Finding the Buried Treasure: Research Opportunities Using Service-Learning

Finding the Buried Treasure: Research Opportunities Using Service-LearningDr. April HeiseltAssociate Professor and DirectorCenter for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence (CASLE)Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Center for Teaching and Learning WorkshopFebruary 27, 2013

1IntroductionsDr. April HeiseltAssociate Professor & Student Affairs Program CoordinatorDirector of the Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence (CASLE) Courses taught with service-learning pedagogy:Introduction to Assessment, Administration of Student Personnel Services, Student Affairs in Higher Education, Literature of Student Affairs, Internship in Student Affairs, Day One Leadership Community

Brief Program OverviewCASLE DescriptionWhat is service-learning?Research and service-learningPeer-reviewed journalsPreflection ExperienceGrant Opportunities Examples of service-learning researchQuestion and Answer Period

Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning ExcellenceLearn, Serve, Become. Learn. The Light BulbStudents are able to learn more, with more depth, and critical thinking than in a typical classroom settingServe. The HandStudents give their time to help, assist, provide knowledge, and to in essence give a hand to an entity who needs it.

Become. The Infinite ArrowStudents will take this knowledge with them throughout their experience at MSU and into the future as independent, critical thinkers, who (ideally) will want to become civically engaged, active citizens.

References/AdaptationsLearn and Serve Americahttp://www.learnandserve.org

Service-Learning Research Primer http://www.servicelearning.org/service-learning-research-primer/service-learning-research-primer

National Service Learning Clearinghouse (Research)http://www.servicelearning.org

National Service Learning Partnershiphttp://www.service-learningpartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ABT_index

Service-learning is NOT One-time volunteering experience

One sided (only the student or community benefits)

Logging community service hours in order to graduate

Service assigned as a form of punishment

An add-on to other assignments

What is Service-Learning? Service-learning is a pedagogy . . .

A method of teaching and learning linking meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to

Meet the needs of a community organizationEnrich the learning experience and enhance student understanding of course materialTo teach civic responsibility and critical thinking Strengthen communities

77What types of research could I conduct?Each discipline is unique; but, there are common possibilities

Study of the service-learning pedagogy in a specific field or discipline

Impact studies on students, the community partner

Adapted from: Bringle & Hatcher, 2000

Research and Service-LearningWhat types of research are counted here at Mississippi State University?

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles 100s of opportunitiesNote: There are other opportunities for publication (non-peer reviewed articles), but these are not typically used for tenure and promotion

Research Presentations

Obtaining of grant funds to support research

Peer-Reviewed WritingThere is no peer-reviewed journal in my field that would print this type of research.

Illustration of efforts that bring about new concepts in your field.

Highlight the impact your research is having on other fields

The stimulation of knowledge can build your reputation as a researcher

Peer-Reviewed S-L JournalsService-Learning Research theoretical Michigan Journal of Community Service Learningwww.umich.edu/~mjcsl/

Article Examples: Service-Learning and Critical Emotion Studies: On the Perils of Empathy and the Politics of Compassion

Revitalizing South Memphis through an Interdisciplinary Community-University Development Partnership

International Service Learning: Conceptual Frameworks and Research

Peer-Reviewed S-L JournalsJournal of Community Engagement and Scholarshipwww.jces.ua.edu

Article Examples:Fostering a Listening Community Through Testimony: Learning with Orphans of the Genocide in Rwanda

Including Latino Communities in the Learning Process: Curricular and Pedagogical Reforms in Undergraduate Spanish Programs

Publishing Opportunities Resource ListPublished by The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)

www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/SR_Homana.pdf

Journals for Scholarship of Teaching and LearningJournal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning www.iupui.edu/~josotl

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education www.indstate.edu/jcehe

Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement openjournals.libs.uga.edu/index.php/jheoe/

Common Problems in S-L ResearchSmall sample sizesDrawing conclusions about all service-learning students by interviewing eight seniors about one class

Correlation CausationCorrelating hours of service at a site to attitudes about diversity, and then concluding, "serving more hours at a homeless shelter caused students to have more open attitudes about diversity." Without additional evidence, a more appropriate inference would be something like, "students who served more hours at a homeless shelter had higher scores on the diversity scale."

Self-selection bias (non-random assignment)

Common Problems in S-L ResearchSocial desirability biasWhen the behaviors and attitudes that the researcher wants to measure are "socially desirable" (i.e. social responsibility), students are inclined to make themselves look good when they give responses.

Creaming the crop Overgeneralization of results to draw conclusions about another group of students (i.e. all students in college vs. students in a particular first-year course).

What type of research could you conduct?PreflectionUsed to enhance the overall reflection process In preflection students are asked to:Imagine what the experience will be like and express any feelings they anticipate their involvementComments are reviewed after the service has been completedLooking back on these thoughts/feelings provides for some comparative analysis and brings about focused discussion and deepening insights

Service-Learning and Research Preflection ExperienceWhat were your thoughts about coming to this workshop on service-learning research?

What did you think you might learn?

What ideas did you have (publication, presentation, grant idea) that you thought you could create based on this discussion today?Keep these thoughts in mind as we continuePresentation VenuesDepending on your discipline the sky is the limit!International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement ConferenceNational Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Administrators Conference American Library Association National Conference (ALA)First-Year Experience and Students in Transition Conference

Grant Opportunities Federal

Regional

Local

FoundationGrant OpportunitiesFederal GrantsNational Institutes of Health

National Endowment for the Arts

US Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/fund/grants-apply.html

Federal Grant Opportunities www.grants.gov

Federal Grant ExampleDepartment of Health and Human Services *Support for Economic Development Projects to Help Low-Income Individuals

The Job Opportunity for Low Income Individuals Projects program provides support for new business ventures, business expansion, and self-employment and micro-enterprise projects designed to address the economic needs of low-income individuals and families. The application deadline is March 29, 2013.

Regional Grant ExampleDelta Rural Health Network Development GrantWebsite: http://1.usa.gov/Viv4rP

Information: Funds organizations located in the eight Delta states to address unmet local health care needs and prevalent health disparities in rural Delta communities.

Grant OpportunitiesFoundations Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Education)http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants/

Ebay Foundation Community Grants (Technology)http://pages.ebay.com/community/aboutebay/foundation/

Ben and Jerrys Foundation (Environment)http://www.benjerry.com/foundation/index.html

Community Foundation Locatorhttp://www.communityfoundationlocator.org/search/inex.cfm

Grant ExampleLocal Grants MSU has campus grants too!Cross-college Research Grants http://www.research.msstate.edu/funds/

Starting small with matching funds is a great indicator of success

Teaching grant Schillig Special Teaching Grant

Examples of Service-Learning Research (involving a class)ARC 4990: Habitat Prototype, Professor Gregory

MSU IRB Approval

Purpose of the project is to gather information on the perceptions of service-learning by architecture students to better understand the impact of service-learning on architecture education.

Thinking back to your initial research ideawhat thoughts do you have now?ReferencesAsh, S. L., Clayton, P. H., & Atkinson, M. P. (2005). Integrating reflection and assessment to capture and improve student learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 11(2), 49-60.Astin, A. W., & Sax, L. J. (1998). How undergraduates are affected by service participation. Journal of College Student Development, 39, 251-263.Bringle, R. G. (2003). Enhancing theory-based research on service-learning. In S. H. Billig & J. Eyler (Eds.), Deconstructing service-learning: Research exploring context, participation, and impacts (pp. 3-21). Greenwich, CN: Information Age Publishing.Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1995). A service-learning curriculum for faculty. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 2, 112-122.Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2000, Fall). Meaningful measurement of theory-based service learning outcomes: Making the case with quantitative research. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 68-75.Eyler, J. (2002). Stretching to meet the challenge: Improving the quality of research to improve the quality of service-learning. In S. H. Billig & A. Furco (Eds.), Service-learning: Through a multidisciplinary lens. Advances in service-learning research series (pp. 3- 14). Greenwich, CT: Information Age.Eyler, J. & Giles, D.(1999). Where's the learning in service-learning? San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass Publishers Furco, A., & Billig, S. (2002). Service-learning: The essence of the pedagogy. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, Inc.