Service Learning

The importance of service to the local community is recognized by the Western community and a web site is now devoted to the topic. At www.servicelearning.uwo.cayou will find a definition of "service learning" and additional useful information.

The importance of service to the local community is recognized by the Western community and a web site is now devoted to the topic. At www.servicelearning.uwo.ca you will find a definition of "service learning" and additional useful information.

The Western Libraries has many books on the subject and databases from which you can locate articles. For your convenience we provide below a few examples of each. For assistance or for suggestions about more resources, talk with a librarian.

Selected Books

More books on the subject of "Service Learning" can be found by performing a KEYWORD search in the Library Catalogue or by using the subject heading "Student service".

Berman, Sally
Service Learning: A Guide to Planning, Implementing, and Assessing Student Projects
EDUSTK LC 220.5.B46x 2006

Tashlik, Phyllis and Tomaszewski, Cathy
Serving the Community: Guidelines for Setting up a Service-Learning Program
EDUSTK LC220.5.T37 2005

Speck, Bruce and Hoppe, Sherry, Eds.
Service-Learning: History, Theory, and Issues
EDUSTK LC220.5.S4583 2004

Billig, Shelley and Waterman, Alan Eds.
Studying Service-Learning: Innovations in Education Research Methodology
EDUSTK LC220.5.S795 2003

Jacoby, Barbara and Associates
Building Partnerships for Service-Learning
DBWSTK LC221.J33 2003

Kashmanian, Karen
Service Learning and Learning Communities: Tools for Integration and Assessment
BRESSTK LC220.5.O11 2003

Billig, Shelley and Furco, Andrew Eds.
Service-Learning Through a Multidisciplinary Lens
EDUSTK LC220.5.S476 2002

Furco, Andrew and Billig, Shelley Eds.
Service-Learning: The Essence of the Pedagogy
DBWSTK LC220.5.S473 2002

K-12 International Conference on Service-Learning Research, Ed.
Deconstructing Service-Learning: Research Exploring Context, Participation, and Impacts
EDUSTK LC220.5.K14 2002

Selected Articles

Article titles linked will go directly to the full text article in ProQuest. Journal titles linked will direct you to the Library Catalogue, where the article can be found in sources other than ProQuest.

Benson, Lee, Harkavy, Ira, and Puckett, John "An Implementation Revolution as a Strategy for Fulfilling the Democratic Promise of University-Community Partnerships: Penn-West Philadelphia as an Experiment in Progress" Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. Mar 2000. Vol. 29, Iss. 1; p. 24 (22 pages)
In this article, the authors argue that the academic-practitioner divide is largely a product of the Platonic false dualism between "superior" pure theory and "inferior" applied practice. The authors call for a Dewey-inspired implementation revolution to build local democratic neighborly communities as a means for advancing academic-practitioner collaboration, fulfilling America's democratic promise, and overcoming the influence of Plato's aristocratic philosophy on American higher education.

Caulfield, Thomas "Community Service: Influencing Retention and Social Responsibility" Community College Journal. Apr/May 2006. Vol. 76, Iss. 5; p. 18 (3 pages)
Given that colleges are interested in continuously monitoring student persistence for retention purposes, student involvement with community service learning appears to play an active role and thus have an enduring influence. Kiely and Nielsen (2002) indicate that international service learning programs in particular facilitated "intercultural competence, language skills, appreciation of difference, tolerance of ambiguity, and experiential understanding of complex global problems related to their academic program of study."

Esson, Joan, Stevens-Truss, Regina, and Thomas, Anne. "Service-Learning in Introductory Chemistry: Supplementing Chemistry Curriculum in Elementary Schools" Journal of Chemical Education. Aug 2005. Vol. 82, Iss. 8; p. 1168
The pedagogy of service-learning is becoming an accepted method of connecting college classrooms to the community. A service-learning course component has been successfully incorporated into the second quarter of Introductory Chemistry (Chem 120) at Kalamazoo College. Students in Chem 120 design inquiry-based laboratory experiments related to course material for students in grades K-6. The Chem 120 students then conduct these experiments with assigned classes at a local elementary school. This project reinforces course material for the college students while supplementing the elementary school's science curriculum and exposing children to topics they otherwise would not learn. In addition to providing a context for college students to make connections between textbook concepts and real life processes, this project also offers a chance to improve other skills, such as problem solving and communication. Surveys of the Chem 120 students and comments from the elementary school community demonstrate that the project is successful overall and is a way to interest students at all levels in chemistry. This paper discusses the methods used to conduct and assess this service-learning project, survey results, comments from the elementary school community, and the effect of this project on the number of chemistry majors at Kalamazoo College.

Garbus, Julia "Service-learning, 1902" College English. May 2002. Vol. 64, Iss. 5; p. 547 (19 pages)
In the past 20 years, service-learning has emerged in its current form and become increasingly popular. Briefly defined, it is a form of experiental education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities.

Hayward, Karen and Weber, La Mae "A Community Partnership to Prepare Nursing Students to Respond to Domestic Violence" Nursing Forum. Jul-Sep 2003. Vol. 38, Iss. 3; p. 5
Hayward and Weber describe an innovative approach to prepare nursing students to respond to domestic violence. Results show that this community partnership has prepared nursing students to respond effectively and with compassion to individuals and families experiencing violence.

Hollander, Elizabeth and Saltmarsh, John. "Where's the Learning in Service-Learning?" American Journal of Education. Feb 2000. Vol. 108, Iss. 2; p. 157
EDU periodical NO LOAN L11.S551 V.109 2000/0
This is a book review.

Mastrangelo, Lisa and Tischio, Victoria "Integrating Writing, Academic Discourses, and Service Learning: Project Renaissance and School/College Literacy Collaborations" Composition Studies. Spring 2005. Vol. 33, Iss. 1; p. 31 (23 pages)
Recent trends in Composition Studies and service learning have urged instructors to help students make connections between their course material and the world at large. Mastrangelo and Tischio talk about their experiences in Project Renaissance, a pilot interdisciplinary program for first-year students at The University at Albany. Their experiences confirm that reciprocity is an essential component of "learning" in service projects, both for the students doing the "serving" and the community being "served."

Reed, Virginia, Jernstedt, G. Christian, Hawley, Jill, Reber, Emily, and DuBois, Courtney. "Effects of a Small-Scale, Very Short-Term Service-Learning Experience on College Students" Journal of Adolescence. London: Jun 2005. Vol. 28, Iss. 3; p. 359
This study examined the effects of a small-scale, very short-term (8-10 h) service-learning experience on college undergraduates. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that students participating in this experience reported maintenance of their sense of social responsibility, an increased sense of the meaningfulness of college, and an increased likelihood of choosing a service-related occupation, when compared to non-participating matched counterparts. These findings provide support for the notion that minimally resource-intensive service-learning programs can provide students with some of the benefits of service-learning that have been identified in longer, more intensive experiences.

Rehling, Louise "Doing Good While Doing Well: Service Learning Internships" Business Communication Quarterly. Mar 2000. Vol. 63, Iss. 1; p. 77 (13 pages)
Certainly industry-sponsored internships are valuable as career preparation. However, experience with coordinating internships for the Technical & Professional Writing Program at San Francisco State University demonstrates that internships in nonprofits often can provide many of the same transitional benefits as internships in industry, and more. The case for that claim is made, and practical guidance for professors who oversee internships for business and professional communication students is provided.

Toncar, Mark, Reid, Jane, Burns, David, Anderson, Cynthia, and Nguyen, Hieu. "Uniform Assessment of the Benefits of Service Learning: The Development, Evaluation, and Implementation of the Seleb Scale" Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. Summer 2006. Vol. 14, Iss. 3; p. 223 (16 pages)

Ward, Kelly and Wolf-Wendel, Lisa "Community-Centered Service Learning" The American Behavioral Scientist. Feb 2000. Vol. 43, Iss. 5; p. 767 (15 pages)
Many colleges and universities seek to enliven their service missions through service learning. This article critically analyzes the service-learning literature, illustrating the idea that higher education institutions traditionally operate under an orientation of doing for communities rather than doing with them.

Washington, Patricia "From College Classroom to Community Action" Feminist Teacher. 2000. Vol. 13, Iss. 1; p. 12
EDU periodical NO LOAN LB2837.F45 V.13 2000/01
Washington discusses her reasons for modifying the community service option to make it a central rather than ancillary requirement for her Women and Violence course. In addition to demonstrating the efficacy of community service in enhancing student learning and promoting social activism, the project undertaken by the class in spring 1998 revealed some important insights into the service learning process, as well as the development of a service learning community.