Three Things I Learned at the IARSLCE Conference

On Sept. 23-25, I was honored to convene with service-learning researchers from around the country at the International Association for Research in Service-Learning and Community Engagement. I thought about the top three things I learned at this year’s conference, and came up with the following:

1. Despite some roots in social science research — I have a master’s degree in Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland — it was still somewhat like being an outsider to a foreign land who spoke enough of the language to get by, but who was not fluent. I don’t think this hindered my ability to understand the presentations or constructively participate; rather, it offered a really unique perspective. It was really interesting to see researchers with “their peeps” — where conversations could immediately go to in-depth discussions of effect size, regression analysis, t-tests, and other topics that might not elicit the same enthusiasm amongst another audience. I could see the great value in bringing together a peer group for comparing notes and creating collaborations.
   
   
2. There are larger contextual factors that educational researchers take for granted that were news to me… or at least that I had never thought about before the conference. For example, children grow and develop over time (imagine!) and therefore, even with the requisite pre- and post-surveys, they can be reasonably certain to show positive change. The real question is how much change was caused by the intervention (service-learning), versus the natural process of growth and development. On the flip side, I was surprised to learn that there are also natural declines over time, such as student engagement, whereby the positive effect of service-learning may still show a decline but less so than non-service-learning students.
   
   
3. The importance of connecting our work to the larger field and broader educational purpose was driven home to me. Our sample size for a training may only be 28 students, but using standardized measures we can add to the larger body of knowledge of the field. Also, when doing so and at the same time paying attention to “effect size,” (not just whether the change was statistically significant, but by how much), allows a comparison between service-learning and other educational interventions — particularly those that have been highly regarded and deemed effective.

Included with the registration was an annual membership to IARSLCE, which will allow me to continue to be part of this community, even if just for the year. I look forward to continuing my lurker-yet-member status for this time, to not only see what develops but to take part in it.