Research Question
_How do students experience community service learning in second grade?
Abstract
_
As standardized testing plays a larger role in education, students
are struggling to articulate why they are learning something and how it applies
to other people. My study investigated how 23 second-grade students at Finney Elementary
School, a public school in Southern California, experienced community service learning,
which I defined as servicing other communities with what is learned in the classroom.
By engaging in several community service learning projects and analyzing student
surveys, journals, work samples, exit cards, observations, and classroom discussions,
I was able to illuminate the many benefits of connecting student learning with the
world beyond the classroom doors. I found community service learning assisted my
students in frequency and quality of peer collaboration, building empathetic and
helpful relationships with members of other communities, increasing engagement and
participation in the classroom, and understanding the purpose of their learning
and how it applied to real world situations. Community service learning also helped
students increase writing proficiency and fluency, articulate reflective thoughts,
and develop positive self-esteem. These findings indicate that community service
learning is a beneficial instructional strategy that supports student growth academically
and emotionally, as well as helping them see the relevance of their work in the
classroom.