Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. John Caputo

Second Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Abstract

Given the role past research suggests adolescent identity might play in a student's decision to stay in school, this thesis focuses on the role service-learning plays on student self-concept to help address the high school dropout epidemic. The mixed-method, qualitative and quantitative study seeks to discover in what ways service-learning impacts student self-concept. The philosophical framework for this study stems from Dewey's concept of pragmatism. The particular self-theories that grounded this study are Mead and Cooley's symbolic interactionism and the looking-glass-self, and Tajfel and Turner's social identity theory. The data for this study was collected from 28 students from a central Pennsylvania public high school that employs both traditional and service-learning curriculum. Data was collected through a thirty-minute questionnaire consisting of three parts. The first two parts collected qualitative data by way of six open-ended questions asking the subjects to describe themselves and the social groups of which they are members. The third section used Harter's Self-Perception Profiles for Adolescents (SPPA) to measure adolescents' self-concept across forty-five statements representing the following eight domains: Physical Appearance, Social Acceptance, Close Friendship, Romantic Appeal, Behavioral Conduct, Athletic Competence, Job Competence, and Global Self-Worth. Results suggest a positive correlation between service-learning and student self-concept.

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