Faculty Engagement in Service-Learning: Individual and Organizational Factors at Distinct Institutional Types

The purpose of this survey research was to determine the institutional and individual factors that affect faculty participation in service-learning and to examine their impact on faculty teaching perceptions and behavior. Faculty responses from more than 300 surveys completed at 15 institutions of higher education were analyzed by institutional type, academic discipline, faculty rank, tenure status, gender, age, ethnicity, political affiliation, number of years teaching, an number of publications. In addition, scale variables measured individual behaviors and perceptions in relation to teaching beliefs and philosophy, graduate school socialization, perceived campus support for service-learning and personal perceptions of service-learning. The study's most significant finding concerned faculty perceptions of service-learning: that is, faculty with awareness and positive perceptions of service-learning were much more likely to participate in service-learning than those without knowledge and positive perceptions. (Information Age Publications)