Reflection is a key component of service learning, but research shows that in order to maximize learning, the reflection must be of high quality. This paper compares the affordances of three different models of written reflection in engendering students' higher-order thought processes. Student reflections were compared across axes of guided versus…

Undergraduate students' reports of their service-learning course experiences and their gains from participation in those courses were investigated with a sample of 250 students at Tulane University. The students completed a survey in which they rated their service-learning courses in terms of three aspects: Value of Service, Focus on Service, and…

This paper investigates the experience of Staten Island's diverse urban communities with limited financial resources regarding access to affordable housing after the 2008 economic downturn. It details a successful partnership in researching the challenges faced in these communities and offers recommendations for the targeting of resources to…

This paper examines a good practice for service learning that has been implemented for years in TESOL Internship, a professional unit for students doing Master of Arts (MA) in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at a major university in Australia. The author has investigated and identified three key features of a good practice…

We designed a cross-disciplinary interdepartmental volunteer program, which involved student participation in "community care teams for the elderly living alone." Our aim was to enhance communication between students and the elderly. Students were expected to meet and learn to get along with the elderly, to develop listening and…

The number of Black women in the academy is small. Further, that number decreases as the academic and administrative ranks increase. Yet, these scholars and social agents play roles vital to education. This reflective essay describes the experiences of three Black female scholars at Predominately White Institutions. Using personal narratives as an…

Service-learning is a pedagogical approach that integrates students' classroom instruction with community experience. This article discusses qualitative results from a national survey examining service-learning in Council on Social Work Education--accredited baccalaureate programs. Almost 80% of the 202 program respondents required…

At its best, service learning involves students making meaningful connections to their own community and feeling empowered by the experience. Unfortunately, in the elementary years, student service-learning is often a one-shot effort in which adults make decisions for children, preventing them from truly having a hand in the project's direction…

The DEAL model of critical reflection (Ash & Clayton, 2009a) was explicitly designed to help improve the quality of learning and practice in applied learning. Heretofore, the DEAL model has been used at the level of the individual student or faculty member as learner. To improve understanding and implementation of critical reflection in a…

This study investigates the extent to which service-learners' mindfulness is affected by engagement in reflection (e.g., dialogue) and contemplation activities (e.g., labyrinth tracing). The results are compared within and between treatment groups, while covarying for participants' initial levels of mindfulness. While both dialogue and…

Objective: The authors sought to determine the prevalence of threats and assaults by patients on psychiatry residents, their consequences, and the perceived adequacy of supports and institutional responses. Method: Authors conducted an anonymous survey of 519 psychiatry residents in 13 psychiatry programs across the United States. The survey…

This study investigates which factors cause college student to express an interest in participating in what we classify as nontraditional community service opportunities. The particular form of community service that we examine--participation in a volunteer computing project--differs from traditional forms of college student volunteerism in that…

In this manuscript, the word "circumstances" serves as a conceptual lens through which to examine reflective vignettes of one university art educator and two art education undergraduates written in response to service-learning experiences at a local outreach Center for the homeless. Experiences included the design and teaching of art…

The workforce in the United States is becoming more diverse. To help students prepare to work and live in a diverse society, the author developed a lower-division course called "Communication Ethics and Diversity." After this course, students should be able to: (1) define diversity and communication ethics; (2) understand a variety of…

This essay presents perspectives on the range of potential reciprocity in literacy research and service learning, focusing attention on opportunities for individualized and institutional reciprocation, as observed by Takayoshi and Powell (2003). Researchers and students involved in community-based research or service programs have several…