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One of the most frequently mentioned reported positive outcomes associated with service concerns improving and enhancing the social responsibility of K-12 students (Conrad & Hedin, 1981; Hamilton & Fenzel, 1988; Switzer, Simmons, Dew, Regalski & Wang, 1995; Leming 1998). While such an outcome alone justifies the use of service learning, little research has been conducted concerning the nature and context of the service requirement mediating such outcomes. Is the service-learning a one-time event, weeks, or months in duration? Is the service-learning required as part of a school-wide requirement or is it limited to select classes? These and other issues are important ones to consider when evaluating the impact of service-learning on students’ sense of social responsibility if for no other reason than the fact that charter schools are increasingly requiring some form of service from their students (Loupe, 2000).
This article highlights a study in which 34 freshmen attending a charter school in rural Arizona were required to participate in at least 40 hours of organized service-learning. The participants in this study were overwhelmingly (i.e., eighty percent) European American, middle class, and female. The survey was administered during the second week of class before any service learning took place and the post survey was administered the second to last week of class when most students had completed their 40 hours of required service-learning. The study sought to answer the question: How did participation in school organized service-learning impact freshmen attitudes concerning social responsibility.
The instrument itself was called the “Social and Personal Responsibility Scale,” (Conrad & Hedin, 1981) which required respondents to answer 21 multiple choice questions focusing on four dimensions of responsibility: attitudes toward being responsible, competency to take responsibility, efficacy regarding responsibility, and performance of responsible acts. It should be noted that the dimension of “attitudes toward being responsible” is subdivided into the subscales of “social welfare,” which measures “the extent to which one feels concerned about problems and issues in wider society” (Conrad and Hedin, 1981, p. 8) and “duty, which measures the extent to which one feels bound to personally meet social obligations” (Conrad & Hedin, 1981, p. 8). Competency of responsibility measured the perception of how capable or skilled one felt to act responsibly. One may feel responsible but not necessarily have the capability to do so (Conrad & Hedin, 1981). Efficacy regarding responsibility measured the extent to which students believed taking responsible action would result in change in society. Finally, Performance of Responsible Acts assessed “the extent to which students perceived they do act in responsible ways” (Conrad & Hedin, 1981, p. 8). The authors of the survey pilot tested the instrument to ensure acceptable levels of validity and reliability.
The table below highlights the numbers of students who indicated a change with respect to the various dimensions of responsibility between the pre and post tests that they took.
Table 1. Number of Students Whose Attitudes Changed About the Various Dimensions of Responsibility
|
Dimensions of Responsibility |
Increasing in Responsibility |
Decreasing in Reponsibility |
No Change in Responsibility |
Total Number of Students |
Attitude (social) |
13 |
15 |
6 |
34 |
Attitude (duty) |
13 |
12 |
9 |
34 |
Competency |
16 |
15 |
3 |
34 |
Efficacy |
11 |
17 |
5 |
34 |
Performance |
11 |
16 |
5 |
34 |
Overall, the results indicate that students’ attitudes concerning responsibility in general were minimally impacted by their year-long service-learning experience. Whether these results are due to the fact that the service-learning was required is inconclusive. In other words, I can not decisively state that the context of required service resulted in these negative attitudes. At most I can indicate an association. However, these results do suggest that having students perform service might not necessarily result in the intended values (i.e., being more responsible) that one would hope students gain. On another level, the results also suggest that changes in attitudes through service might simply take a long time. If one breaks down the various dimensions of responsibility, there is an indication that students have to first feel a sense of responsibility before they can begin to act responsibly. In the results, more students in the post test felt an increasing sense of responsibility in terms of cultivating an attitude of duty and competency.
The most interesting aspect of the above results was the indicator that students decreased in their sense of responsibility along various dimensions. In terms of attitudes about responsibility in a social sense and efficacy and performance, the students clearly indicated after service that they felt less capable in these areas. With respect to the attitude of being responsible in a social sense, anecdotal evidence suggests that these young students simply don’t know what issues to be concerned about and/how to express such concern. With respect to efficacy and performance of responsible acts, the results clearly reveal that the required service-learning experiences over the course of a year were not enough to convince young people that they can have any impact on the world and to act responsibly. Such results suggest a number of explanations. First, one must consider the nature of the service-learning experience. Because these students had varying experiences, it might have been the nature of the service itself, which lead to such results. Secondly, one must take into account the age of the students. These freshmen were between fourteen and fifteen years of age. They might not have had many opportunities to assume responsibility that results in positive social change. Finally, these two dimensions of responsibility might simply be aspects of responsibility that take longer to acquire, especially acting responsibly. It stands to reason that one must have a sense of responsibility (i.e., have a positive attitude towards responsibility), feel competent or capable of being responsible, and hold the belief they can effect change (i.e., efficacy) before they can perform responsibly.
These results of this study raised a number of issues and questions for further research. First, more research needs to be conducted on the impact of required service-learning on students’ sense of social responsibility. Secondly, more research on the social responsibility outcomes of service-learning need to be conducted on a variety of high school students. The participants in this study were freshmen. How would older students, such as seniors, respond? How would students in an urban school setting respond and what if they were of a lower or higher socio-economic status? Finally, studies need to be conducted which examine the nature of social responsibility. As these results suggest, it might be the case that acquiring a sense of social responsibility occurs in phases or over time. For example, perhaps students have to feel socially responsible before they are capable of being socially responsible. These are just some areas of further research that would potentially provide a richer understanding of the complex relationship between service-learning and social responsibility.
References
Conrad & Hedin (1989). High school community service: A review of the research and programs. Washington, D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 313569).
Hamilton, S. & Fenzel, L. (1988). The impact of volunteer experience on adolescent social development: Evidence of program effects. Journal of Adolescent Research, 3(1), 65-80).
Leming, J. (1998). Adding value to service-learning projects. Insights on Global Practice, 36(3), 157-161.
Loupe, D. (2000). Community service: Mandatory or voluntary? The School Administrator, 57 (7), 32-39.
Switzer, G., Simmons, R., Dew, M., Regalski, J., Wang,
C. (1995). The effect of a school-based helper program on adolescent self-image,
attitudes, and behavior. Journal of Early Adolescence, 15 (4), 429-455.
Penelope Wong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at California State University, Chico. Her research and teaching interests include multicultural education, service-learning, and curriculum and instruction. Formerly, a high school English teacher, she has taught overseas, on the Navajo Reservation, and in a charter school in Arizona. She may be contacted at pwong@csuchico.edu.
