Evaluating Service-Learning Activities and Programs.

This book uses an extended case study to guide readers through the complexities of evaluating service learning outcomes and their relevance to the curriculum. Eight chapters include: (1) "What Is Service Learning?" (e.g., definition and rationale, developing a service learning program, and standards for effective programs); (2) "The Need To Ask Evaluation Questions" (e.g., steps in the evaluation process, naturalistic inquiry, and ethics); (3) "Asking the Right Questions" (e.g., goals and objectives, kinds of evaluation questions, and formatting questions); (4) "Evaluating Service Learning Knowledge and Performance Outcomes" (e.g., characteristics of high quality information, evaluating knowledge outcomes, and portfolio assessment); (5) "Evaluating Writing Samples" (e.g., evaluating responses to writing prompts, developing scoring rubrics, and rubric scoring a science performance assessment); (6) "Evaluating Service Learning Sentiments, Options, and Attitudes" (e.g., creating statements for self-report affective measures, rating scales, and goal attainment scaling); (7) "Designing Data Collection Plans" (e.g., evaluation tenets, students as evaluators, and data collection management); and (8) "Reporting and Using Answers" (e.g., general and specific guidelines for report preparation, cost considerations, and decision making). Three appendixes include: state organizations supporting service learning, the Program Evaluation Standards (1994), and sample instrumentation. (Contains 56 references.) (SM)