Can Community-Based Research Guide Service Learning?

Abstract

Research on service learning is beginning to show that the academy may be using communities to serve students, rather than engaging students in effectively serving communities. This article begins by documenting the extent of the potential problem and its underlying dimensions. It then goes on to develop an alternative model to guide service learning, building on community development models and community-based research (CBR) practices. Using this alternative model allowed us to create an outcome-oriented service-learning plan, and better monitor its implementation. We then analyze how this model plays out in an ongoing service-learning project. The analysis shows how the model was able to engage stakeholders in designing the project and creating specific, goal-oriented service-learning projects that could be carefully supervised to maximize community outcomes. However, we could not overcome the weakness of service learning imposed by an ill-suited higher education structure and culture.

Keywords:

• Service learning
• community-based research
• project-based research
• community development

We acknowledge the students and nonprofits that helped us learn the lessons expressed in this article, our funders, and anonymous reviewers for the Journal of Community Practice. The project discussed in this article was supported by a subgrant through Princeton University from the Corporation for National and Community Service, with matching support by DANEnet, and the following University of Wisconsin units: the Morgridge Center for Public Service, the Division of Information Technology, and University Health Services.