ERIC Number: EJ1163947
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-6102
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First-Year Student Motivations for Service-Learning: An Exploratory Investigation of Minority Student Perceptions
Pearl, Andrew J.; Christensen, Robert K.
Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, v21 n4 p117-137 2017
As a high-impact educational practice ("Kuh, 2008"), service-learning can have a transformational effect on students, communities, instructors, and higher education institutions. However, despite cautions ("Butin, 2006, p. 481"), student enrollment in service-learning remains overwhelmingly White and female ("Jacoby, 2015"), creating a potential enrollment gap in a pedagogy intended to be inclusive. In this article the authors explore what might cause minority students to pursue service-learning, building on research that suggests that student traits and values impact the awareness of and disposition to enroll in service-learning ("Christensen, Stritch, Kellough, & Brewer, 2015"; "Pearl & Christensen, 2017"). Through qualitative methodology, the authors work to better understand students' traits in relation to their interest and enrollment in service-learning. The findings, relevant to both service-learning theory and practice, suggest the importance of purposeful consideration of how service-learning can truly promote social justice, democratic values, and equality.
Descriptors: Minority Group Students, College Freshmen, Student Motivation, Service Learning, Student Attitudes, Enrollment, Social Justice, Models, Mixed Methods Research, Questioning Techniques, Student Surveys
Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia and the Institute of Higher Education. Treanor House, 1234 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602. Tel: 706-542-6167; Fax: 706-542-6124; e-mail: jheoe@uga.edu; Web site: http://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/index.php/jheoe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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