Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Gaining Insights Into Community Engagement Efforts: Learning From Preservice Stem Educators, Amy G. Maples, Lynn L. Hodge, Nick Kim

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study seeks to extend research in the field by exploring literature examining preservice teachers’ perceptions of community engagement efforts. We then report findings from a thematic analysis of a survey conducted with teacher candidates at a university in the southeastern U.S. who took part in school- and community-based STEM events, and provide implications and suggestions for utilizing community engagement opportunities as a means of enriching preservice teachers’ understandings of local school and community contexts.

This Is Why We Do It: Faculty Motivations For Embracing Community-Engaged Pedagogy, Magdalena Denham, Lee M. Miller, Joyce K. Mccauley, Danica Schieber, Taylor L. Morrison, Chuck Drumm

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Institutions of higher education are increasingly highlighting community engagement activities to make the benefits of higher education more visible. The most transformational community engagement is linked to curriculum, so it is faculty who must incorporate community-engaged pedagogy. This content analysis of faculty narratives about community engagement reveals motivations for faculty to engage in this work. These findings connect to social capital theory and suggest a new direction for faculty development efforts to promote community engagement.

The Role Of Cultural Brokers In Community-Based Research, Rachel Boit, Joy Birabwa, Dhoha Altaki, Savannah Bayer, Michele Kamau, Linda Hestenes

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Cultural brokers play a critical role of helping researchers navigate cultural and language barriers to gain insight into communities. This paper focuses on one cultural broker who helped facilitate community-based research among the refugee community. Her professionalism, expertise and knowledge of the community made her a valuable resource for both the researchers and the community. This work acknowledges the position of power and privilege that cultural brokers hold in community research.

Town And Gown: Engagement And Collaboration Between Local Municipalities And Institutions Of Higher Education, Vivian González Cueto

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The role of the local government within the context of engagement and collaboration with universities has largely been understudied. Employing a cross-sectional design, this study of 67 universities and 78 municipalities from 29 states examines how collaborative capacity impacts university and local government perceptions of engagement and collaboration with each other. The findings indicate that local government trust is the primary catalyst for both engagement and collaboration between the parties.

Community Engagement In Music Therapy: Reflections From The Field, Jess Rushing, Denise M. Cumberland

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper reflects on a music therapy community engagement project that incorporates clinical training, service learning, and community music therapy. Two faculty members and a practicum student in a Midwestern university engaged community members connected to Parkinson’s disease to create a music-based program. We offer a conceptual framework that connects approaches situated within community music therapy (CoMT) qualities and community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. We share project processes, findings, and recommendations, emphasizing all as equal stakeholders.

Positively Impacting Traffic Safety Culture For Indigenous Youth: A Heritage-Focused Approach, Jacob Steven Pehrson, Ahmed Abdel-Rahim, Logan Prescott

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper presents the development of heritage-focused outreach materials with the objectives of positively impacting traffic safety culture for Indigenous youth to reduce the number and severity of traffic crashes impacting these communities. The approach presented in this paper includes involving local community leaders in traffic safety education and incorporating culturally based material in outreach education. This could empower Tribal communities to preserve their cultural identities while acquiring the expertise needed to promote traffic safety.

Service Learning As A Mode To Deliver Course Learning Outcomes In A Research-Based Exercise Science College Course, Jennifer Lape Kaiser, Madison Skaggs

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The following case study presents an approach to teaching research courses in undergraduate exercise science programs. Research courses are commonly required in the curriculum for this degree. Service learning (SL) is an effective way to promote student learning outcomes (SLOs) by providing hands-on experience for the students, and should be considered in exercise science research courses. Quantitative and qualitative survey results from students over two semesters of SL in an exercise science course are presented.

A Father-Friendliness Survey: How Do Community Organizations Report Engaging Fathers?, Kyle Miller, Jordan A. Arellanes

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This community-based project explored levels of father-friendliness across local organizations, agencies, and schools. A community coalition of individuals from diverse backgrounds and roles created a community survey to gather quantitative and qualitative information from individuals who worked with children or families. An analysis of survey responses (N=122) led to descriptive and thematic results of how the community served or marginalized fathers. Results were used to guide efforts in father engagement across various professional sectors.

Stepping Up, Keeping On Track, And Pulling Your Own Weight: Collaborative Arts-Based Service-Learning Metaphors, Marcy Meyer

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this study, the author explores metaphors related to students’ experiences conducting collaborative arts-based ethnographic research in a U.S. nonprofit organization. A metaphor analysis of 25 students’ essays revealed they were most likely to frame their experiences with arts-based service learning as a journey or a sports contest. The author examines the extent to which students’ metaphors legitimize or delegitimize arts-based service learning, as well as the degree of novelty that characterizes these metaphors. She explores the implications of her findings for teaching and promoting arts-based service learning in the academy.

Incorporating Community-Engaged Pedagogy In Online Classes: Benefits, Challenges, And Strong Practices, Emmy Price, Margaret Thomas-Evans

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community-engagement in virtual classrooms comes with unique benefits and challenges. Between 2018-2021, technical writing e-service-learning students from Indiana University East (Richmond, Indiana) raised a total of $149,239 through grant writing projects. This e-servicelearning project gave students real-world experiences and opportunity to connect with local organizations, prompting one student to choose grant writing as a career. Many students were able to successfully obtain funding for their chosen nonprofits, giving students a sense of social responsibility.

Exploring The Impact Of A Literacy-Based Service-Learning Project On Pre-Service Teachers, Shelly J. Landreth, Tara Wilson

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this study, we describe a teacher educator’s first experience implementing a service-learning project in a children’s literature course in which pre-service teachers helped provide read-alouds for the local public library’s summer reading program. We sought to examine the impact the project had on the seven participants. Data was collected through reflective journals and an end-of-course debrief. Four themes were identified in the data: Initial Feelings, Preparation and Planning, Lessons Learned, and Barriers and Challenges.

Interprofessional Collaboration To Address Social Isolation And Facilitate Intergenerational Service Learning Within Graduate Education, Angela Lavery, Erin Knight, Stephanie Cole, Stacie Metz

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article presents an interdisciplinary collaboration to address the needs of older adults at risk of social isolation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. An intergenerational service-learning program developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging was offered to several universities across the state of Pennsylvania. The authors share their experience and lessons learned from pairing older adults with graduate students studying in the fields of Gerontology, Public Health, and Social Work.

Community-Engaged Learning In Liberal Arts Colleges: Developing Engaged Citizens, Vicki L. Baker, Carrie Booth Walling

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Employing an institutional case study approach, this manuscript features two high-impact learning opportunities open to Albion College students who seek to contribute to solving real-world problems in collaboration with local and surrounding communities: Albion College Community Collaborative (AC3) and Human Rights Lab. The programmatic approach to community-engaged partnerships featured sought to elevate local knowledge, promote engaged citizenship, and advance social, political, and economic change. We describe each program followed by lessons learned and critical considerations to advance the field and to inform the work of others seeking to employ a programmatic approach.

Alternative Spring Break: Engagement In A Rural, Low-Income Community, Travis West

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community engagement programs offer college students an opportunity to impact youth in rural, low-income communities. While in a rural setting where educational training and support is not abundant, college students learn about struggles that rural, low-income youth face in exploring and attending postsecondary education options. The Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program in Vinton County impacts over 1,000 youth each year by increasing their awareness to education opportunities beyond high school. ASB college students are provided classroom instruction time to deliver content and real-life experiences to Vinton County youth.

Book Review: Transformative Critical Service-Learning: Theory And Practice For Engaging Community College And University Learners In Building An Activist Mindset By Heather Coffey And Lucy Arnold (2022), Mark Latta

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

No abstract provided.

“There Is Just A Sense Of Joy In This Work”: Drivers Of Faculty Engagement With Community, David C. Ensminger, Mitchell A. Hendrickson, Jon J. Schmidt

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

American universities have been engaged with their communities as long as there have been universities in America. The nature, purpose, and motivation behind that engagement have evolved. This article explores the motivation behind faculty engagement with their communities. We wanted to better understand what compels faculty to participate in and work in the community despite the many and varied barriers that might stand in their way. We explored the why and how of participation with a significant emphasis on the why. This study builds on the work of Wade and Demb[i] and their Faculty Engagement Framework (FEM) described in …

Fostering Peace Leadership Learning And Practice: A Pilot Study Analysis Of The Peace Leadership Development Curriculum, Whitney Mcintyre Miller, Miznah O. Alomair, Kelly Kennedy, Brittnie A. Ferguson

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

Presented in this paper is a mixed methods pilot study that analyzes the Peace Leadership Development Curriculum (PLDC). The PLDC was designed to teach integral peace leadership concepts embedded in the areas of Innerwork, Community, Knowledge and Environment to students and community peace leaders. Analyzed herein is the impact of the curriculum in terms of participants’ understanding of leadership topics, the frequency in which they utilize these practices, and their perceptions of their importance for peace leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

Study methods include a pre- and post-survey with Likert-scale questions and open-ended response questions.

Findings

Findings from the study demonstrated that …

The Current 'Ban-Demic': School Book Bans In The U.S., Barbara Perez, Jane Caputi

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This essay examines the alarming rise of U.S book. Our stance is grounded in our experiences as educators and academics in Florida, the state with the highest number of book bans and legislation that has significantly impacted education. Book bans infringe on freedom of expression, right to access information, = students’ right to education, and real harm to targeted communities (i.e., LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities), as the bans contribute to the ongoing marginalization and stigmatization of these communities. Diverse representation is key in literature and education. Banning popular culture texts from the classroom stifles critical thinking, social dialogue, and, ultimately, …

Arts-Based Sustainability: From New York To Malawi, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Recognizing that libraries serve multiple constituencies and subject areas, this chapter documents and advocates for development of transdisciplinary arts-based research (ABR) and culture-related projects linked to environmental challenges. Libraries contribute collections and spaces, as well as the research of library and information scientists. Libraries are currently among invisible contributors to sustainability planning and services. The chapter will link this invisibility to the value of what visual arts refer to as negative space elements in subjects ranging from traditional ecological knowledge to environmental science. Library collections, projects, and research contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD) as required to achieve the …

Imagination: Bridging The Intended, Delivered, And Received Curricula, Vicki Boley Dr., Paul A. Michalec Dr.

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This paper explores the transformative potential of imagination in higher education, particularly its capacity to bridge the intended, delivered, and received curricula. Through a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with graduate students, the research highlights how imagination fosters holistic, socially just, and humanizing educational experiences that transcend traditional instructional boundaries, encouraging student ownership and creative engagement in the higher education classroom and beyond.

“Honey, Life Is Just A Classroom:” Using Taylor Swift As A Pedagogical Tool For College Composition, Liz Thomae

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

As educators, we confront the challenge of cultivating a deeper understanding of writing in an age obsessed with utilitarianism, instant gratification, and pragmatism. Students come into our classrooms inundated with these messages of utility and often find subjects within the humanities, especially first year writing, boring and unhelpful. Especially with the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) use in our classrooms and society at large, we as pedagogues have our work cut out for us. I propose a pedagogical approach that bridges students' interests with essential writing skills by integrating Taylor Swift's music into the composition classroom. Swift's evolution as …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

Integrating Positive Psychology And Spirituality To Foster Meaning And Well-Being In Older Adults, Crystal Morris

Adultspan Journal

This perspective article explores the integration of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) and spirituality in therapy to foster meaning and well-being in older adults. It highlights exercises such as the positive introduction, positive legacy, character strengths, mindfulness, mindful-based yoga, and a manifestation prayer journaling. The interventions presented are tools to support older adults that may experience depression, difficult life transitions, and the search for renewed meaning. Therapists who integrate PPIs and spirituality into therapy can promote a holistic, non-pathological approach to treatment.

The Digital Incorporated Worker Narrative: A Mixed Methods Study Of Digital Capital, Work Selection, And Outcomes In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Tracie King

Dissertations

Digital technology permeates society and industry, making digital-ready workers necessary for firms of all sizes as a firm seeks competitiveness in the market (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; de Ruyter et al., 2018; Gorski et al., 2022; Karaboğa, 2023; Kim et al., 2017; Qureshi Zia, 2019). Firms seeking digital-ready workers face a complex digital divide that creates a worker shortage (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; Karaboğa, 2023; Qureshi Zia, 2019). This study aims to describe workers' work selection, work experience, and outcomes in a complex digital society.

Most digital divide research focuses on the individuals excluded from owning, accessing, and having skills …

The Global Classroom: A Phenomenological Study Of International Student Experiences In A Reimagined Intercultural Communication Course, Crystal Bock Thiessen

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the experiences of multilingual international student participants who took part in a semester-long intercultural communication course that was purposefully designed and implemented with half enrollment each of domestic and international students at a Midwestern American university. Despite university efforts towards internationalization, they often fall short of the meaningful engagement needed truly promote intercultural and mutual understanding. International and domestic students share classroom and other spaces on campus, yet they remain overwhelmingly disconnected from one another. Using phenomenology and Baker’s (2011) model of Intercultural Awareness, this study analyzed the international students’ experience in this course to learn more …

A Theoretical Model Of Participatory Team Science Training, Angela E. Jordan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

BACKGROUND: Teams have long been used to address major scientific and societal problems, and interdisciplinary teams are understood to be the best approach to complex systems-based problems like climate change. Engaged research collaborations incorporating community members as equal partners in research projects are recognized as both a means of advancing equity and justice in research, and also of improving the success of research translation by developing solutions with community use-value. The science of team science (TS) and community-engaged research (CEnR) have emerged as scholarly disciplines, with attempts to define competencies, skills, functioning, and success. A growing body of literature in …

Am I Woke Enough To Serve In Healthcare: A Secondary Analysis Of Pre-Health Students’ Personal And Professional Growth By Engaging In Cultural Competency Assessments, Harolynn Williams

All Dissertations

Healthcare providers must be equipped to serve an increasingly diverse population, yet cultural competence remains underemphasized in undergraduate pre-health education. This study explored how embedded cultural competency training influences undergraduate pre-health students’ perceptions of personal and professional growth. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the research incorporated intercultural assessments, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and the Global Competence Certificate (GCC), along with qualitative reflections from students enrolled in three versions of a cultural competence course: a year-long course, a semester-long course, and a short-term study abroad immersion six-week course. Findings revealed that students demonstrated measurable growth in cultural awareness, knowledge, communication, …

Conversations Before The Conversation: Readying Dissidence Through Norm-Setting, Ashley N. Watson

Feminist Pedagogy

How can educators speak truth to power in ways that decenter whiteness while supporting student learning across different levels of awareness? What does the right balance of challenge and support look like in today’s unpredictable college environment? These questions are drawn from my experience as a Black predoctoral fellow teaching “Intercultural Dialogue” at a traditionally white public liberal arts university in rural Minnesota. This paper—both a reflection and recommendations for practice—outlines my approach to co-constructing and scaffolding a conducive learning environment rooted in emancipatory pedagogy.

Acompañamiento And Assessment: Examples Of Community Building Through Assignments In A First-Year Class, Shaianne Tran, Hector Amezola, Dalissa Rodriguez, Morgan Baird, Jennifer Fuentes Luna, Alejandra Vazquez, Fattemah Zia, David Peterson Del Mar

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

This collection of seven diverse assignments written by students from under-represented communities for a first-year inquiry class on immigration, migration, and belonging illustrates how instructors can facilitate a sense of belonging or acompañamiento through course assignments, assessment instruments. Each of the student authors provides a retrospective introduction on how their personal reflection, essay, or research project helped them to make personal connections within or outside of the class. The instructor provides a brief introduction to the concept of acompañamiento and why it is particularly important for New Majority college students.

Successes And Challenges Of College Readiness Curriculum For First-Generation Students, Erin Simmons

Educational Studies Student Papers and Posters

A raising issue in education is the prevalence of first-generation college students and their ability to succeed in institutional spaces. First-generation college students are defined as the first individual in their immediate family to go to college and complete a BA degree. First-generation students differ from continuing generation students in that continuing generation students have a parent that has attended a 4-year institution and completed a BA degree. The difference in rather or not a student is the first to graduate from college is a significant predictor of their success and can present many additional barriers. These barriers include access …