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Impact of reflection and training on S-L outcomes.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the impacts of Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders) on undergraduate and graduate student participants (N = 289). The results indicated that the frequency with which students' professors linked their coursework to SHINE, the importance placed on reflection, and the quality of students' training and ongoing support positively impacted on several outcome measures. The discussion emphasizes the importance of faculty and staff providing linkages between students' coursework and their service experiences to maximize positive student outcomes.

Introduction

Project SHINE (http://www.projectshine.org) is a national, multicultural, and intergenerational service-learning initiative based at Temple University's Center for Intergenerational Learning. SHINE links college students with older immigrants and refugees seeking to learn English and navigate the complex path to U.S. citizenship. Eighteen colleges and universities in fourteen cities across the U.S. currently participate in the program. SHINE students work with immigrant elders in small groups and one-on-one, creating individualized lessons in comfortable learning environments. Providing instruction in familiar settings such as churches, temples, community centers, and senior housing allows elders who may be unable to travel to established classes to access services they might not otherwise receive. Students also assist teachers in overcrowded classes, helping immigrant elders overcome learning difficulties associated with changes in memory, vision, hearing, and mobility and keep up with the pace of instruction.

At each institution, SHINE staff develop and maintain partnerships with local community organizations; recruit, train, place, and monitor students at community sites; provide ongoing support and technical assistance and opportunities for reflection and recognition at the end of the semester. Program staff also recruit and support faculty; providing individual consultations, making class presentations, facilitating reflection, organizing meetings with community partners, and encouraging peer support by bringing new and experienced faculty together. Tutor handbooks and a program manual developed by SHINE facilitate the replication of the program across the consortium. Although most students participate in the program through a service-learning class, students are encouraged to sustain service beyond one semester through work study or as volunteers. In addition to tutoring, student leaders are increasingly involved in many aspects of program implementation.

Theoretical Framework

SHINE's service-learning model exemplifies many of the "good practices" identified by the RAND Corporation in its evaluation of Learn & Service America Higher Education programs including training, support, and intensity of service (Gray, Ondaatje, & Zakaras, 1999). SHINE provides and requires participation in a comprehensive pre-service training co-facilitated by staff and community partners prior to placement. Program staff work in partnership with faculty, staff at community-based organizations including ESL/Citizenship instructors, and student leaders working as program assistants and site coordinators to support and supervise tutors/coaches in the field. Students are required to provide a minimum of 20 hours of direct service per semester.

Goals of SHINE for student participants include improved teaching/tutoring skills; increased knowledge of U.S. history and civics; greater awareness of community needs and how to address them; increased sense of social responsibility and civic engagement; increased academic interest, engagement, and performance; and a greater appreciation of the elderly and immigrants. The development of these goals was based on a growing body of research that indicates a variety of positive impacts of service-learning on college students. For example, service-learning programs have been shown to positively impact on students' ability to work well with others (e.g., Dalton & Petrie, 1997; Driscoll, Holland, Gelmon,...

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