Applying experiential learning theory to student activism

ABSTRACT

The re-emergence of student activism on college campuses in the U.S. has provoked questions about its educative function in higher education. Analysed through the lens of Kolb’s experiential learning theory cycle, individual interviews with self-identifying student activists from across the U.S. reveal that activism engages students in learning about social issues and critical social analysis, social change processes, and themselves. Consonant with the bases of Kolb’s idealised experiential learning cycle, student activists learn through having concrete experiences, engaging in reflective observation, developing abstract conceptualisation, and performing active experimentation. In addition to actively pursuing knowledge for themselves, student activists work to facilitate experiential learning opportunities for others, including peers as well as adults. As such, activism on campus serves as a vehicle for student-led teaching and learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Student activism
• experiential learning
• agentic engagement
• extracurricular organisations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jerusha O. Conner

Jerusha O. Conner is Professor of Education at Villanova University, where she directs the graduate programmes in Education. Her research, which focuses on youth activism, student engagement, and student voice, has been supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the New Ventures Fund, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Surdna Foundation. The author of more than 40 journal articles and book chapters, two edited collections (Contemporary Youth Activism, ABC-CLIO, 2016 and Student Voice in American Education Policy, Teachers College Record. 2015), and a recent book on student activism (The New Student Activists, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020), she holds expertise in critical participatory action research and intergenerational research collaborations. Dr. Conner is experienced in translating academic research for lay audiences. Her opinion pieces have been featured in such outlets as The Conversation, The Hill, and U.S. News and World Report, and she has been quoted in parents.com, The Progressive, USA Today, and Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. At Villaova University, Dr. Conner has won awards for her teaching and her service. Dr. Conner holds an A.B. degree from Princeton University and earned her PhD from the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University.