Cumbersome Yet Worthwhile: Service Learning in Postdisaster Rehabilitation and Recovery Efforts in the Philippines

• Published in: Journal of college student development Vol. 58; no. 6; pp. 925 - 942
• Main Authors: Adarlo, Genejane, Marquez, Norman Dennis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 01.09.2017
• Subjects: Case Studies; Citizenship Education; College students; Community service; Continuing education; Conversation; Course Content; Critical thinking; Cues; Cultural Awareness; Educational Cooperation; Educational Opportunities; Foreign Countries; Health Sciences; Higher education; Independent study; Journal Writing; Learning; Learning Theories; Longitudinal Studies; Natural Disasters; Observation; Pedagogy; Postcolonialism; Program Descriptions; Qualitative research; Rehabilitation; Semi Structured Interviews; Service Learning; Social Justice; Society; Student Attitudes; Summer Programs; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Theological Education; Theory; Transformative Learning; Undergraduate Students; Universities; Young adults; Philippines; United States > US; San Francisco California; Ireland
• ISSN: 0897-5264; 1543-3382; 1543-3382
• DOI: 10.1353/csd.2017.0072

Service learning holds the potential to educate for citizenship, preparing students as individuals who can respond not only to the daily challenges of an interconnected yet fragmented world but also to the emerging calls to rebuild disaster-stricken communities. Although seen by some as a cumbersome pedagogical approach, service learning can offer opportunities for students to recognize their role in society, take part in intercultural conversation, and develop into critical citizens, making it worthwhile to undertake for a citizenship oriented towards social justice. This case study illustrates such meaningful accounts from undergraduate students involved in postdisaster rehabilitation and recovery efforts.