Evaluating service learning programs

This kind of learning included learning about what it is like to be poor or homeless, to live in the city, or to be elderly. Several students not counted reported finding Bible passages come to life, but it was not clear just what students meant by such a comment. Examples of this kind of learning might include the need for policy that promotes justice or an understanding of inherent racism in the social system.

Focus group interviews with the 16 students in a level theology course entitled Spirituality and Service were conducted at the end of the semester. Most of these students had 3 to 4 years of experience in a variety of service activities, and many of them had undertaken leadership roles in service. Similar to the comments made on the written evaluations, students in the focus groups mentioned the learning of many things.

Students indicated how the people they worked with inspired them with their thankfulness and determination. Some students appeared to be in awe of the personal power they experienced in touching people. Others were touched by such things as the desire of adults to learn to read in order to read the Bible. Some students reported benefiting from the combination of reading and service; reading about social justice was mentioned specifically.

The kinds of comments that showed that these students were touched by the people they served in service clearly distinguished these students from those in the other classes whose reflections were captured in their written comments.

Students were particularly touched by the way in which economically disadvantaged people in Appalachia and Mexico, who had so very little materially, managed to be so strong and committed to living, and to be living in a simple fashion. These students had participated in co-curricular immersion service experiences in these two locations. Some of the interviewed students indicated that they had reevaluated their career aspirations as a result of service.

One student reported the desire to work in an occupation that directly serves people in need. Others had decided to perform a year or more of service work after graduation, some against the wishes of their parents.

Several students reported that they learned that service can be incorporated in daily living and expressed a call to do so. Several students identified a mandate to be instruments of God through service, that to serve is to follow the example of Jesus, or to be Christ like, or to fulfill the call of being Christian.

Others expressed the view that the performance of service and the pursuit of changing the world as a moral responsibility.

Many experienced an increase in the depth of the questions about the plight of the downtrodden, what it means to be Christian, and where God fits into the picture that service triggered.

Others went even deeper it seemed. One student used the term "faith challenges" to describe the effects of immersion outreaches. One student described the dilemma she experienced feeling that God had abandoned her and other people, but subsequently learning through her experience that such was not the case. Another raised the challenge of balancing one's responsibilities as a Christian and a taxpaying citizen.

Discussion Results from the present pair of studies reinforce much of what we know already about the difficulties in demonstrating benefits of service learning but also shows that studies utilizing comparison groups are quite possible and beneficial. Results from quantitative and qualitative analyses show that service learning has benefits for late adolescents and that it would appear that engaging in service learning activities may benefit younger, less experienced students in different ways than older, more experienced students.

However, findings from interviews with a stratified random sample of students in the two course sections suggest clear gains for the service-learning students in terms of a stronger attitude of compassion for the disenfranchised of society, a greater level of commitment to wanting to work in their communities to help solve social problems, and a stronger belief that they could make a difference in the lives of others.

In addition, the instructor reported that the service-section students demonstrated a better grasp of the readings and more openness to grappling with the complexities of issues of justice in class discussions, as compared to students in the non-service course section. Although instructor bias needs to be considered a possible confound, its effects may be minimized by the fact that the instructor had no previous experience with service learning and no expressed beliefs that students would benefit from the service.

Results of this first study underscore the difficulty in quantifying changes in students' attitudes toward the importance of society meeting the needs of those who are not able to help themselves and in students' levels of moral reasoning and understanding of issues of social justice, despite qualitative evidence of such gains. These results underscore also the need to develop better pencil-and-paper instruments that are sensitive to such changes when they take place.

The lack of differences in pencil-and-paper measures of moral development and changes in social and personal responsibility may be attributed also to the absence of reflection as a component of the service-learning experience in the present study.

Reflecting on service experiences has been an important aspect of service learning that contributes to student benefits from service experiences e. It was clear from the results of the second study, an evaluation of students enrolled in seven service-learning classes, that performing service affects students and that the kinds of effects depend, at least in part, on the number, if not the types, of experiences of service involvement.

Students who were enrolled in the and level courses, who were for the most part younger and less experienced in service than students enrolled in the level courses, felt their eyes opened to some social realities of how people live and what economically disadvantaged people were like.

They felt that they learned something about themselves as well, although they were less likely to articulate what that was. It would appear that as the students are afforded more experiences of service acknowledging that there is likely to be some personal choice involved in choosing such experiences , they are more likely to interpret service in light of readings or theory or in light of scripture or the call of Christianity.

Many of these more experienced students felt the call to be "instruments of God" in their lives through service. Something particularly striking about the students enrolled in the Spirituality and Service seminar, a service capstone course of sorts, is that, even with the considerable amount of service in which most of them had been involved prior to the class, they continued to learn more from the service experience they were 1.

This class also appeared to benefit the students in being able to put their service work, in particular the immersion experiences, in a faith context.

Service appears to have an initial eye-opening effect on students as they collect data about what other people are like and how they live. Beyond these early experiences, students appear to attempt to make sense of this data in terms of academic readings, their own lives, and of Christian principles.

They also become touched by the workers and clients with whom they interact. If they continue to perform service, it is likely intentional either because they feel a call to do so or because they want to make sense of what they are experiencing.

The co-curricular immersion experiences lead them to even bigger questions about their social and political world, themselves and their place in that world, and God and God's will for them. The Spirituality and Service seminar appears to have been an important reflective vehicle for many students involved in large amounts of service to open themselves up to larger, more personally and spiritually challenging questions.

In addition to the different effects that experienced and relatively inexperienced students-in-service that service learning appears to have, results of the present study suggest that courses that include reflection as a central feature stimulate students' thinking about issues of justice and faith and can have effects on decisions students make about post- graduation plans. Additional issues for program and research efforts to address include the integration of co-curricular and curricular service activities and their effects, methods of maximizing student benefits from service learning through the incorporating the theory and practice of leadership, and sequencing service-learning courses to capitalize on developmental changes in college students with respect to cognitive, moral, and spiritual domains.

References Berry, H. Kendall Ed. Boyer, E. College: The undergraduate experience in America. Conrad, D. Instruments and scoring guide of the Experiential Educational Evaluation Project. National assessment of experiential education: A final report. Research agenda for combining service and learning in the s. These are arguably the most formal examples of program evaluation of service learning.

Effective service learning is now seen as a major vehicle for education reform and for improving the learning experience of students. A school must address eleven components to be considered a CSR program.

The seventh component reads "Provides for meaningful involvement of parents and the local community in planning, implementing and evaluating school improvement activities Pearson Ninety percent agree that service-learning helps students build the skills they need later in life Learning In Deed Teachers are seeking new and innovative ways to ensure their students acquire these skills, and program evaluation of service learning is critical to determining the effectiveness of such programs.

The increasing call for accountability required more stringent evaluation of programs incorporating measurable outcomes. It is important to note that funding decisions for the overall initiatives from CNCS are appropriated in Congress. Such decisions are arguably made based on funding priorities, but those priorities are largely driven by the effectiveness of programs. On a more micro level, program evaluation helps teachers, administrators and school officials improve the effectiveness of their service learning programs and the efficiency in which they allocate resources for such programs.

When students engage in service to the community, in addition to learning, they are contributing to their long-term social and civic development. When youth engage in service, they are more likely to carry those values through to adulthood.

This has important consequences for many community organizations that are the recipients of such service. Effective service learning from students can greatly assist these organizations in serving their constituency and working towards their missions.

In this way, service learning can contribute to community building by connecting citizens to community issues at a young age and fostering relationships between schools and the local community organizations. Most schools with service learning programs cited strengthened relationships among students, the school, and the community is key reasons for practicing service learning Skinner and Chapman Service learning evolved partly out of the movement towards formalizing volunteerism, which is a big component of philanthropy.

The debate over whether required service is really volunteering notwithstanding, the ultimate impact of service learning can contribute to the "greater good" and attend to community needs. Program evaluation of service learning can yield indicators demonstrating the effects on the recipients of such service. Such results can support altering service learning programs so that the students meet their learning objectives while the community organizations benefit from their service.

Program evaluation can assist those organizations in determining whether their programs are achieving their intended outcomes for service learning. The funding through CNCS enables service-learning programs to exist in public schools throughout the country. The Surdna Foundation takes a slightly different take on service learning in that they state that they "don't have an educational focus. Corporate philanthropy for service learning also comes in the form of grant awards for successful service learning projects.

By funding these initiatives for service learning, these philanthropists are leveraging dollars to enable youth to address community needs while learning new skills, behaviors and values.

Without such support from the philanthropic sector, these service-learning programs would not exist. A framework for program evaluation is a practical tool for summarizing and organizing the essential elements of program evaluation.

It involves the steps and standards for an effective program evaluation. The recommended framework to use is the one developed by the Center for Disease Control. The six steps of a program evaluation include: engaging stakeholders, describing the program, focusing the evaluation design, gathering credible evidence, justifying conclusions, and ensuring use and sharing lessons learned CDC It contains indicators, data sources and data collection methods for each of your outcomes. An indicator is the information that indicates how well the program has met a particular outcome United Way of America For example, the outcome of your students cleaning up a park may be a change in attitude towards their local environment.

An indicator of this outcome for your class would be the percentage of students treating their local environment differently i. Data collection methods may be observing their behavior, group discussion, written surveys or a combination thereof. Research shows that schools where there is a district policy in place are much more likely to participate in service-learning 51 percent than schools where the district does not have a policy 17 percent or where the policy is unknown 21 percent.

Examples within the School Curriculum. Service-learning programs can take many forms and be implemented in a variety of contexts.

Programs can be integrated into all grade levels—from kindergarten through college. The format, length, and focus of the program should be age-appropriate and meaningful to the students.

With modifications to support their needs, students with disabilities can be effectively engaged and experience a variety of benefits. Consulting with local experts in a variety of fields, the students cleared a plot of school land and installed or planted appropriate feeders, trees, and plants. They also learned how to calculate the cost of regular food refills and how to coordinate regular maintenance. Middle school students cleaned and decorated bus shelters in their town to spread messages of cultural appreciation.

They began by researching and giving reports on life in different countries and by participating in activities from various cultures. They applied their knowledge by creating posters, which were installed as bus shelter panels. Cleaning and decorating bus shelters also sparked conversations about being more respectful of public property. High school students planned a sequence of instructional activities and created materials e. Using those materials, high school students tutored struggling readers from a neighboring school.

View additional examples of service-learning. Service-learning offers rich opportunities for students to understand and experience diversity in meaningful ways, demystifies stereotypes, and provides a way for students to learn about other cultures and to explore differences, including race, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, geographic location, environment, values, beliefs, traditions, and abilities.

Given the interconnectedness of our global communities, the issues of intercultural respect and dialogue have become the highlight of national and international discussions. Because youth represent the future, their participation in successful intercultural service projects on the local, national, and international levels can have an impact on global issues that affect all of us. When service and intercultural learning are combined, young people are able to contribute their time and talent from the perspective of their own diverse backgrounds and enrich not only their own lives but also the lives of those with whom they come into contact.

Cooperating with youth from other countries, cultures, regions, or communities of the world can result in dialogue, tolerance, and universal peace. Moreover, intercultural service-learning projects allow young people around the world to expose and address multifaceted local, national, and global problems. These opportunities contribute to the development of civic responsibility among youth in partnering communities throughout the world and also allow them to design sustainable efforts that focus on issues such as disaster relief, famine, equal rights, poverty, disease, and more.

Coverdell World Wise Schools Coverdell World Wise Schools offer resources to help integrate global issues and cultural awareness into core content areas. The service-learning page provides lesson plans categorized by grade levels K—2, 3—5, 6—8, 9—12 that guide students through planning, undertaking, and evaluating service-learning projects.

In addition, students are encouraged to reflect on the importance of community service by reading stories about Peace Corps volunteer experiences, articulating needs within their own communities, and generating ideas about how to address those needs through service.

Each offers unique experiences either domestically or internationally for youth to get involved in so they can make a difference in the lives of others through a variety of community projects. Global Youth Service Day Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning.

This website offers resources, information about funding opportunities, news, and opportunities to connect with service-learning projects. International Education Resource Network iEARN iEARN is a nonprofit organization consisting of more than 20, schools worldwide in more than countries that seeks to empower students and teachers to work together online on selected projects that are integrated into their classrooms.

The site offers an online learning center, a library of downloadable publications, an events calendar, and a collection of practices and program examples. National Youth Leadership Council This organization aims to create a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world with young people, their schools, and their communities through service-learning. A Practical Guide for Integrating Civic Responsibility into the Curriculum PDF, pages This curriculum guide discusses civic responsibility, how it is tied to service-learning, how faculty can integrate concepts and exercises in a practical way, and how faculty can assess the development of civic responsibility in their students.

It also provides practical, easy-to-use applications and includes numerous exercises, activities, and assessment tools. Service-Learning—Learning by Doing, Students Take Greening to the Community PDF, 32 pages This booklet from the Environmental Protection Agency contains several service-learning projects that focus on various aspects of safe solid waste management, such as reducing household hazardous waste and buying recycled-content products.

Each profile includes contacts who can provide information on how students can start a similar program. Additional resources, including grants to help start such a project, are located in the back of the booklet. Learn more on the EPA website. Service for Peace Service for Peace is an international nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable and participatory community development through service.

Youth Service America YSA YSA aims to improve communities by increasing the number and the diversity of young people, ages 5—25, serving in substantive roles. This project is sponsored by the U.

Department of Justice, the U. Department of State, and other organizations. Kennedy Serve America Act of , p. Department of Education, , p. Youth who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IDEA and especially young adults of transition age, should be involved in planning for life after high school as early as possible and no later than age Research links early leadership with increased self-efficacy and suggests that leadership can help youth to develop decision making and interpersonal skills that support successes in the workforce and adulthood.

In addition, young leaders tend to be more involved in their communities, and have lower dropout rates than their peers. Youth leaders also show considerable benefits for their communities, providing valuable insight into the needs and interests of young people.

Nearly 30, youth aged out of foster care in Fiscal Year , which represents nine percent of the young people involved in the foster care system that year. This transition can be challenging for youth, especially youth who have grown up in the child welfare system. Read about how coordination between public service agencies can improve treatment for these youth.

Civic engagement has the potential to empower young adults, increase their self-determination, and give them the skills and self-confidence they need to enter the workforce.

We need your ideas! Click here to share. Benefits All youth, including those with disabilities, can benefit from participation in service-learning. Researchers have found a statistically significant impact of service-learning programs on multiple outcomes, 16 including improved social skills; lower levels of problem and delinquent behavior; better cooperation skills in the classroom; improved psychological well-being; and a better ability to set goals and adjust behavior to reach these goals.

New energy, ideas, and enthusiasm as well as specialized skills that young people can bring to the organization such as community skills. New partnerships and resources that emerge when agencies for service-learning partner with schools, youth development organizations, faith-based organizations, or others that provide service-learning as part of their programming. Cultivation of a new generation of volunteers by an organization for either itself or its broader cause by working with youth and getting them committed to its mission.

Benefits for Service Recipients, Communities, and Society Beyond the young people the organizations directly involve, community-based service-learning benefits the people served, their communities, and, ultimately, society: It meets real needs and priorities for individuals and communities, as young people bring new energy, capacity, and creative ideas.

Community residents have opportunities to build positive relationships with young people. Communities see youth in a different way—as resources, not problems.