Service-learning is a teaching methodology that promotes students' learning through active participation in experiences of community service. This methodology allows students to engage directly with those to whom it offers a needs- and context-adapted service, very often outside the classroom. While there are numerous projects that follow the…

Society is more and more interconnected and interdependent. This results in a plethora of complex social problems and thereby creates the need for individuals with strong decision-making skills. This quantitative study examined the relationship between undergraduate students' participation in academic service-learning and their levels of…

Service-learning is a teaching strategy that offers students opportunities to learn both in the classroom and in the wider world. This pedagogical tool provides students with chances to directly interact with local agencies and effect change in the community. Thus, service-learning holds the potential to broaden and significantly enhance the…

A triangulation mixed-methods design was used to measure differences in service-learning outcomes for 32 students enrolled in criminal justice courses during the academic years 2003 (n = 16) and 2005 (n = 16). Results show that service-learners increase their political awareness and course value but experience a decrease in problem-solving skills…

We present the results of a literature review of studies on teaching strategies for moral education in secondary schools (1995-2003). The majority of the studies focus on the "what" and "why", i.e. the objectives, of curriculum-oriented moral education. Attention to the instructional formats for enhancing the prosocial and moral development of…

The landmark Civic Mission of Schools report of 2003 laid out an argument for the role of schools in promoting youth civic engagement and presented a range of promising ideas and practices to accomplish that. In this study we describe the civic engagement outcomes that Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in Louisville, KY, has chosen to promote…

In a learning community, everyone must participate in decision making. Involving students in developing classroom rules, solving community problems, and reviewing school and district policies has lasting benefits. Service learning, mentoring, and mediation programs help students develop civic responsibility, interpersonal competence, and…

This study examines the effects of the Community Action service learning project, part of the Learn and Serve America program, on gifted adolescents and their community. Using a case study design, the author investigates this service learning project grounded in creative problem solving. The importance of service learning to the participants is…

The nation's educational system mirrors the dynamics of our marketplace democracy, recasting parents as self-interested consumers. Jane Addams' philosophy of education (enhancing people's productive capacities to benefit the commonweal) has been revived in Public Achievement, a work-centered, civic-earning program in St.Paul, Minnesota, that helps…

A research project used data from a national comparative study to examine whether service learning improved students' problem solving or contributed to a more complex understanding of social issues. In a pilot study, students with no, limited, and intensive service-learning experience were interviewed about a social problem and how they would…

This curriculum consists of three modules designed to provide AmeriCorps members with a foundation for learning conflict resolution skills. A trainer's guide identifies training goals, defines terms, and describes curriculum structure and delivery, training format, trainer's role, and follow-up. Modules I and II each require about 9 hours and…

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs on service learning and the academic disciplines. The essays in this volume focus on service-learning in a wide range of environmental studies. The Introduction, "Why is Service-Learning So Pervasive in Environmental Studies Programs?" was written by Harold Ward. The chapters in Part 1…

A study explored the application of reflective judgment theory to the types of problem solving faced by students in community service placements. It also tested the impact of different service-learning experiences on growth in reflective judgment over the course of a semester. Participants were 66 students in 6 colleges and universities. They were…

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs on service learning and the academic disciplines. These essays demonstrate some "best practices" for service-learning, providing rigorous learning experiences for students and high-quality service to the community. A Preface by James L. Applegate and Sherwyn P. Morreale, "Service-Learning in…