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Item Open Access A step-up action-research model for the revitalisation of service learning modules(University of the Free State, 2005) Seale, Ielse; Wilkinson, Annette; Mabel, ErasmusEnglish: This reflective overview indicates how action research was utilised to revitalise and improve service learning modules for first-year nursing students at the University of the Free State. The two modules under consideration include a curriculum-based community development project in which the students compile a community profile and subsequently strive to address identified needs and challenges together with the community. A step-up action-research model was developed to enhance the quality of these service learning modules, mainly by focusing on a more thorough integration of service, learning and research, with this finally resulting in more sustainable student learning and community development. The research process has moreover demonstrated the importance and appropriateness of action research for the development of higher education service learning modules.Item Open Access Putting the horse before the cart: policy research, partnerships and community service(University of the Free State, 2005) Marais, Lochner; Botes, LuciusEnglish: As a result of the way in which community service (CS) partnerships are structured, these partnerships may be dominated by universities, which in some cases become too involved in the operational side of addressing community needs. This article briefly assesses community service learning, action research and CS partnerships. The two research partnerships of the Centre for Development Support are then described and lessons from these case studies are identified. The main lesson is that CS partnerships should be reassessed. It is proposed that a university does not have to be directly involved, as an implementation agency, in order to address the socio-economic realities of our society. The possibility of linking such partnerships with accredited student learning is pointed out, along with the importance of conducting research that is relevant to the socio-economic realities in South Africa, and the fact that CS and the entrepreneurial route are not necessarily mutually exclusive.Item Open Access A case study of a higher education institutional assessment on service learning(University of the Free State, 2005) Mitchell, Carol; Trotter, Kirsty; Gelmon, SherrilEnglish: This article focuses on the various processes undergone by the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus (now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal) to research the institutionalisation of service learning. The application of three different processes and tools for assessment is discussed and located within the international context of institutional assessment trends. The relative utility of each of these assessment tools is discussed with particular emphasis placed on the narrative produced by using the Furco Rubric, as this highlights the role of contextual issues in the institutionalisation process. It is hoped that the reflections on these assessment processes will provide insight into the factors affecting the establishment of service learning as a sanctioned part of higher education’s academic and social agenda.Item Open Access Service learning in South Africa: lessons learnt through systematic evaluation(University of the Free State, 2005) Mouton, Johann; Wildschut, LaurenEnglish: This article is based on an evaluation report written for JET Education Services and covers a two-year period of an evaluation study of service learning courses (or modules) at five higher education institutions in South Africa. The article explores various models of service learning and considers the critical conditions for effective conceptualisation and delivery of a service learning course within an academic course. It also examines some of the key factors involved in the institutionalisation of service learning so that this form of community engagement can become a sustained and viable element of the normal academic offerings of South African higher education institutions.Item Open Access Research, monitoring and evaluation in service learning: the distinct characteristics of research into service learning(University of the Free State, 2005) Lategan, LaetusEnglish: This article argues that research, monitoring and evaluation in service learning cannot be placed on one conceptual level. Research is about the creation of new knowledge. Monitoring and evaluation deal with, amongst other things, quality control and the development of a process. Although research, monitoring and evaluation can complement each other, they cannot be treated as one conceptual activity, since their aims and objectives differ. The problem statement is that the meaning of research, monitoring and evaluation will be lost if they are all treated on the same conceptual level. The aims of this article are to identify the difference between research, monitoring and evaluation in service learning as well as to identify a framework for research into service learning.Item Open Access Grounding service learning in South Africa(University of the Free State, 2005) O’Brien, FrancesEnglish: In response to the multiple and often contradictory demands on higher education, increased attention is being given to service learning (SL) in South Africa. This article reviews the debate regarding the desirability of theory for SL and considers the need for locally-grounded theory. Grounded theory is advocated as a research method which appears well-suited to the diversity which characterises SL. Based upon a constructivist paradigm of knowledge creation and employing primarily qualitative methodologies, grounded theory comprises concepts, categories and propositions which emerge from, and are verified through the experiences of the multiple stakeholders in SL. Although analysis is not structured by existing theoretical frameworks, a preliminary literature review is recommended to locate potentially relevant literature and to sensitise the researcher to themes which may surface in the study. The article concludes with such a review of the sources and nature of the literature and research, particularly that emanating from the South African higher education sector.Item Open Access The integration of rural development research and community service(University of the Free State, 2005) Uphoff, NormanEnglish: The integration of community service and research is an important subject especially in South Africa, where academics are called upon by the government and the public to contribute to more rapid and equitable development and, particularly for purposes of this contribution, rural development. The generation and application of knowledge should go hand in hand because the process of applying knowledge to real-world situations can itself provide productive challenges and venues for adding to the body of available knowledge. Those concerned with advancing science should appreciate that the knowledge gained in this way has been validated, under realistic conditions, which render the generated knowledge more reliable and relevant.Item Open Access Service learning as scholarship: why theory-based research is critical to service learning(University of the Free State, 2005) Bringle, Robert; Hatcher, JulieEnglish: Service learning provides an opportunity to improve instruction for students and contribute to the quality of life in communities. This article explores the ways in which service learning also presents opportunities to conduct research and scholarly work that can improve teaching and learning, contribute to the knowledge base of disciplines and professions, enhance the public purposes of higher education, and inform communities in ways that empower them to take action. Research will be most informative when the information that is gained through data collection, whether qualitative or quantitative, is based on a solid theoretical rationale and the results are relevant to refining theoretical propositions that can guide future programme design and implementation.Item Open Access Introduction: community service learning and the South African research agenda(University of the Free State, 2005) Erasmus, MabelEnglish: The integration of research and community service learning (also referred to as service learning or service-learning in this volume) opens up opportunities for contributing to the much discussed transformation of higher education in South Africa, through which institutions of higher education are urged to become more democratic, more responsive to community challenges, and conducive to partnership-building with a wide variety of stakeholders. The twofold premise of this introductory article is the following: service learning as a pedagogy is strengthened through scholarly inquiry and, secondly, the South African research agenda can be advanced through the philosophy and epistemology of service learning that promotes collaborative, open systems of knowledge production. The aim of the article is to establish why and how the above should and could be achieved, placing the other contributions to this issue of Acta Academica Supplementum within the framework of a more inclusive service learning research agenda for South Africa.