Service-learning and Spanish: Language proficiency and cultural awareness.

摘要

During the past decade, the service-learning movement has been developing at a rapid pace. Over 900 presidents of higher education institutions, as members of Campus Compact, have committed themselves and their institutions to promote community service and service-learning to "develop students' citizenship skills and values, encourage collaborative partnerships between campuses and communities, and assist faculty who seek to integrate service into their teaching and research"(Campus Compact, 2003) seeing service-learning as a way to improve the community while bringing the real world into the classroom.;While considerable research has been conducted on the effects of service-learning on students, a focus on the students within particular disciplines has had little attention. A systematic study of student perceptions about the influence of service-learning on language skills or cultural awareness has not been part of the research agenda for service-learning or language learning. This study will add to the knowledge base through its focus on the perceptions of students on the influence of service-learning itself, and what influence did service learning have on their Spanish language skills, cultural knowledge, and personal growth. The data were collected through interview, observation, and document research methods. The participants for this study were recruited from a Spanish elective course. The study participants were all white, non-native speakers of Spanish, seven women and five men with a seven year average of Spanish study experience.;The results of this study suggest the following. First, the service-learning experience enhanced and enriched their language study. Second, the service-learning experience positively affected their language proficiency thereby adding to the research knowledge base about the link affected their cultural awareness by broadening and informing their perspectives about the Latino culture, thereby educating foreign language pedagogy which seeks to move beyond the necessary cultural knowledge base to the development of cultural awareness. And finally, the service-learning experience allowed study participants to utilize skills, reflect on their abilities to change things in the local and global arenas, and become more aware of their individual cultures.