Community Service-Learning as a Group Inquiry Project: Elementary and Middle School CiviConnections Teachers' Practices of Integrating Historical Inquiry in Community Service-Learning

ABSTRACT

This article illustrates how community service-learning can be defined and implemented as a group inquiry project in which students apply academic knowledge and social problem-solving skills. The authors examined eleven different community service-learning projects put into practice by elementary and middle school teachers who participated in CiviConnection, a national civic education program. They also explored how the teachers' practices were related to their perspectives on citizenship education, as the national CiviConnections program was designed to align with the reflective inquiry perspective by integrating historical inquiry in community service-learning. From the reflective inquiry perspective, they identified four elements of service-learning as a group inquiry project and analyzed eleven class projects to see how they incorporated the four components: (1) identifying issues and defining problems, (2) studying issues in-depth while using disciplinary modes of investigation, (3) developing action plans through decision-making processes, and (4) developing personalized knowledge through reflection. The authors discuss the study results' implications and examine opportunities to consider how community service-learning should be developed and implemented as a group inquiry project in which students develop personalized knowledge about community issues through discipline-based inquiry skills and decision-making processes.

Keywords:

• community service-learning
• historical inquiry
• issues-centered teaching
• social studies

Acknowledgments

J. D. OHN is an assistant professor at James Madison University and teaches social studies methods courses for elementary teacher candidates. RAHIMA WADE is a professor of elementary social studies at the University of Iowa and an educational consultant working with K–12 schools and colleges to develop high-quality service-learning programs.