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Making a difference? Student volunteerism, service learning and higher education in the USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

John Mohan
John Mohan*
Affiliation:
Lecturer in Geography, Queen Mary and Westfield College, Mile End Road, London El 4NS
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Abstract

This paper reviews evidence concerning the recent growth of volunteerism among college students in the USA. It describes the various pressures to expand such activities and outlines steps being taken to promote them. Reforms of student financial aid can be used to facilitate service among students who would otherwise have to engage in substantial paid work to afford education, while educational institutions are taking numerous steps, most notably through integrating community service and academic study, to promote such involvement. The more general issues raised by all this are: the likely impacts on servers and served of this activity; whether education-based community service has demonstrable educational benefits; its impact on higher education institutions; and the wider impacts in terms of political attitudes and behaviour.

Résumé

Résumé

Cet article se penche sur le récent développement du bénévolat chez les étudiants américains et décrit les différents facteurs qui sont à l’origine de la croissance de ce type d’activité et sur les mesures qui existent pour le promouvoir. On peut par exemple réformer le système d’aide financière aux étudiants qui seraient obligés autrement de faire un travail salarié pour financer leurs études, afin de les inciter à participer à la fourniture de services à la collectivité. Les institutions d’enseignement adoptent de nombreuses mesures, en particulier en intégrant un travail pour la collectivité au cursus académique, afin de promouvoir une telle participation. Un certain nombre de questions générales se posent à ce sujet: Quel est l’impact probable sur les fournisseurs et sur les bénéficiaires de ces services? Un cursus académique intégrant un travail pour la collectivité a-t-il un effet bénéfique du point de vue éducatif? Quelles en sont les conséquences pour les établissements d’enseignement supérieur? Et quelles sont les conséquences au delà en termes d’attitudes politiques et de comportement?

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Der vorliegende Artikel untersucht Ergebnisse, die auf ein neues Anwachsen der Freiwilligenarbeit bei College-Studenten in den USA hindeuten. Er beschreibt verschiedene Zwänge, die zur Steigerung solcher Aktivitäten führen, und umreißt die Schritte, die sie fördern. Reformen der finanziellen Unterstützung für Studenten kann Hilfsbereitschaft bei denjenigen fördern, die ohne diese Untestützung einen großen Teil ihrer Zeit für bezahlte Arbeit aufwenden müßten, um die eigene Ausbildung zu finanzieren; Ausbildungsinstitutionen unterstützen darüberhinaus verschiedene Maßnahmen — vor allem auch die Verbindung von Gemeindearbeit und akademischer Ausbildung —, um solches Engagement zu fördern. Die allgemeinen Fragen, die dabei aufgeworfen werden, sind dabei: welches sind die Auswirkungen diese Aktivitäten bei Helfern und Hilfsempfängern; hat die ausbildungsbezogene Gemeindearbeit einen sichtbaren Nutzen für die Ausbildung; welches sind die Auswirkungen auf die Ausbildungsinstitutionen; welches sind die allgemeineren Auswirkungen auf politische Einstellungen und politisches Verhalten?

Resumen

Resumen

Este escrito examina los datos disponibles acerca del auge reciente en el ámbito de prestación de servicio sin remuneración entre los estudiantes universitarios en los EE. UU. Describe las diversas presiones existentes para ampliar tales actividades y resume las medidas que están siendo adoptadas para promoverlas. Las reformas en la ayuda financiera a los estudiantes pueden ser utilizadas para facilitar la prestación de servicios por los estudiantes, que de otro modo se verían obligados a buscar trabajo remunerado considerable para poder costearse los estudios, mientras que las instituciones educativas están tomando numerosas medidas, muy notablemente mediante la integración de servicios a la comunidad y estudios académicos, para promover tal compromiso. Las cuestiones más generales suscitadas por todo esto son: las consecuencias probables de esta actividad, tanto para los que ofrecen servicios como para los que los reciben; saber si el servicio social basado en la enseñanza posee ventajas educacionales demostrables; sus efectos en las instituciones de enseñanza superior; y los efectos de mayor repercusión en lo que a actitudes y comportamiento político se refiere.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , October 1994, pp. 329 - 348
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research 1994

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