ERIC Number: EJ1220515
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0092-055X
EISSN: N/A
"I Understand What They're Going through": How Socioeconomic Background Shapes the Student Service-Learning Experience
Clever, Molly; Miller, Karen S.
Teaching Sociology, v47 n3 p204-218 Jul 2019
Traditional service-learning pedagogy assumes that learning occurs when contact between relatively advantaged students and a relatively disadvantaged service population reduces prejudice. However, little is known about how students whose backgrounds are similar to the populations they serve process this learning experience. This study explores the connections between socioeconomic status and learning trajectories within service-learning. Students provided written reflections on a service-learning experience focused on food insecurity as part of course requirements. Analysis reveals that students with low socioeconomic status (SES) demonstrate different learning processes than medium- and high-SES students. Namely, low-SES students were less likely than high-SES students to hold prejudiced attitudes prior to service, and low-SES students emphasized a systemic understanding of food insecurity and poverty, while medium- and high-SES students were much more likely to emphasize an individualist understanding. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research to improve service-learning pedagogy for students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Descriptors: Socioeconomic Background, Student Experience, Service Learning, Food, Poverty, Advantaged, Disadvantaged, Citizen Participation, Rural Areas, Private Colleges, Small Colleges, Social Justice, School Community Programs, Student Attitudes, College Students, Community Needs, Systems Approach, Problem Solving, Social Bias
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A