Service-Learning Australia

Standard.
Service-learning actively engages participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities.

Indicators.
Service-learning:

• Experiences are appropriate to the ages of participants and to their  developmental abilities.
• Addresses issues that are personally relevant to the participants.
• Provides participants with interesting and engaging service activities.
• Encourages participants to understand their service experiences in the context of the underlying societal issues being addressed.
• Leads to attainable and visible outcomes that are valued by those being served.

Sample supporting research.

Furco (2002) found that the young people in his California study who had the strongest outcomes were those who engaged in meaningful service activities that challenged them, interested them, or gave them the highest levels of responsibility. When they were challenged to adopt “adult” roles, young people were more likely to want to prove that they could do the job well, both to others and to themselves. Outcomes were greatest when young people had more control over their service activities, felt a sense of efficacy, and were committed to the cause that their service activities addressed. Outcomes were also better when young people experienced positive relationships with each other, with teachers, and with community agency representatives. Billig, Root, and Jesse (2005) similarly showed that when students perceived their service to be meaningful, they were more likely to be committed to the service-learning project, to acquire more knowledge and skills, and to develop both their own project ideas and a greater sense of efficacy. Catalano, Haggerty, Oesterle, Fleming, and Hawkins (2004) found that outcomes were greatest when youth interacted with others, acquired new skills, and felt rewarded upon project completion. In a study of African American youth, Youniss, McLellan, Su, and Yates (1999) found that outcomes were highest when the service activity addressed meaningful problems within their own community.