This paper discusses the Refugee Action Support Partnership Project between the University of Western Sydney, The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation and the NSW-Department of Education and Training (DET). The critical ethnographic method is used to evaluate the after-school homework tutoring centres as a vehicle of literacy development…

The classroom teacher plays a pivotal role in any formal educational environment. More specifically, how this individual is involved and how s/he structures activities and discussions about a topic depends on the preferred learning style, personal demeanor, and educational philosophy of the teacher. For teachers that employ service-learning…

At Colorado College, the energy retrofit of a building is used as a service-learning research project to teach physics and chemistry in a variety of courses. In introductory courses for nonscience majors, the project helps students appreciate the scientific method and quantitative reasoning. Within the physical-chemistry course, students see that…

Through Service Learning, students learn while serving the community. This "educational approach ties relevant community service to academic content and uses critical reflection activities to strengthen learning and developmental outcomes" (www.csufresno.edu/sl/). Studies have shown (Astin, et.al., 2000; Eyler, et.al., 2001) that Service…

In Fall 2006, a faculty member in George Washington University's University Writing 20 (UW20) program began incorporating service learning into her theme-based first-year writing course. Along with her librarian partner, they linked two research assignments to the service work of the students. An end-of-semester survey was administrated over three…

C. Wright Mills would be a friendly critic of service learning, acknowledging its benefits for providing students with experiential learning opportunities to connect personal troubles with social issues. Yet he would be critical of service-learning practices that perpetuate institutional power inequalities and that do not advance the social change…

This article explores international student teaching (IST) within the narratives of a prospective language teacher from the midwestern region of the United States. With a focus on one participant, the case study highlights significant factors that relate to the IST experience in Ecuador. A corpus generated from verbal protocols collected over a…

Richard Settersten and Barbara Ray examine the lengthening transition to adulthood over the past several decades, as well as the challenges the new schedule poses for young people, families, and society. The authors begin with a brief history of becoming an adult, noting that the schedule that youth follow to arrive at adulthood changes to meet…

This paper describes how the Input-Environment-Outcome (IEO) model of A. Astin can be used with the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey and the College Student Survey (CSS) to assess student change during college. The CIRP Freshman Survey, given to entering students, provides pretest data. The CSS, given to continuing…

This paper explores the ways liberal arts colleges and universities can conceptualize and design next generation service and learning programs that give more considered attention to the service dimension. A Service and Learning typology suggests four variations found on many campuses in which service and learning have some relationship: (1)…

Democratic classrooms are those in which the curriculum actively engages students in collaborative inquiry, decision making is shared between students and staff, and students choose their daily activities. Compared with traditional classrooms, students in democratic classrooms take more ownership of and responsibility for their own learning.…

The Presidents' Summit for America's Future set goals that can be addressed by service learning. Community educators can participate by organizing grassroots efforts, linking community groups with student volunteers, getting involved with AmeriCorps, becoming community coaches, and participating in America Reads. (SK)

Research findings indicate the importance of (1) engaging all students in service; (2) building organizational commitment to service learning; (3) supporting community groups in youth service activities; and (4) encouraging service activities that link community and curriculum. (SK)

This introduction provides a summary of the various articles presented in this issue that pertain to current issues and lessons learned from service learning practices. This article also addresses many of the criticisms of service learning. This article also suggests further areas of research that need to be addressed. (SWM)

Explores a service-learning program at a university attempting to develop a service-learning minor. This article examines the effect of the program on students and the university community. The qualitative data were gathered from 25 students over a period from December 2001 to December 2002. The results demonstrate that students in a comprehensive…