Service Learning Enhances Student Maturation and Life

Abstract

Traditional-aged college students today appear to lack the personal maturity and focus on development as citizens that was seen in previous generations.  Since the purposes of higher education include not only helping to prepare students for the workplace, but also helping them develop holistically as mature adults, faculty at all types of colleges and universities should give serious consideration to making service-learning one of their essential pedagogical strategies.  This article presents a framework upon which a higher education institution could build a shared rationale for use of service-learning to achieve the cognitive, affective, and even spiritual development outcomes it has identified for its students.  Significant Biblical support for use of service learning is also provided.

Key Words:  citizen, maturity, service learning, spiritual, student development