Attending to Outcomes, Relationships, and Processes to Advance Democratic Practices in Service-Learning and Community Engagement.

Service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) scholar–practitioners in higher education have shifted their focus to deeper engagement and more democratic practices. They have been paying closer attention to the need for engagement practices to be based on mutuality and a genuine commitment to the co-creation of knowledge. Increased attention to questions of relationships, power, and processes in SLCE has become particularly salient in investigations of student learning in community-based experiences. Articles in Volume 8, Issue 1 of the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IJRSLCE) draw attention to research that reflects three lines of inquiry that, in essence, emphasize reciprocity in partnerships between higher education institutions and the wider community. The implication is that SLCE in higher education continually requires critical reflection on the extent to which partnerships and processes combine effectively to enhance student learning; build community capacity; and transform systems, individuals, organizations, communities, and higher education itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]