College Faculty Experiences Assigning Service-Learning and Their Inclination to Continue

College Faculty Experiences Assigning Service-Learning and Their Inclination to Continue by J. Shannon Chamberlin MA, Pacific School of Religion, 1975 BS, Miami University, 1966 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University May 2015 Abstract The academic benefits and enhanced social responsibility that students derive from service-learning (SL), defined as experiential learning that ties community service to academic courses, have been well documented. However, for a college to fully institutionalize SL, a high proportion of faculty needs to include SL in their courses. Based in Kolb’s experiential learning theory, the purpose of this study was to enhanceThe academic benefits and enhanced social responsibility that students derive from service-learning (SL), defined as experiential learning that ties community service to academic courses, have been well documented. However, for a college to fully institutionalize SL, a high proportion of faculty needs to include SL in their courses. Based in Kolb’s experiential learning theory, the purpose of this study was to enhance planners’ understanding of how college faculty’s past experiences assigning SL influence their inclination to assign SL in future courses. In this basic qualitative interpretive study, data were collected from 13 individual interviews with faculty who assigned SL at a Southern metropolitan university. Findings were interpreted using Chickering’s 7 vectors of student development from the conceptual framework and other relevant perspectives from the literature. One of the major themes from emergent coding of data was that faculty viewed some difficulties as challenges to be overcome rather than as deterrents to using SL. To reduce deterrents, institutions could compensate for extra time required for SL by providing stipends, released time, and support databases; recognizing SL in tenure and promotion; and helping faculty brainstorm how to incorporate SL into courses. To increase incentives to use SL, institutions could provide a full range of training and support for faculty. More courses with SL, besides increasing benefits of SL for all stakeholders, may mean that students form the habit of serving in the community and continue serving and contributing to positive social change, perhaps for a lifetime. College Faculty Experiences Assigning Service-Learning and Their Inclination to Continue by J. Shannon Chamberlin MA, Pacific School of Religion, 1975 BS, Miami University, 1966 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University May 2015 Dedication To my mother whose lifetime of service inspires me every day, to my father-inlaw who used a few of his last words to urge me to finish my PhD, and to other family members without whose support this study would not have been possible. Acknowledgements Thank you to the individuals who so generously shared their reflections, feelings, and suggestions about service-learning with me during the interviews. Your passion and commitment were an inspiration to me, and your voices enlivened these pages. Thank you Dr. Catherine Marienau and Dr. Sandra Johnson for guiding me through the process of turning my vision into reality. I appreciate your expertise, your patience, your good humor, and your suggestions that helped refine the dissertation and made the process a joy. Thank you to my husband John for clearing the way for me to proceed by providing the funding and freeing my time by taking on so many tasks at home. Thank you John and daughter Katharyn, for all the times you listened while I spun out ideas, comforted me when I was frustrated and struggling, and cheered me on when things were going well. Thank you for the many pages of text you poured over to catch my errors before someone else did. You made me look good. Thank you to my steadfast friends Glenna and Barbara whose interest encouraged and sustained me. Thank you, Barbara, for launching me on the doctoral journey in the first place by believing I could and should do it. The journey has been longer than anticipated when I first set out. I especially thank you all for standing by me and helping me see it through to a successful finish.