An Early Glimpse: Service Learning from an Adolescent Perspective

Abstract

This article examines service learning from the perspective of gifted adolescents who have participated in what I have termed Community Action service learning projects. Using a case study design, I investigated adolescents' perspectives concerning their involvement in service learning projects grounded in creative problem solving. A service learning typology based on the degrees of student involvement is described. The importance of service learning to the participants in this study is highlighted in the following themes that emerged from the data: methodology, attitudes, personal and social development, commitment, and empowerment. Implications for educators are discussed.