Candidate: Jay Richardson Cooper

Degree of: Doctor of Education

Department: Teaching, Learning and Leadership, Educational Leadership

Title: Social Responsibility and Types of Service Learning: A Comparison of Curricular Service Learning, Co-Curricular Service Learning, and Traditional Community Service

Committee:
Dr. Mary Anne Bunda, Chair
Dr. Jianping Shen
Dr. Diane Swartz

Date: Tuesday, December 4, 2001, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
3306 Sangren

Abstract:
This study investigated social responsibility among college students involved in three different types of service learning. Social responsibility, the dependent variable, was analyzed using scores on the Social Responsibility Inventory. Three institutions, representatives of Masters I Colleges and Universities, were involved in the study and 198 students completed the questionnaire. A one way analysis of variance was run which demonstrated that there was a significant difference among the mean scores on the Social Responsibility Inventory in the three types of service learning.

Type of service learning, the independent variable, included traditional community service, co-curricular service learning, and curricular service learning. Traditional community service was operationalized as membership in Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity. The student sample was drawn from the membership on each campus. Co-curricular service learning was operationalized as involvement in alternative spring break, a week long service immersion experience. The student sample was randomly drawn from participants on two of the three campuses. Curricular service learning was operationalized as enrollment in a for-credit service learning course. The student sample was the participants in one randomly drawn course on each campus.

Using a Turkey post hoc procedure, it was found that traditional community service and co-curricular service learning both had higher mean scores on the Social Responsibility Inventory than curricular service learning. No difference was reported between traditional community service and curricular service learning. Results may reflect initial differences between the three groups of students participating in the study rather than the types of service learning, a typical flaw in ex post facto studies. Both traditional community service and co-curricular service learning are voluntary activities which may attract students who have a higher sense of social responsibility than students enrolled in a curricular service learning course.

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