An interview study of community college student perspectives on service-learning

Over the past two decades, the community college in the United States has boasted a leadership role in the movement to make education community-based and performance-oriented. This has led to an intensification in attempts to search for more innovative means to make education more experiential and relevant to students' lived experiences. One such innovative program that holds promise to meet this challenge is service- learning. This paradigm attempts to relate the academic education in the classroom to community-based problems, which fits in neatly with the community-based characteristics of the community college. It promises to link ideas developed in the classroom and their practical application within the community through guided reflection. It is designed to enhance and enrich student learning of course material by combining citizenship, academic subjects, skills, and values. Though many studies have been carried out in regard to the outcomes of service-learning through quantitative means, relatively few qualitative studies are available, and those available have primarily studied traditional students at four-year residential colleges or universities. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study non-traditional students' perspectives at the community college level. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the perspectives of five students at Broward Community College, Central Campus, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The following exploratory questions guided this study: 1. What elements constitute these students' perspectives? 2. What variables influence their perspectives? 3. What beliefs do these students hold about their service-learning experience which support or are contrary to their perspectives? This ethnographic interview study was conducted over a period of twelve months and consisted of three interviews for each of the five participants. The analysis of the data was conducted following the stringent principles of ethnographic research which included constant comparative analysis. The interviews were tape recorded with the participants' permission, transcribed verbatim, and organized into categories for in-depth understanding. Furthermore, these categories were developed from the data collected and an organizational scheme for understanding and interpreting of these perspectives emerged. The researcher, as well, kept a reflective journal of the research process as part of the data set. The results of this study show the need for a better grasp of the concepts of service-learning on the part of all involved with its implementation. In spite of this, all of the participants displayed gains to a greater or lesser degree in personal growth, academic skills, and citizenship skills.

Anita Bryant and family attend service at Northwest Baptist Church

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Older woman volunteers at phone bank service at Dade County

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

US Park service rangers on Ellis Island

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Former NY State Senator and NY State Civil Service Commission Karen Burstein speaks at "Older Women and Midlife" conference.

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Weather forecaster at U.S. Weather Service

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Credit must be given to Leinwand from Monkmeyer Press Photo Service].

Laura Cole, forecaster, broadcasting weather report at the U.S. Weather Service, New York

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Meteorologist working at computer at U.S. Weather Service

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Weather forecaster working at computer at the U.S. Weather Service

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Weather forecaster working at radar scope at U.S. Weather Service

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Weather forecaster working at computer at the U.S. Weather Service

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Meteorologists in map room at the U.S. Weather Service

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Laura Cole, forecaster, working at computer at U.S. Weather Service, New York

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Childhood obesity treatment: integrating mobile health technology into a paediatric obesity service

Background: The management of childhood obesity is challenging. Aims: Thesis, i) reviews the evidence for lifestyle treatment of obesity, ii) explores cardiometabolic burden in childhood obesity, iii) explores whether changes in body composition predicts change in insulin sensitivity (IS), iv) develops and evaluates a lifestyle obesity intervention; v) develops a mobile health application for obesity treatment and vi) tests the application in a clinical trial. Methods: In Study 1, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the 12‐month effects of lifestyle and mHealth interventions were conducted. In Study 2, the prevalence of cardiometabolic burden was estimated in a consecutive series of 267 children. In Study 3, body composition was estimated with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and linear regression analyses were used to estimate the extent to which each methods predicted change in IS. Study 4 describes the development of the Temple Street W82GO Healthy Lifestyle intervention for clinical obesity in children and a controlled study of treatment effect in 276 children is reported. Study 5 describes the development and testing of the Reactivate Mobile Obesity Application. Study 6 outlines the development and preliminary report from a clinical effectiveness trial of Reactivate. Results: In Study 1, meta--‐analyses BMI SDS changed by -0.16 (-0.24,‐0.07, p<0.01) and -0.03 (-0.13, 0.06, p=0.48). In study 2, cardiometabolic comorbidities were common (e.g. hypertension in 49%) and prevalence increased as obesity level increased. In Study 3, BC changes significantly predicted changes in IS. In Study 4, BMI SDS was significantly reduced in W82GO compared to controls (p<0.001). In Study 5, the Reactivate application had good usability indices and preliminary 6‐month process report data from Study 6, revealed a promising effect for Reactivate. Conclusions: W82GO and Reactivate are promising forms of treatment.

Linking the ecosystem service approach to social preferences and needs in integrated coastal land use management - a planning approach

Coastal zones with their natural and societal subsystems are exposed to rapid changes and pressures on resources. Scarcity of space and impacts of climate change are prominent drivers of land use and adaptation management today. Necessary modifications to present land use management strategies and schemes influence both the structures of coastal communities and the ecosystems involved. Approaches to identify the impacts and account for (i) the linkages between social references and needs and (ii) ecosystem services in coastal zones have been largely absent. The presented method focuses on improving the inclusion of ecosystem services in planning processes and clarifies the linkages with social impacts. In this study, fourteen stakeholders in decisionmaking on land use planning in the region of Krummhörn (northwestern Germany, southern North Sea coastal region) conducted a regional participative and informal process for local planning capable to adapt to climate driven changes. It is argued that scientific and practical implications of this integrated assessment focus on multifunctional options and contribute to more sustainable practices in future land use planning. The method operationalizes the ecosystem service approach and social impact analysis and demonstrates that social demands and provision of ecosystem services are inherently connected.