Background: To prepare students to become productive 21st century citizens, universities have to be more engaged with society. Shifting towards community service learning (CSL) enables students to participate in, and reflect on, services that both benefit the public and also contribute to their own learning. There has been considerable research…

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…

Community-based service-learning (CBSL) integrates experiential learning and academic goals with organized activities designed to meet the objectives of community partners. CBSL has potential to enhance (1) academic learning, (2) foster civic responsibility, (3) develop life skills and (4) transform student attitudes. However, little research…

For a university service learning educational research project addressing Legionnaires' disease (LD), a Yes/No questionnaire on community awareness of LD was developed and distributed in an urban community in North Carolina, USA. The 456 questionnaires completed by the participants were sorted into yes and no sets based on responses obtained to…

Universities have traditionally embraced three missions: teaching, research and community service. The latter usually receives lower status than the other two missions. There has, however, been a revival of interest in community service as a policy oriented exercise for universities and regional development, partly stimulated by international…

This article outlines the importance of Community Engaged Research, and how it can be embedded into an existing Master of Science in Education degree program at Dominican University of California. Community Engaged Research rejects the traditional research model, opting instead for a dialogic approach to research. Both the community and the…

Purpose--Academic sustainability programs aim to develop key competencies in sustainability, including problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate successfully with experts and stakeholders. These key competencies may be most fully developed in new teaching and learning situations. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the kind of, and…

Five articles on service-based scholarship present broad issues confronting higher education, with a focus on physical education, and explore problems associated with current models. The articles note the need to move toward a more service-based model with significant connections to the community and society and present various barriers to the…

Reviews recent research related to the roles of race and gender issues in community service learning, exploring issues of student participation, student learning and peer interaction, community relationships and impact, and transfer to other venues in the educational institution. A series of foci for further research related to race and gender…

The intent of this article is to inform readers about ways in which scholarly inquiry can be expanded. An overview and a refinement of a research approach called "service-bonded inquiry" are provided. Service-bonded inquiry is a response to the call for changing the way research is interpreted, conducted, and evaluated. At the heart of this…

Reviews the literature on school-based community service programs and examines community service as a means of developing student character within a group of urban Catholic elementary schools. It suggests these urban Catholic schools offer a model for other elementary schools, both private and public, in building student character. (GR)

This publication highlights the work of institutions of higher education and their surrounding communities throughout the United States which, are responding to the responsibilities and possibilities of their educational and social missions by mobilizing their resources in ways that benefit their surrounding communities as well as themselves,…

This publication highlights the work of institutions of higher education and their surrounding communities throughout the United States which are responding to the responsibilities and possibilities of their educational and social missions by mobilizing their collective resources in ways that benefit both the institutions and the communities. In…

This publication highlights the work of institutions of higher education and their surrounding communities throughout the United States. These institutions are responding to the responsibilities and possibilities of their educational and social missions by mobilizing their resources in ways that benefit the institutions and the communities,…

The Comparing Models of Service-Learning project surveyed the impact of service-learning programs on students' citizenship values, skills, attitudes, and understanding nationwide. Data were obtained from 1,136 pre- and post-surveys of students who participated in service learning and 408 of their classmates who did not select service-learning…