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Service learning as civic pedagogy: a narrative inquiry exploring the community college student experience

dc.contributor.authorRobinder, Keith E., author
dc.contributor.authorDavies, Timothy, advisor
dc.contributor.authorHall, Bruce, committee member
dc.contributor.authorKuk, Linda, committee member
dc.contributor.authorSantos Laanan, Frankie, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T08:10:10Z
dc.date.available2007-01-03T08:10:10Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractIn Democracy and Education, Dewey (1916) proposed that a primary role of higher education should be to renew and strengthen students' commitment to active civic life. More recently Campus Compact, a consortium of college and university presidents committed to community service, challenged higher education to "re-examine its public purposes and its commitments to the democratic ideal... to become engaged, through actions and teaching, with its communities" (National Campus Compact, 2007, p. 2). Many authors have called for higher education to renew the democratic mission of higher education (Colby, Ehrlich, Beaumont & Stephens, 2003; Franco, 2005; Hodge, Lewis, Kramer & Hughes, 2001). Community colleges were founded to bring the ideals associated with democratic purposes of higher education to a more inclusive, locally defined community (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). Service learning has been identified as an effective teaching strategy to achieve the goal of civic engagement for community college students (Prentice & Robinson, 2007; Prentice, 2011). The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the stories of how community college students experience academic service learning. Seven students who completed academic service learning assignments at a comprehensive community college shared their personal stories, service learning experiences, and reflections on their experiences. The content and context of the students' narratives were analyzed to explore the connections between participating in service learning and developing a commitment to active citizenship and leadership for the common good. Holistic content analysis of the narrative data created rich and compelling stories. The students' stories demonstrated that service learning is a transformational educational practice that engages students fully in the educational process and validates their lived experiences. Service learning involves students in meaningful, empowering experiences that build their capacity to lead productive and purposeful lives. By providing educational opportunities that empower and transform students, community colleges build cultural capital, increase human potential in local communities and promote the civic habits of an inclusive, democratic society that Dewey envisioned. My findings and analyses reveal that service learning is an effective civic pedagogy, particularly when instructors utilize rigorous reflection assignments that challenge students to consider their roles beyond the classroom as citizens and leaders. The student's stories also illuminate the impact of the open access mission on both students and communities, and exemplify the power that community colleges have to transform the lives of students.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierRobinder_colostate_0053A_10988.pdf
dc.identifierETDF2012400272EDUC
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/67626
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectcivic pedagogy
dc.subjectcommunity college
dc.subjectdemocratic citizenship
dc.subjectJohn Dewey
dc.subjectnarrative inquiry
dc.subjectservice learning
dc.titleService learning as civic pedagogy: a narrative inquiry exploring the community college student experience
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEducation
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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