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Perceptions of the Effects of a Constructivist Classroom Approach on Academic Service-Learning: An Exploratory Study

Lisa M. Walters

The BRC Academy Journal of Business

Volume 5

Number 1

Print ISSN: 2152-8721 Online ISSN: 2152-873X

Date: March 15, 2015

First Page 35

Last Page 65

Abstract

This exploratory study sought to understand the perceptions of students and a community-client when an academic service-learning project was introduced into a capstone strategic management course using a constructivist pedagogy. Surveys were administered to the students in the course as well as to the community-client. The student surveys provided an understanding of the extent to which the students perceived the academic service-learning project as valuable to the community and the academic service-learning approach as a valuable instructional method, while community-client survey provided an understanding of the extent to which the community-client perceived the academic service-learning project as valuable. The results of the study suggest that the use of the constructivist classroom in conjunction with academic service-learning supports students’ positive perceptions of the value of the service-learning project to the community and as an instructional method. The results also suggest that the simultaneous use of these two approaches provides a product perceived as valuable to the community client.

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