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Service-Learning Programs and the Knowledge Economy: Exploring the Tensions

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Abstract

Community service-learning (CSL) programs are proliferating in Canadian higher education. University programs promote students’ experiential learning in community as part of a course; students most often engage in unpaid work in not-for-profit organizations and reflect on that experience in relation to their classroom learning. However, programs tend to occupy an ambivalent position in higher education—they are seen as important, but at the same time are often under-resourced and treated as marginal to universities’ core activities. This paper argues that the contradictory position of service-learning is partly related to the bifurcated view of theoretical and practical knowledge perpetuated in knowledge economy discourse. Drawing on interviews with service-learning program leaders, it explores their responses to knowledge economy discourse. Findings suggest varying levels of resistance; some leaders comply with university pressures to engage in transactional approaches to service-learning, while others seek to integrate theoretical and practical knowledge through the creation of hybrid learning networks. This paper outlines the reasons for and implications of different responses and suggests that socio-cultural learning theories can inform pedagogical approaches within programs.

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Notes

  1. The works cited here were written before the election of Donald Trump as America’s 45th president. This event has sparked even more discussion about democratic process and engagement

  2. Fredericksen (2000) and Hugg and Wurdinger (2007) discuss the influence of John Dewey on service-learning; in particular, they address the idea that effective learning requires contextualization through application and experience.

  3. Thank you to an annonymous reviewer for making this point.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Insight Grant (435-2012-0301) as well as by a Killam Cornerstone Grant at the University of Alberta (co-investigator Milosh Raykov). Thank you to research assistants Zane Hamm and Renate Kahlke for help with data collection and analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Studies, The University of British Columbia | Vancouver, Education Centre at Ponderosa Commons, 6445 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada

    Alison Taylor

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Correspondence to Alison Taylor.

Appendix 1: Interview Guide

Appendix 1: Interview Guide

Can you tell me about your own background and current role?

Where is service-learning located within your university?

Can you talk about the history of service-learning at your university?

What kind of model did you develop and has it changed over time?

How many staff are involved in service-learning and what are their roles?

Does your office play a role in preparing instructors, community partners, and students for service-learning?

How do students develop the skills to make connections between in-class and out-of-class learning?

How well prepared are instructors for service-learning? Do you play a role in this?

How do you define community?

How do you balance student learning and community development goals?

Is there much discussion involving instructors about learning theories and aims?

Is there a shared pedagogical focus across instructors? If so, how does that impact the program?

Is it more often academics or community people who initiate service-learning?

What does an ideal service-learning experience look like in your view? Can you provide an example?

How do you measure the success of your programs?

Has research on service-learning been done at your university?

What are the greatest institutional challenges for service-learning within and outside universities?

What is your vision for growth and development of service-learning programs here and across Canada?

What insights or expertise have you gained that will improve programs?

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Taylor, A. Service-Learning Programs and the Knowledge Economy: Exploring the Tensions. Vocations and Learning 10, 253–273 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-016-9170-7

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