scholarly journals Academic Service Learning for Underprivileged Communities in Pakistan: Enhancing Development beyond Economics

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-464
Author(s):  
Zehra Habib

This study focuses on development of disadvantaged communities via an Academic Service Learning project, incorporated in the PhD coursework of a private university. School teachers from an underprivileged community in a charitable village school of Baluchistan were given training by the students after doing interviews for needs analysis and developing and implementing a workshop based on their needs. As part of the workshop evaluation process, teachers’ perspectives were examined after teachers had incorporated the workshop strategies in their classrooms. Findings were highly positive, because teachers demonstrated enhancement in learning and constructive gain in scholarship which they could transfer to students and to other teachers in the community. Data from students who had carried out the project, accentuated improved learning and a keen desire for voluntary participation in service learning projects for helping underprivileged communities. This study not only contributes to the body of literature in academic and community service learning in the Pakistani educational context, but elaborates on the value of factors beyond economics for advancement of deprived segments of society.

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Hatziconstantis ◽  
Tania Kolympari

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for secondary education students requires the successful completion of the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) component (more recently renamed Creativity, Activity, Service) which is based on the philosophy of experiential learning and Academic Service Learning. In this article, the technique of mixed content analysis is employed to examine the perceptions of students in an International Baccalaureate Greek private school regarding the implementation and effectiveness of CAS. The empirical results indicate that students perceive and conceptualise volunteering activities in two contrasting dimensions, namely idealistic-humanitarian and utilitarian-instrumentalist, implying that Academic Service Learning projects may need to be adjusted to achieve their objectives.


1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary L. Tucker ◽  
Anne M. McCarthy ◽  
John A. Hoxmeier ◽  
Margarita M. Lenk

Community service learning offers a unique and rewarding way for business students to reinforce communication capabilities while developing lifelong career and social skills. This article defines community service learning, dis cusses its importance to business as well as higher education, and describes three community service learning projects. Students in these projects taught elementary students, designed a computer system for a community nonprofit, and developed accounting systems for university divisions. In doing so, they enhanced their understanding of classroom theories and communication skills through service-learning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhui Sophy Cheng

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the community service learning initiative among Taiwanese communication students by examining the link between the value of work-based learning and learning outcomes from the applied classroom projects. Design/methodology/approach This study involves the applied classroom projects. Data are captured in both quantitative (i.e. survey) and qualitative methods (i.e. reflective papers). The survey is designed to measure general attitudes and perceptions of service learning students. The reflective papers focus on the participants’ expectations of the service learning outcome. Findings The findings suggest that work-based and service learning projects are beneficial for the students, faculty, university and community partners. As an extension of experiential learning, students acquire a deeper understanding of the course material, gain practical expertise in the real world, develop interpersonal communication skills and engage in civic responsibility. Practical implications This study supports the notion that service learning engagements help students develop problem-solving skills. It is suggested that since the content of traditional learning in the discipline of communication has changed extensively over the past decades (i.e. from traditional media to new digital media), service learning can be a complimentary tool to not only broaden students’ learning, but to also expand their professional horizons and opportunities. Originality/value The current study expands existing theory and advances our understanding of service learning in the discipline of communication in a Taiwanese context. With practical roots embedded in Western educational initiatives linking service learning to higher education, this paper reveals that service learning does work across cultures as well.


1996 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Fouhey ◽  
John Saltmarsh

Without self discovery, a person may still have self confidence, but it is a self confidence built on ignorance and it melts in the face of heavy burdens. Self discovery is the end product of a great challenge mastered, when the mind commands the body to do the seemingly impossible, when strength and courage are summoned to extraordinary limits for the sake of something outside the self—a principle, an onerous task, another human life. (Charles Froelicher, 1962)


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 1081-1101
Author(s):  
Lorna R. McLean ◽  
Hoa H. Truong-White

Previous scholarship has examined how teachers’ civic knowledge and conceptions of citizenship influence their goals, pedagogical practices, and confidence in teaching citizenship, but few studies have probed how teacher candidates develop identities as civic educators through community service-learning projects. This case study draws upon Baxter Magolda’s framework of self-authorship to investigate how teacher candidates in a Canadian university began to self-author their identities as civic educators through their experience of developing and delivering citizenship learning modules to youth through a community-based project. Our qualitative analysis of the data indicates that participating in change-oriented service-learning can lead teacher candidates to challenge their assumptions about youth engagement, increase their sense of self-efficacy as civic educators, and, to some extent, develop an awareness of self in relation to others.


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