The Impact of Service-Learning on Community Involvement Attitude in Career and Technical Education Students

Service-Learning is a teaching methodology, which incorporates community service and classroom learning. Students take the skills and techniques gained in the classroom into the community to address real world problems. The basis for this methodology comes from the theories of John Dewey and more recently the Experiential Education Theory of D.A. Kolb. The three phases of preparation, action, and reflection move service-learning beyond other models of experiential education to build a reciprocally beneficial model for all stakeholders. This quantitative study examines the effect service-learning has on attitudes toward community involvement among community college, career and technical education students of eastern Kentucky. This study uses a non-equivalent control group design. During the spring 2012 semester, the 25 students in the experimental group completed the pretest, treatment, and posttest. The control group, consists of 19 new students enrolled in the same programs and they completed the pretest and posttest during the fall 2012 semester. The study explored the student\u27s awareness of community issues and their feelings of responsibility to become involved in community service. The ANCOVA analysis shows a significant difference between the groups. The results suggest the value of service-learning activities as a contributor to both awareness and responsibility toward community involvement