Incorporating Service Learning into Public Affairs Programs: Lessons from the Literature

Abstract

This article reviews the growing literature on citizen service since 1990 to identify design principles to guide the incorporation of a service learning pedagogy into public affairs programs. The article begins with an analysis of a bibliographic database of service-related research published between 1990 and 1999. Although little of the research focuses specifically on public affairs programs, it is a rich literature that proposes best practices, examines program outcomes, and identifies factors thought to influence the successful implementation of service learning. We build on this analysis by reviewing studies of service learning in public affairs published after 1999 to craft seven design principles: explicit connections between the service activity and learning objectives; reflection; appropriate time commitment; student input; faculty commitment; perceptible impacts; and feedback loops. Our hope is that the design principles provide guidance to those wishing to employ a service learning pedagogy and that subsequent research will test, refine, and expand them in ways that improve the likelihood that these experiences will produce desired learning objectives.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark T. Imperial

Mark T. Imperial is an assistant professor in the master of public administration program at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington, where he teaches courses in public management, policy analysis, and environmental policy and management. His research has been published in various journals including Administration & Society, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Public Works Management and Policy, Natural Resources Journal, and Environmental Management.

James L. Perry

James L. Perry is Chancellor’s Professor, School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), and Senior Scholar in the Center for Service and Learning at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He also directs the Indiana University American Democracy Project. His research focuses on public service motivation, community and national service, and government reform and appears in such journals as Administrative Science Quarterly, Administration and Society, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and Public Administration Review. His most recent book is Civic Service: What Difference Does It Make? (M. E. Sharpe, 2004).

Michael C. Katula

Michael C. Katula is a doctoral candidate in the joint Ph.D. program in public policy at Indiana University, Bloomington. He received his M.A. degree from the Russian and East European Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington, and his B.A. degree from DePaul University. His research interests include local government reform and social capital.