Practical Wisdom for Conducting Research on Service Learning: Pursuing Quality and Purpose(4 Iupui Service Learning Research)

For scholars seeking to undertake consequential research in service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) at a time when there is widening interest in and increasing acceptance of research in this field as a primary area of scholarship, this book provides accounts by preeminent scholars about the trajectories of their research, their methodologies, lessons learned along the way, as well as their views about the future direction of the field. The contributors to this volume represent a range of disciplines and fields including education, history, organizational leadership, political science, philanthropic studies, psychology, and public health, as well as both qualitative and quantitative traditions, and offer models of scholarly learning that contribute to a knowledge base that can guide practice and further the broader public purposes of the academy. They articulate how they view their research on SLCE as having broader purposes that matter to them personally as well as professionally and illustrate how the "why" and "to what end" of their research can evolve as a program of research develops and matures across time. They identify key choices they made in terms of inquiry and methodology, describe both successes and challenges in establishing and navigating a SLCE research agenda across their careers, and share lessons learned from their research journey to advance the field both domestically and abroad. Emerging from these narratives is a theme of practical wisdom that arises through the learning of researchers, students and communities as they engage with complex social contexts.

About the Author :
JulieA. Hatcher is Associate Professor Emeritus of Philanthropic Studies in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy atIndiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). From2012-2018, she was executive director of the Center for Service andLearning and associate professor. Julie serves as co-editor of theIUPUI Series on Service Learning Research (Stylus, 2011, 2013, 2016). Herresearch focuses on the role of higher education in democracy and civilsociety, civic learning outcomes in higher education, philanthropic studies, and civic-minded professionals. She serves on the national advisory boardfor the Carnegie Foundation's Community Engagement elective classification.Julie is the 2017 International Association forResearch on Service-Learning and Community Engagement DistinguishedCareer Award recipient, and the 2008 Dissertation Award recipient.Julie earned her PhD in philanthropic studies with a minor in higher educationat Indiana University. Robert G.Bringle is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Psychology and PhilanthropicStudies and Senior Scholar in the Center for Service and Learning at IndianaUniversity Purdue University Indianapolis. From 2012-2015, he was theKulynych/Cline Visiting Distinguished Professor of Psychology at AppalachianState University. He was the Executive Director of the Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis Center for Service and Learning from 1994-2012.Dr. Bringle was awarded the Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service Learning, the IUPUI Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Legacy ofService Award from Indiana Campus Compact. In 2004, he was recognized at the4th Annual International Service-Learning Research Conference for hisoutstanding contributions to the service-learning research field. TheUniversity of the Free State, South Africa, awarded him an honorary doctoratefor his scholarly work on civic engagement and service learning. ThomasW. Hahn is the Director of Research and Program Evaluation at the Center forService and Learning and Institute for Engaged Learning at Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis. He is responsible for assessment, evaluation, and research in the areas of student civic learning and success. Tom has over20 years of experience in assessment and program improvement in highereducation. He oversees the annual IUPUI Research Academy on CommunityEngagement and Engaged Learning and chairs the campus subcommittee for thestudent Experiential and Applied Learning Record. He received his undergraduateand graduate degrees from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Review :
"Practical Wisdom provides varied and essential guidance for those wishing to pursue service learning research. But the richness of this volume comes from the personal narratives of leaders in the field who connect that guidance to their personal journeys as service learning practitioners and scholars. The result is a compelling case for the scholarly foundation of service learning research and a call to the next generation of scholars to embrace the work." --Mel Netzhammer, Chancellor, Washington State University Vancouver "Washington State University Vancouver" "Service learning pedagogy is thriving due, in large measure, to the authors of this volume, who, in aggregate, have set the standards for generating outcome-based evidence of the impact of service learning on student achievement. Instructors interested in adding practice knowledge to augment their students' academic knowledge, will avoid many pitfalls by absorbing the "Practical Wisdom" offered for conducting service learning, community engaged research. As a result instructors and students alike will gain deeper understanding about civic engagement, collaborative inquiry, and authentic learning." --Hiram E. Fitzgerald, University Distinguished Professor "Michigan State University" From the Foreword: "Preeminent SLCE researchers share their research stories, lessons learned, and guidance for future research and researchers. Each chapter is replete with each author's SLCE research trajectory, homespun stories of their research and campus experiences, and past and future research agendas and practice plans, in essence portraits of reflective practitioners and researchers. Although it may seem counter-normative to blend the practical and research, doing so makes perfect sense. When we read a published article, we have no idea the trials and tribulations faced by the scholar, and often do not know the role of that particular study in the author's overall research agenda. This book makes such matters and others transparent, and its focus is unprecedented in the SLCE field. If you consider yourself an SLCE researcher or a prospective one, then you will find this book a must-read because it illuminates the trajectory of some of the talented SLCE researchers' stories of becoming involved in the work. Seasoned, early career, and aspiring SLCE researchers will find this book chock-full of guidance to inform and improve SLCE research. I cannot overstate the value of this book (and the entire book series) to advancing SLCE research agenda and movement."--Jeffrey Howard, Assistant Director, Center for Learning Through Community Service "University of Michigan"