Document Type
Article
Keywords
experiential learning; student motivation; student travel; study trips
Publisher
Kwantlan Polytechnic University
Publication Source
Transformative Dialogues: Teaching and Learning Journal
Rights Management
Authors retain copyright
Abstract
Experiential learning offers students opportunities to learn in real-world settings outside the classroom. In political science, such experiences have been found to enhance knowledge of the political process, positively impact subsequent academic performance, and develop more robust understandings of civic values. While these research findings have led colleges and universities to increasingly mandate service-learning courses, many experiential learning opportunities such as internships and study abroad programs are voluntary and demand student initiative. The purpose of this paper is to explore why students choose to engage in such voluntary experiential opportunities. The research questions guiding this project ask: Why do students take the initiative to participate in voluntary experiential learning? What do they hope to gain through their participation? These questions are addressed through a grounded theory analysis of the application essays of sixteen Bryant University students who participated in a ten-day experiential learning program on the 2009 Presidential Inauguration at The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. This analysis identifies and discusses five types of motivation that inspired these students to participate, which may help colleges and universities identify ways to persuade more students to embrace these valuable opportunities.
Comments
Published by Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Transformative Dialogues: Teaching and Learning Journal Volume 5, Issue 1, pages 1-12.