Exploring the developmental outcomes of service-learning in Higher Education for partner organisations : an exploratory study of two modules at Stellenbosch University

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dc.contributor.advisorDu Plessis, Jacob M. J.
dc.contributor.authorLeslie, Mike (M. C.)en_ZA
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-17T12:43:31Zen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2010-08-13T15:00:34Z
dc.date.available2010-02-17T12:43:31Zen_ZA
dc.date.available2010-08-13T15:00:34Z
dc.date.issued2010-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: Amidst debates over the transformation of South African (SA) Higher Education (HE), the core institutional function of community engagement is a possible means of bolstering the developmental role of HE in relation to community needs. The potential for community engagement, and more specifically service-learning, to contribute to community development is yet to be fully explored in the SA context. Broad policy mandates such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (GNU, 1994) and the White Paper on Transformation of Higher Education (DoE, 1997) have created a policy environment supportive of community engagement as an institutional function of HE advancing the state’s developmental agenda. In the course of the national reorganization of the HE system, the Joint Education Trust (JET) / Community-Higher Education- Service Partnerships (CHESP) initiative undertook feasibility studies of community engagement in SA HE and consulted widely around community engagement. The main outcome has been service-learning’s promotion as an endorsed means of knowledge-based community engagement. Concerted efforts to build the institutional capacities for service-learning nationwide have since been conducted and service-learning is now an increasingly prominent means of community engagement in HE. The conceptual origins of service-learning suggest that mutual student and community benefits are achieved in the course of service-learning programmes, with significant research substantiating student learning outcomes. However, there is limited research available on community outcomes and a lack of empirical evidence on how the community is engaged in service-learning. Conceptualizations of service-learning partnerships in SA yield the introduction of a third party, the partner organization as the host of the service-learning modules in addition to the university and the community. The Triad Partnership Model applied at Stellenbosch University (SU) provides an opportunity to explore the experience of the third party, the partner organization, in what is conceptualized as a dyadic relationship between student and community. As a former student, representative of a partner organization and co-facilitator in a servicelearning module, the author explores the experiences of representatives of partner organizations of service-learning in HE. This dissertation presents the experiences of ten site-supervisors from nine partnering organizations of Stellenbosch University as evidence of some of the developmental outcomes of two service-learning modules. The study discusses the various stages in the process of partnership as it pertains to outcomes experienced by the sitesupervisors of the partner organizations. These experiences help clarify the developmental implications of the Triad Partnership Model for the partner organizations of the two service-learning modules studied. The dissertation concludes by making recommendations for future areas of study and makes some considerations for prospective service-learning modules at SU.en
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kern institusionele funksie van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid is te midde van die debate oor die transformasie van Suid-Afrikaanse (SA) Hoër Onderwys (HO), ‘n moontlike wyse om die ontwikkelingsrol van HO in verhouding tot gemeenskapsbehoeftes te bevorder. Die potensiaal van gemeenskapsontwikkeling, en meer spesifiek diensleer se bydrae tot gemeenskaps-ontwikkeling, is nog nie voldoende in die SA konteks ondersoek nie. As breë beleidsmandate het die Heropbou en Ontwikkelingsprogram (GNU, 1994) en die Witskrif oor die Transformasie van Hoër Onderwys (DoE, 1997) ‘n beleidsomgewing geskep wat ondersteunend is vir gemeenskapsinteraksie as ‘n institusionele dryfkrag van HO om die Staat se ontwikkelingsagenda te bevorder. Ten tye van die nasionale herorganisering van die HO stelsel het die Joint Education Trust (JET) / Community-Higher Education- Service Partnerships (CHESP) inisiatief volhoubaarheidstudies van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in SA HO gedoen en ook gekonsulteer oor verskeie aspekte rondom gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in die breë. Die belangrikste uitkoms hiervan was die bevordering van diensleer as ‘n legitieme wyse van kennisgebaseerde gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid. Doelbewuse pogings is onderneem om die institusionele kapasiteit vir diensleer op nasionale vlak uit te bou, wat vandag ‘n toenemende prominente wyse van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in HO is. Die konsepsuele oorsprong van diensleer veronderstel dat gemeenskaplike student- en gemeenskapsvoordele deur die verloop van diensleermodules bereik word. Alhoewel daar heelwat navorsing gedoen is wat fokus op leeruitkomste vir studente, is daar weining navorsing beskikbaar oor gemeenskapsuitkomste, sowel as ‘n tekort aan empiriese bewyse van hoe die gemeenskap betrokke is by diensleer. Konsepsualisering van diensleer vennootskappe in SA sluit ‘n derde party in, die vennootskap-organisasie waar die diensleermodule gehuisves word, bykomend dus tot die universiteit en gemeenskap. Die Triad Vennootskap Model wat by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch (US) toegepas word, bied die geleentheid om ondersoek in te stel na die ervaring van ‘n derde party, die vennootskap-organisasie, oor wat gekonseptualiseer word as ‘n diadiese verhouding tussen student en gemeenskap. As ‘n vorige student, verteenwoordiger van ‘n vennootskap-organisasie en mede-fasiliteerder in ‘n diensleermodule, stel die outeur ondersoek in na die ervarings van verteenwoordigers van vennootskaporganisasies van diensleer in HO. Hierdie verhandeling stel die ervarings van tien supervisors van nege vennootskaporganisasies van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch voor, as bewys van sommige van die potensiële uitkomste van twee diensleer modules. Die ondersoeker bespreek die fases van die proses van vennootskap-vorming soos wat dit verband hou met uitkomste wat supervisors ervaar het. Hierdie ervarings help om die ontwikkeling implikasies van die Triad Vennootskap Model vir die deelnemer-organisasies van die twee diensleermodules wat bestudeer is, te verhelder. Die verhandeling word afgesluit deur aanbevelings te maak vir toekomstige studie-areas en oorweging te skenk vir toekomstige diensleermodules by die US.af
dc.format.extent129 p.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/4242
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherStellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
dc.rights.holderUniversity of Stellenbosch
dc.subjectService-learningen_ZA
dc.subjectExperential learningen_ZA
dc.subjectCommunity engagementen_ZA
dc.subjectHigher Education studiesen_ZA
dc.subjectDissertations -- Sociologyen
dc.subjectTheses -- Sociologyen
dc.subjectDissertations -- Community and developmenten
dc.subjectTheses -- Community and developmenten
dc.subject.otherSociology and Social Anthropologyen_ZA
dc.titleExploring the developmental outcomes of service-learning in Higher Education for partner organisations : an exploratory study of two modules at Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.typeThesis
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