Fostering a sense of justice through international service-learning.

Abstract

This article addresses the question about how international service-learning programs can contribute to fostering a sense of justice in students. The data presented derives from a series of semi-structured interviews, observations, informal conversations, and written reflections collected during the International Partnership for Service-Learning program (IPSL) in Guayaquil, Ecuador in the summer of 2001. This work highlights three outcomes from the students' program participation which relate to their better understanding of societal issues, their growing sense of responsibility, and their commitment to social action.

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We have entered the new millennium and many of us talk about the decadence of values in our society. Many researchers assert that our society is becoming more individualistic and narcissistic (Bellah et al., 1986). In order to alleviate this common concern, universities are becoming more interested in educating active citizens who will serve the common good of a global society. One way is through the incorporation of community-based experiential learning programs in the academic curricula such as the so called "service-learning" programs. This article addresses how students' senses of justice can be nurtured by their participation in international service-learning programs. If our aim as citizens is to endorse the development of a better society, we must allow the flourishing of a type of consciousness that will lead to becoming more active global citizens. Citizens must develop a deep sense of social justice in order to sustain a democratic society.

Literature Review

Justice is a moral principle that assumes a fair and equal treatment of all members of society (Rawls, 1971). Rawls presents justice as a moral stance through which individuals try to ensure that every person has equal rights. Law and policy makers have interpreted the concept "equal rights" as giving everyone the same treatment. However, in his words, Rawls had the idea not of a society that was uniform and lacked particular individual differences, but a society where people acted towards diminishing social and economic disparities and which helped create a more homogeneous place. For Rawls, a sense of justice is a set of beliefs that a person holds through which this individual maintains fair social cooperation. A sense of justice leads individuals to rationalize more profoundly on social issues, become more critical and strive for fair treatment and conditions for all.

Striving for justice entails striving for the fair treatment and conditions of all members in our society. Campbell (1988) presents justice as an active sensibility which implies "responding appropriately to the perpetration of injustice" (p. 3). Students involved in service-learning projects are directed by a "justice as fairness" mentality, which takes them to employ rationality to engage in service projects (Varlotta, 1997; McEwen, 1996). This rationalization of social problems gives the learner a desire to transform society (Varlotta, 1997). Whether this transformation is radical or not, service-learning does bring about social change by engaging participants in activities for the good of the group they serve. Eyler & Giles (1999) express this new attitude toward social change by suggesting that service-learning can push students to rethink their view of the world and their future role in it (p. 132). This article provides empirical evidence of ways students developed their sense of justice through their participation in the International Partnership for Service-Learning program in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The International Partnership for Service-Learning

The International Partnership for Service-Learning is a not-for-profit organization which has served for over two decades colleges, universities, service agencies and related organizations around the world by fostering programs that link community service and academic study. The International Partnership for Service-Learning (IPSL) runs community-based experiential education programs in twelve countries around the world. These programs are hosted by higher educational institutions in these countries. Each country with which IPSL has a partnership offers service-learning programs for two or three semesters each year. IPSL is unique in that it is committed to international and cross-cultural service-learning, maintaining continuous relationships with not only the host institutions, but also the communities where students serve. IPSL is in charge of recruiting students interested in serving citizens around the world. Students learn about their programs through newsletters, websites, study abroad offices, and service-learning conferences. The host institution in Guayaquil, Ecuador is Universidad Espiritu Santo, a private institution committed to community service and service-learning.

Methods

The data come from a case study of the IPSL program in Guayaquil, Ecuador. These data derive from series of semi-structured interviews, observations, informal conversations, and written reflections generated by students who participated in the 2001 summer program. The data were systematically analyzed using the NUD*IST software for qualitative studies. Qualitative researchers employ this software in order to manage and assess the data. (Porter & Monard, 2001). The community service component is tied to a course titled "Institutions and Society." This undergraduate course focuses on issues of poverty, inequality, health, and education. Using the case of the particular agency where students provide service, they analyze broader societal problems. Students engage in reflection activities which are key components of service-learning courses. Five female American undergraduate students from various universities in the US participated in the 2001 summer program. Each student was placed with a different agency. Students served approximately 20 hours a week for one or two months. The agencies where students were placed offer educational, social, and medical services to the communities in the coastal city of Guayaquil. Throughout the course, students were asked to reflect on core issues. Data about their experiences were elicited before, during and near the end of their service experiences. For example, students were asked to respond to questions on issues such as: what it means to be a citizen, what they learned from serving others, what social aspects about the Ecuadorian society and about their service agencies became clearer to them, and how the experience influenced their present and future plans. The students' essays received feedback from the course instructor; in addition, students discussed, asked questions, compared experiences and shared concerns with other classmates during the course.

Outcomes of Justice

Nurturing a sense of justice leads to building certain capacities in individuals. Eyler and Giles (1999) posit that service-learning contributes to developing a better understanding of social issues and facilitates participants' sense of responsibility to take action towards solutions of societal problems. In the following section, three outcomes that emerged from the data were presented: 1) acquiring a deeper understanding of societal issues, 2) nurturing a sense of responsibility, and 3) planning for social action. These outcomes represent various ways students' sense of justice may be put into action.

Acquiring a deeper understanding of societal issues

Through a rational sense of justice, members of a society recognize and share moral convictions (Rawls, 1971, p. 499). According to Eyler & Giles (1999) and McEwen (1996), service-learning can lead to more complex reasoning, which raises moral dilemmas. Through reflection, students can reach a higher understanding of societal problems by searching possible answers to "why" problems exist. During the program, students were able to rationalize, conceptualize and share their opinions on society's problems. Students asked in class and throughout their weekly reflection papers specific questions related to their service such as: Why were the kids in my agency abandoned? What were the causes that led their families to leave them? What will happen to these kids? How can the medical center operate without basic resources such as potable water, gloves, and masks? Why do the kids have learning problems? Why don't parents spend time with their children reviewing basic educational elements? These specific and contextual questions led to more general reflections on the social conditions present of the Ecuadorian system. These questions were: How can a family fight inflation, unemployment, and cuts in social spending? How can a family of five or six live and eat on less that $100 per month? Other questions related to their roles as citizens in relation to the people they served: What makes me so lucky that I am fortunate enough to be the tourist and not one among the many counting their pennies? How can these problems be addressed? These questions represent the students' deeper reflections about social issues; they show how students developed a new perspective about their surroundings. Feedback to these questions was provided by the instructor and by their peers. Carlos, the course instructor, described the rationale of the course as follows:

   The idea is for the kids to relate when they go to the field to some
   kind of theoretical background; the problems are not isolated, they
   are very related; they have to talk about specific things and
   eventually they are all tied together. In order to understand a
   specific point you have to understand the society above you and many
   issues that happen on the top and trickle down to the bottom.

Carlos prompted students to reflect on the macroeconomic and the social situation of the country in the context of their service assignments. In class, students shared stories about service and their experiences in the country. Conversations focusing on their service often led to much broader discussions of Ecuador's culture and its socioeconomic conditions. For example, during one session, a student talked about her service at a foundation that treats patients with Hansen's disease. While mentioning the medical and health conditions of these patients, the conversation among the students expanded to a broader discussion about Hansen's disease in general, the myths about this illness (also known as leprosy), and the state of health education in the country. Another student shared with the class her impressions of the lack of clean water and gloves in the medical center where she served. This reflection led to an analysis of issues of hygiene in lower-and middle-class families in Ecuador, and the disparity between medical facilities and services in Ecuador and the United States.

The service component and reflection activities facilitated the students' in-depth analysis of the conditions under which poor people live. The course helped students identify problems, look for their sources, discuss the important players in the problems and hypothesize possible solutions to these problems. It was a vehicle for bringing about students' awareness, social consciousness and understanding of problems they encountered on a daily basis through their service. Eyler and Giles (1999) indicate that service-learning experiences affect the students' perceptions of their ability to identify social issues and, as a result of this, they become more open to new ideas about societal problems. They posit that through reflection opportunities such as written journals and essays, students are likely to think more critically about social issues. In the case of the IPSL-course, the weekly journals, discussions and final papers were a tool for students to voice their concerns and pose questions about their service experience. Connections between the larger problems in Ecuador and the situation people in service agencies go through came up in many of the students' writings for this class. For example, Dana reflects in her final paper on her understanding of the connection of these problems by stating:

   The culmination of all these financial and social factors all too
   often lead to families abandoning their children. Sometimes, this is
   done simply to relieve the stress caused by an additional child in
   the family, but in other instances, parents believe the child will
   have a better chance of survival if abandoned and as a result found
   and taken in by a social service agency.

Through the service-learning course, students' fundamental assumptions of society were challenged. The service-learning course was a space for students to reflect and understand the nuances and conflicts present when discussing issues that pertain to social justice.

Nurturing a sense of responsibility

Through service-learning, students can develop more complex critical thinking skills which may lead them to an ethical commitment to society. Porter & Rapoport (2000) note that in the case of the students, service-learning can develop the students' perceptions as responsible citizens in society. For Rawls, a sense of justice is "an effective desire to apply and act the principles of justice" (p. 497). Justice goes beyond an analysis of societal problems. It is important that each individual becomes aware of these problems and takes a stand on these issues. For Rawls (1971), social and economic inequalities are to be "arranged" so that both the great and the least advantaged are granted equal opportunities (p. 302). Thus, when social disparities prevail, there is the need to act in order to diminish these differences.

Analyzing societal issues with a sense of justice leads to asking the question "so what?" Students could not turn away after coming across poverty, abandonment, illness, and ignorance. They examined ways they ought to act in order to strive for social change. Here, Tracey expresses her position on social action:

   I do not know, I know I can't sit and watch what is happening in the
   world, I need to have something to do, and the question is what; I
   feel so small and what can I do, but I started to think that way,
   then I started to realize that anything that everybody does is more
   than nothing so a little thing would help and talking to people so
   that they realize that hey, there are people that live in poverty
   and they need help and they can't do it alone, and maybe you should
   come with me. I found that just talking to people is the biggest way
   to change.

Even though Tracey reflects on needing to learn more to become a more effective agent of change, she did examine her sense of justice and took it further to the "so what" stage. Students evaluated their role and viewed themselves as responsible citizens. Like Tracey, students were eager to act and carry the voices of the individuals they served. Another example is Rebecca, who also saw the urgency to do something. She states:

   Injustice is occurring all over the world and I think it is our duty
   as human beings to take action on behalf of those living in
   injustice, one thing that we have is that we are Americans, we do
   have a freedom of speech in one sense, and we can go home and do
   things to make their voices heard, where people who are living in
   the country where their voices can't be heard, they are shut out and
   they can't make their story known in the world so that changes are
   made, but we can do that for them if we can hear it and take it home
   and be willing to put yourself out and like even risk the
   persecution or any other way or risk something to make that story
   heard.

Here, Rebecca reflects on her personal commitment to social change. Through service-learning, students developed their sense of responsibility and obligation to "do" something on behalf of their fellow human beings. An individual who acts under a justice principle is obliged to act in search of a more equal and equitable society. Sister Mary, a community member, expresses her view about the students' social responsibility. She states, "To me it's a great opportunity to be associated with Universidad Espiritu Santo because they [IPSL students] come with an interest in how they could help and they come because they want to make a difference." For community members, service-learning was "an opportunity to move beyond words to action." Oscar, director of one of the service agencies described the students' service as a mutual commitment. He vividly stated, "We are working with the students to combat poverty with all its ramifications. To say that we can eradicate poverty would be a utopia, but to do nothing about poverty would be even worse." Community members viewed the IPSL students as social agents willing to work towards making a difference in the world.

Planning for social action

For Campbell, justice involves a positive element that requires "action" which involves "an ideal of just human relationships as part of a harmonious and healthy society" (2001, p. 3). The moral dilemmas that arise from more critical reasoning and judgment lead to moral action (Kohlberg, 1975). According to Kohlberg, moral actions represent a behavior which is an outcome of moral reasoning.

For students, their "action" reflected their interest in contributing to greater global justice. Through their experiences, students defined their next step in the journey. Service-learning helped them reiterate their commitment to be agents of change not only locally but globally. Through conversations and reflections, students expressed their service commitment which from their views will endure. Students mentioned they wanted to continue to provide service in their own cities or towns once home. One student is interested in using her Spanish skills in working with immigrants; another student wants to continue teaching a course on social justice in her college; another student wants to serve through her future medical profession to communities in need. Some students felt that they could make a difference by being a model to their peers back in their country. By telling friends about their work, they felt they could change someone's views about service. Tracey said, "I see the importance of creating social change, for example, primarily to my friends at home who see my work and become interested." Becoming role models for others in their own country as well as in Ecuador was an example of the students' commitment to social action. Through the Ecuador experience students became role models to those they served. A community member vividly described how the IPSL students influenced individuals in the service agencies:

   It is very comforting that the student comes and leaves with the
   idea that he or she carried out a project as a symbol of his or her
   presence, but there are other intangible projects. If a kid sees
   that a student comes from so far away, spends his money, spends his
   time away from home and is willing to take the buses, and probably
   get sick; the students are showing a different role model.

In general, all students viewed the importance of continuing the cycle of service in their lives. The international service-learning experience triggered the motivation to serve in the world. For students, there were no boundaries to continue their commitment to serve in other countries. Some mentioned that they wanted to travel to other countries to help. They see destinations such as Africa, Australia, and Latin America in their future horizons for service. They viewed the Ecuador experience as one more step to becoming a "global" citizen. Dana vividly stated, "I want to spend at least part of my life serving in other countries, this is a great taste of what it will be like." For some students, working globally is the best way to learn from other cultures and to contribute to building a more global society. One student even said "staying home is not good anymore." The reassurance of global service that students experienced shows their moral commitment and growing sense of justice. The program's commitment to global service was summarized by a community member in one sentence, "The Partnership [IPSL] shrinks the world."

Conclusions

The basic principles of justice aim at providing for all and striving for equity and equality (Rawls, 1971). Through service-learning students analyze social problems and evaluate their role as citizens in the world (Eyler and Giles, 1999). The IPSL experience helped students acquire a deeper understanding of their world and reassure their commitment to service. The experience became an awakening to the needs that exist in various parts of the world, and through reflection, they examined their roles as citizens in a diverse and global world. Understanding a sense of justice helps us, as citizens in society, expand the ways to think about the world we live in. Justice is an important element through which individuals can achieve peace in the world. It is not an end, but a process--a process that involves continuous efforts and straggles from all citizens. It implies acting for the common good of the society we live in and a firm commitment to strive for a more equal & equitable world. Enhancing a sense of justice offers us a repertoire of tools to become concerned citizens who will act towards a fair treatment for all. A sense of justice teaches us the capacity to act and to take responsibility of what surrounds us. It engenders capacities of becoming active and responsible individuals. It takes individuals through a journey that goes from understanding society and its problems, to evaluating their own roles towards the problems society presents. Fostering a sense of justice in those involved in our service-learning programs enhances their understanding of society, transforms them into more critical and socially conscious citizens and leads them to become active agents of social change in the world.

Acknowledgement

The author gratefully acknowledges those who have provided feedback on earlier drafts of this work. Special thanks to the IPSL directors for their support and collaboration and to students for sharing their candid reflections. Many thanks also to the community members from each participating agency for genuinely opening their doors and sharing their thoughtful insights about the program. This work was presented at the 2002 International Partnership for Service-Learning Conference in Prague, Czech Republic.

References

Bellah, R. N., & et. al. (1986). Habits of the heart. California: University of California Press.

Campbell, T. (2001). Justice. (2 ed.). New York: St. Martins Press.

Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E. (1999). Where's the learning in service-learning?. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Kohlberg, L. (1975). The claim to moral adequacy of a highest stage of moral judgment. Journal of Psychology, 70, 630-646.

McEwen, M. K. (1996). Enhancing student learning and development through service-learning. In B. Jacoby & Associates (Eds.), Service-learning in higher education: Concepts and practices (pp. 53-91). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Porter, M., & Monard, K. (2001). Ayni in the global village: Building relationships of reciprocity through international service-learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning, 8(1), 5-17.

Porter, M., & Rapoport, L. (Summer, 2000). Enhancing students' sensibilities of membership, connection, responsibility, and purpose. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 12-17.

Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard Massachusetts.

Varlotta, L. (1997). Confronting consensus: Investigating the philosophies that have informed service-learning's communities. Educational Theory, 47(4), 543-476.

Kathia Monard-Weissman, Institute for Global Education and Service-Learning, PA

Kathia Monard-Weissman recently completed her Ph.D. in the Social and Comparative Analysis in Education program at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on the ways in which international service-learning can nurture sensibilities of care, justice, and reciprocity.