Abstract:

Service-learning is a pedagogical practice that enhances university coursework through volunteering. Current challenges for the field are understanding the benefits of service-learning in relation to volunteering and with regard to pre-service student characteristics. Although students are the focus of service-learning research and practice, understanding how institutions structure service-learning is needed to appreciate its benefits. A model of institutional structuring of service-learning (offered or not, elective or mandatory) is presented. The model is used to inform a study of the academic, psychological, and prosocial characteristics among 266 undergraduate students enrolled in an elective service-learning course at a single large Canadian public university. The study revealed four groups of students: (a) service-learners with prior volunteer engagements, (b) volunteers, (c) non-volunteers, and (d) service-learners with no prior volunteer engagements. The paper is the first to identify and examine service-learners with no prior volunteer engagements and to situate these students in the context of other service-learners, volunteers, and non-volunteers. Although service-learners with prior volunteer engagement resembled volunteers, service-learners with no other volunteer engagement differed from all other groups. The findings are discussed with regard to the benefits of service-learning and volunteering in a variety of institutions.

摘要：

服务学习是一种通过志愿服务增强大学课程的教学实践。该领域当前面临的挑战是了解服务学习在志愿服务和职前学生特征方面的好处。尽管学生是服务学习研究和实践的焦点，但需要了解机构如何构建服务学习才能了解其好处。提出了服务学习的制度结构模型（提供或不提供、选修或强制）。该模型用于对加拿大一所大型公立大学选修服务学习课程的 266 名本科生的学术、心理和亲社会特征进行研究。该研究揭示了四组学生：(a) 之前曾参与过志愿活动的服务学习者，(b) 志愿者，(c) 非志愿者，以及 (d) 之前没有参与过志愿活动的服务学习者。该论文首次识别和检查了之前没有参与过志愿者活动的服务学习者，并将这些学生置于其他服务学习者、志愿者和非志愿者的背景下。尽管以前参与过志愿者活动的服务学习者与志愿者相似，但没有参与过其他志愿者活动的服务学习者与所有其他群体有所不同。研究结果讨论了各种机构中服务学习和志愿服务的好处。该论文首次识别和检查了之前没有参与过志愿者活动的服务学习者，并将这些学生置于其他服务学习者、志愿者和非志愿者的背景下。尽管以前参与过志愿者活动的服务学习者与志愿者相似，但没有参与过其他志愿者活动的服务学习者与所有其他群体有所不同。研究结果讨论了各种机构中服务学习和志愿服务的好处。该论文首次识别和检查了之前没有参与过志愿者活动的服务学习者，并将这些学生置于其他服务学习者、志愿者和非志愿者的背景下。尽管以前参与过志愿者活动的服务学习者与志愿者相似，但没有参与过其他志愿者活动的服务学习者与所有其他群体有所不同。研究结果讨论了各种机构中服务学习和志愿服务的好处。