidly within the last 30 years. From 1995–1997, 458 universities received grants from
the Corporation for National Service's Learn and Serve Higher Education (LASHE) which enabled 3,000 new service-learning courses
to be developed to the benefit of more than 60 students per course.
Much of the research on the effects of service-learning is focused on what students learn through their service to the community;
fewer studies have been conducted on the impact of service-learning on the communities where the students serve. Several studies
that have been done on this topic measure the impact of service-learning on the community organizations with which college
students volunteer, seeking to understand the organizations' perspectives on service-learning.
One positive impact of service-learning on these organizations is the presence of more volunteers, which enables the organizations
to accomplish more and to serve more clients. Students can use specific skills they possess to benefit the organization, and can be a
source of new ideas, energy, and enthusiasm. Through partnering with a college or university, the organization can gain access to
new knowledge and opportunities to connect with other organizations that have partnered with the same school.