How Reflection Enhances Learning in Service-Learning Courses.

This study examines the importance of structured reflection in service-learning courses. The study consisted of interviews with 15 faculty and 72 students from three different higher education institutions; interviews were conducted between October 1998 and March 1999. Focus group interviews with faculty gathered information about course design, classroom practices, and faculty perceptions of student learning. Student interviews focused on how students interpreted the service experience in relation to the course, that is, the connections between academic course material and the community work/service experience; the role reflection played in the course and in their personal and academic development; and the things they did in and out of class to help connect the service experience and the formal course content. The study found that it is essential to provide structured, intentional reflection in service-learning courses, and that reflection enhances learning by connecting the service experience to the academic course. (Contains 36 references.) (CH)