Facilitating Political Sophistication through Service Learning
2
Introduction
There are many benefits to the utilization of service-learning as a pedagogical practice.
Over the years, studies have pointed to a variety of positive findings regarding service-learning’s
impact on students and communities. These studies range from investigations of personal
efficacy and moral development to social responsibility and citizenship (Astin, 1999; Boss, 1994;
Schmidt, 2000). One benefit not often discussed is service-learning’s potential for increasing
political sophistication among students. There have been studies of service-learning’s effect on
political efficacy, but these generally focus on the broader benefits of service-learning to the
perpetuation of democracy without detailing exactly how the integration of academic and
community work can result in more politically sophisticated and participatory individuals (see
(Morgan, 2001).
By intentionally educating young people in a service-learning context which combines
classroom instruction with community service experiences, teachers have an opportunity to help
increase students’ levels of basic political knowledge as well as help create a more informed, and
presumably more engaged citizenry. Furthermore, the application of service-learning as a
pedagogical method in political science allows instructors a unique opportunity to further one of
the original goals of the discipline, which was to link real world experience with theoretical
understandings (Battistoni, 1997).
It is possible that service-learning in political science represents a unique opportunity to
provide students with basic political information, an increase of which is linked with an increase in
political interest (Wolfinger, 1980). Furthermore, service-learning can provide students with a
framework which they can take beyond an individual classroom and apply towards a wide array of
social and political issues. If we can facilitate the development of political sophistication among
our students, we may not only increase their political participation in the short term, but we could
increase the likelihood that they will better understand and engage in political action in the future.
However, in conjunction with such a benefit lies a caution. As service-learning
practitioners, it is also important that we recognize developmental concerns which can impact
student success. Specifically, the findings of developmental psychologists can better inform our
understandings of how well students can integrate academics, reflection and action within a
Prepared by Zahra Ahmed for the 2006 meeting of the American Political Science Association
Convention