Exploring Cultural Dynamics and Tensions Within Service-Learning

Service-learning is an exciting pedagogy and field of study, offering insight into how academic study andcommunity engagement blend to create social change. In its most traditional conceptualization, servicelearningactivities typically manifest within communities where outside individuals address a need. Servicelearningis purported to have a transforming effect on individual student perspectives by providing studentsthe opportunity to interact with people and enter into situations that allow students to test their predispositiontowards others. However, the literature on the impact of service-learning on participants' acceptance ofdiversity and development of open-mindedness reports mixed outcomes.The purpose of this book is to explore cultural tensions and dynamics within the field of service-learning. It isnot meant to be an exhaustive review of the interplay between culture and service learning, but rather a starting point for an ongoing conversationabout how this complex topic impacts the field. In 18 chapters, educators, students, and administrators investigate the cultural values of servicelearningitself and the tensions created when this is at odds with the values of others within K-12 and higher education in the United States and abroad.Authors include community organization representatives, researchers, directors of offices of community engagement, university administrators, juniorand senior faculty, and former service-learning undergraduate students. Submissions reflect a range of genres, including theoretical/conceptual pieces,position papers, case studies, and other traditional academic essays, challenging how students and community members are affected by the culturaltensions within service-learning engagement.