Reclaiming Our Legacy: A Qualitative Study of Service-learning and Learning About Service Through The Experiences of African American Women Educators in Urban Schools

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Moore, T. (2021). Reclaiming Our Legacy: A Qualitative Study of Service-learning and Learning About Service Through The Experiences of African American Women Educators in Urban Schools. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

As the number of minority students in public schools increases in the U.S., the teacher workforce and administration remain majority White. Increased access to service-learning will help mitigate opportunity gaps that exist in marginalized communities. Service-learning combines academic coursework with volunteer community service experiences, which can be beneficial to in-service and pre-service teachers. Changing the structure of service-learning opportunities to include the voices of African American women is critical to expanding the structure of volunteer efforts, specifically within urban school environments. Using Seidman’s In-Depth Interview Protocol, this research explored the experiences of African American women educators with service-learning and volunteering in local communities and schools. The study examined how Black women educators saw service-learning and volunteering as part of their identities. The findings indicate that service is central to their definitions of social justice work in education and beyond through the concepts of: (a) giving back, (b) serving, (c) family, (d) Black womanhood, (e) leadership and (f) spirituality. The results of this study illustrate how educators’ lived experiences expand conceptions of service. The participants viewed service-learning as being crucial to student and teacher success in urban environments. Keywords: service-learning, critical service-learning pedagogy, social justice, volunteerism

Details
Author

Moore, Tamera

Title

Reclaiming Our Legacy: A Qualitative Study of Service-learning and Learning About Service Through The Experiences of African American Women Educators in Urban Schools

Physical Description

1 online resource (100 pages) : PDF

Date

2021

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

As the number of minority students in public schools increases in the U.S., the teacher workforce and administration remain majority White. Increased access to service-learning will help mitigate opportunity gaps that exist in marginalized communities. Service-learning combines academic coursework with volunteer community service experiences, which can be beneficial to in-service and pre-service teachers. Changing the structure of service-learning opportunities to include the voices of African American women is critical to expanding the structure of volunteer efforts, specifically within urban school environments. Using Seidman’s In-Depth Interview Protocol, this research explored the experiences of African American women educators with service-learning and volunteering in local communities and schools. The study examined how Black women educators saw service-learning and volunteering as part of their identities. The findings indicate that service is central to their definitions of social justice work in education and beyond through the concepts of: (a) giving back, (b) serving, (c) family, (d) Black womanhood, (e) leadership and (f) spirituality. The results of this study illustrate how educators’ lived experiences expand conceptions of service. The participants viewed service-learning as being crucial to student and teacher success in urban environments. Keywords: service-learning, critical service-learning pedagogy, social justice, volunteerism

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Education and state
Education

Degree

Ph.D.

Keywords

Black Women
Critical Service Learning
Service
Service Learning
Social Justice
Volunteering

Subject Area

Curriculum & Instruction

Advisor(s)

Wiggan, Greg

Committee Members

Campbell-Whatley, Gloria
Salas, Spencer
O'Brien, Christopher

Degree Note

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2021.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Moore_uncc_0694D_12969

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2999