Alternative Break Research Articles

Does Location Really Matter? Exploring the Role of Place in Domestic and International Service-Learning Experiences

Although increasingly popular, international/global service-learning programs are not without critique; in fact, the role of crossing national borders in service-learning is highly contested. The purpose of the study discussed in this article was to explore this role of crossing borders within the context of a particular experience: participation in an alternative break (AB) program. The authors sought to understand whether there is an aspect of learning in specific places, namely learning across national borders, that is separate (and separable) from what happens in those places. Participants reported a high level of influence of their AB experience on both their intentions to volunteer and to travel internationally, although there were a number of differences between students who participated in domestic and international ABs. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to volunteer was mediated completely by features of the AB program itself, while the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to travel internationally was only partially mediated by program features.

Exploring Integrative Learning in Service-Based Alternative Breaks

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to explore how students integrate learning from one particular experience, participating in a service learning-based alternative break (AB), with other postsecondary experiences and to identify the conditions that may facilitate integrative learning. Using qualitative case studies combined with narrative analysis, we analyzed data from interviews with 38 AB participants. Consistent with Barber's (2012) theory of integrative learning, we found evidence that students were engaging in the processes of connecting, applying, and synthesizing learning from their ABs. We identified the importance of interacting with diverse others in facilitating integrative learning, but also noted barriers to integration such as difficulty connecting information across disparate contexts. Through exploring integrative learning in one particular context, the findings from this study can inform our understanding of how students are engaging in integration and improve our understanding of how educators can best support integration in higher education.

Building Momentum in Student Engagement: Alternative Breaks and Students’ Social Justice and Diversity Orientation

Drawing from the theory of academic momentum, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between what happens before, during, and after an alternative break (AB) experience and students’ reported gains in diversity and social justice orientations 1 year after their AB. Findings point to the importance of considering how these types of programs are structured and implemented, not just whether or not students participate, and of encouraging continued engagement after an AB experience.

Serving a Stranger or Serving Myself: Alternative Breaks and the Influence of Race and Ethnicity on Student Understanding of Themselves and Others

Given the ever increasing numbers of Students of Color engaging in higher education, the importance of cross-cultural interactions for all students, and the evidence that White students and Students of Color may have vastly different experiences in higher education, there is a need to further explore the types of cross-cultural experiences that different college students have and the ways that those experiences facilitate learning and development. Using data from the National Survey of Alternative Breaks, the purpose of this study was to explore how one particular type of cross-cultural experience, participating in a service-learning based alternative break (AB) program, contributes to the racial understanding of White students and Students of Color. Findings point to the importance of considering the different experiences that White students and Students of Color have in ABs and other service-learning experiences.

Experiential responsible consumption

Responsible consumption is an increasingly observed phenomenon. Previous research has largely investigated this phenomenon as a conscientious activity by rational individuals. An understanding of the incidental, communal, and experiential aspects of responsible consumption and how these aspects affect consumers remains relatively limited. This study utilizes qualitative methods to explore the self-transformative dynamics of participation in an experiential responsible consumption context that is radically different from everyday life. The context of this study is the alternative break (AB) program in the United States in which student volunteers spend their spring break helping others or improving the environment. In this context, responsible consumption becomes an act of hybrid of moral, rational, social, and ludic agencies. This study shows that some people participate in some forms of responsible consumption incidentally without any specific ideological motivation; they perceive it more emotionally than rationally, and they are transformed by the experience into people who integrate responsibility considerations into their identities. The analysis reveals that there are six interrelated factors that result in these transformations: organic community, unpretentious fun, embracing the other, developing and utilizing capabilities, challenge, and self-reflection. Participants exit AB trips with heightened feelings of empowerment and feel more committed to responsibility considerations and responsible behavior due to these transformations.

Exploring the Role of Alternative Break Programs in Students’ Career Development

Higher education institutions play a key role in helping to shape students’ interests and career plans; as such, student affairs practitioners should understand how the co-curricular environments in their domain contribute to students’ career development. The purpose of this study is to explore how one specific co-curricular experience, participation in an Alternative Break (AB) program, may influence students’ career plans.