Toward a Theory of Engagement: A Cognitive Mapping of Service-Learning Experiences

Abstract

Service-Learning and Cognitive Processing: Opening the 'Black Box' At most colleges and universities, has two pedagogical goals: increasing civic responsibility (Myers-Lipton, 1998; Parker-Gwin & Mabry, 1998) and facilitating academic objectives (Astin & Sax, 1998; Claus & Michel, 2000; Eyler & Giles, 1999). Current research on has focused on these two principle outcomes, using quantitative analysis to measure students' attitudes and substantive knowledge before and after engaging in (Astin & Sax, 1998; Astin, Sax, & Avalos, in press; Astin, Vogelgesang, Ikeda, & Yee, 2000; Batchelder & Root, 1994; Eyler & Giles, 1999; Eyler, Giles & Braxton, 1997). From these studies, we have learned that is, in fact, an effective pedagogical technique for meeting these goals. However, little is known about the actual cognitive processes that students undergo during the community learning experience. Students' pre-service and post-service attitudes provide important documentation that learning has occurred over time, yet we are left to wonder what happens to students during this time period. As researchers and educators, we must ask how the learning occurs and how that process is unique to the experience. In attempting to answer the process-related questions involved in service-learning, this research project demonstrates, using quantitative data, that learning has occurred for a sample of 120 students at Pepperdine University. Based on the demonstrated attitudinal change, we attempt to unpack the complex social and psychological experiences through which students progress during this learning process. Qualitative data, in the form of daily journals, were used to create a descriptive map of the cognitive stages that occur while students engage in service-learning. Because the integration of experiences and substantive, disciplinary-specific learning remains the missing link for many (Cohen & Kinsey, 1994; Eyler & Giles, 1999), a better understanding of students' cognitive processing is critical to improving the effectiveness of as a pedagogical tool. Procedures Sample Our sample consisted of 120 students enrolled in service-learning courses at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. These include Religion 101, Sociology 200 and two freshman seminar entitled Call of Service. The are required as part of the general education curriculum; however, not all sections of these utilize service-learning. Consequently, most of the students in our study did not know of the component of the course until after they were enrolled. Service-learning at Pepperdine are those that fulfill the criteria outlined by the National and Community Service Act of 1990. (1) Within our overall sample, students were 69% female, 31% male, and disproportionately from affluent families: over half were from families with average yearly incomes of at least $75,000, and one fourth were from families with yearly incomes of at least $150,000. All respondents were between 18 and 22 years of age. These students may be considered representative of the student population at Pepperdine University (Fischer, 1999) and of private Christian liberal arts colleges in the U.S. (Sax, Astin, Korn, & Mahoney, 1998). Pepperdine students differ significantly, however, from the general population of college students in that they are more racially homogeneous and higher in parental socio-economic status (Fischer, 1999; Sax et al., 1998). From this sample, we purposively sub-sampled (Berg, 1995) a group of 50 students for qualitative analysis. The sub-sample was 32% male and 68% female. They were 80% White, 14% Hispanic, 4% Black and 2% Asian. These students were placed in agencies that engaged in the following range of service activities: food delivery, residential geriatric care, youth mentoring, public education, juvenile detention, free health services, free legal aid, shelter for the homeless, and after-school mentoring. …

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