Service learning and intercultural citizenship in foreign-language education

Abstract

Service Learning, a pedagogy combining formal learning with community service, has recently developed into Intercultural Service Learning (ISL). Intercultural Citizenship Education (ICE) combines foreign-language education and education for (intercultural) citizenship. They have different origins and applications but recent work in ISL is linked to foreign language education, as is ICE. A comparison of the two reveals considerable similarities and the potential for mutual enrichment. The article first explains the two types of education and their origins and theory, and examples of each are then provided. Thus the ways in which they complement each other and the potential for further coherence and enrichment are demonstrated. In particular it is argued that foreign language education can gain from the experience and rigour of ISL to give new possibilities for language teachers.

Keywords:

• Service learning
• intercultural education
• citizenship education
• internationalism
• critical thinking
• intercultural learning

Notes

1. The empirical study was based on action research. The study was small-scale and comprised a treatment group of n = 32 and a control group of n = 27. The mixed-method approach which was used for the data collection entailed five different sets of qualitative and quantitative data that provided insights on a cross-sectional and a longitudinal basis.

2. This description is based on the chapter by Melina Porto, Petra Daryai-Hansen, María Emilia Arcuri and Kira Schifler: ‘Green Kidz: Young learners engage in intercultural environmental citizenship in English language classroom in Argentina and Denmark’.