The Influence of the Cultural Context of Community Service-Learning Practices

In this workshop, we invite participants to engage in a discussion on the role of the cultural context in defining their community service learning (CSL) practices. Note that we use the concept CSL rather than Service-Learning (SL), since CSL tends to focus more on the outcome for the community, whereas SL focuses more on the learning of the student. Originating from the United States and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s, CSL as a structured pedagogical approach spread to Europe in the decades following. Although European educators and institutions were influenced by developments in North America, its adoption varied both across countries and institutions. Cultural beliefs, institutional governance, and policy, as well as the cultural, political, and economic context of a specific country or region influence and inform these engaged educational practices. This larger cultural context co-determines what is considered as efficient, what is quality, what is knowledge and how it is produced. However, this larger cultural context is often taken-for-granted. Ideally, CSL “serves as a vehicle for connecting students and institutions to their communities and the larger social good, while at the same time instilling in students the values of community and social responsibility” (Neururer and Rhoads 1998, p. 321). It aims to increase civic engagement and social responsibility, develop practical skills, and stimulate personal growth and self-reflection, amongst others. However, how this is all defined largely depends on the cultural context. A close examination of the literature shows that little research is dedicated to how this cultural landscape potentially impacts CSL activities and practices (Kempner and Makino 1993; Väkimaa 1998).