Toward a Comprehensive Service-Learning Research Agenda
g2g 2008 > advanced strategy lab
Growing to Greatness: The State of Service-Learning Project has as its primary goals the systematic and ongoing exploration of service-learning scope, scale, and impacts.
To gather national input on the G2G research agenda, in the fall of 2007 NYLC engaged a group of leaders in the service-learning and youth development fields in two strategy sessions. These strategy sessions were facilitated by Harris Interactive using their proprietary research tool, the Advanced Strategy Lab®. The first session, held in Washington D.C. in September, was an in-person strategy session. The second session in November was held online, and convened people from across the country.
The goals of the sessions included:
- To better understand the aspects of service-learning and healthy youth development activities that motivate and interest service-learning leaders;
- To identify and prioritize measures of service-learning and positive youth development efforts that best capture the scope, scale, and impact of such efforts;
- To identify sources of information for current and future measurement regarding scope, scale, and impacts;
- To identify key stakeholder audiences interested in data demonstrating the success of service-learning;
- To gauge interest in continued collaboration on measuring the success of service-learning and positive youth development activities; and,
- To provide information to help shape the research agenda for Growing to Greatness.
In an ASL, each participant uses a laptop computer to enter his or her responses. The ASL combines interactive technology with expert facilitation to engage participants on critical issues. Using the computers as the way to respond to questions allows for fast and open electronic brainstorming. All participants provide their experiences, views, and insights in a fair and confidential manner. Participants see their combined responses projected on a screen, but do not know the identity of the authors. The facilitators, working in real time, identify key themes in the brainstorming and have participants prioritize and assess these themes and their impact. This enables participants, while still in session together, to add additional experiences and insights to the rich set of data and immediate assessments.
Findings of both sessions are presented here as a way to continue a national conversation of service-learning scope, scale and impacts. Please send ideas and suggestions to Marybeth Neal, NYLC Research Director, at mneal@nylc.org.
