Premium
Benefits Derived by College Students from Mentoring At‐Risk Youth in a Service‐Learning Course
Author(s) -
Weiler Lindsey,
Haddock Shelley,
Zimmerman Toni S.,
Krafchick Jen,
Henry Kimberly,
Rudisill Sarah
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-013-9589-z
Subject(s) - service learning , psychology , civic engagement , intervention (counseling) , health psychology , medical education , interpersonal communication , interpersonal relationship , public health , social psychology , pedagogy , politics , nursing , medicine , political science , psychiatry , law
Service learning is increasingly being used as a pedagogical strategy for promoting the development of civic‐mindedness among university students. Despite the use of this strategy, little is known about the benefits derived from specific types of service‐learning experiences. Additionally, few notable studies have examined the unique outcomes experienced by mentors of at‐risk youth. Therefore, this study examines the civic‐related benefits that college students derive from mentoring at‐risk youth within a structured, service‐learning course. A series of linear regression models were estimated to determine if there were significant post‐intervention differences between the treatment and comparison condition for the variables of interest, after adjusting for key background factors and pre‐intervention levels of all variables. The results indicated that, in comparison to college students who did not participate in the course (n = 258), college student in Campus Corps, a youth mentoring program, (n = 390) had significantly higher scores at post‐intervention regarding mentors’ civic attitudes, community service self‐efficacy, self‐esteem, interpersonal and problem solving skills, political awareness, and civic action. Findings hold important implications for youth mentoring programs and future research.