Abstract
An egalitarian model of university-school partnerships starts with a theoretical frame of equity and social justice. This qualitative research study sought to understand high school students’ perception of community service through an intergenerational university-high school-elementary school partnership. Data analysis consisted of detailed notes collected from university faculty who oversaw the focus group discussions and two graduate assistants who took observational notes. These notes were analyzed and thematically organized. The findings indicate that the students enjoyed the experience and were highly motivated to complete and read their community themed book for the younger children in their community. This research contributes new knowledge to the field of community engagement and to the field of informal and formal education through its analysis of discussions on meaningful community service pertaining to university-school collaborative partnerships.
Highlights
More universities and faculty are seeking to develop meaningful ways to engage their students with local or global communities[1]
This study consisted of focus group discussions with fourteen high school students who attended field trips to either the National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee or/and the Japanese American Internment Museum in Arkansas
This study focused on high school students’ perceptions of a community partnership activity that involved a variety of stakeholders, i.e., university faculty/students, high school faculty/students and elementary school faculty/students, which focused on group discussions surrounding social justice
Summary
More universities and faculty are seeking to develop meaningful ways to engage their students with local or global communities[1]. The participants created and read their books to the elementary students in two public schools in a southern state in North America, discussed their experiences from attending a field trip and their perceptions on developing and reading their stories to elementary children This was an intergenerational and multi-academic leveled activity, wherein high school students explored social justice concerns through interactive field trips to sites in the Southeastern United States, a geographic region where there has been historical inequality among racial and socio-economic lines, for African-Americans. We chose this activity because, as researchers we recognize that storytelling is a powerful tool for community engagement and for raising awareness about cultural diversity and social justice issues[5]
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