Lead Authors: Dr. Dandan Liu & Dr. Junfeng Wang

1. Hypotheses • Students attending the course with both service-learning projects and career development activities will show higher levels of engaged learning, civic development and psychosocial well-being than students attending the same course without these aspects. • Students attending the course in a smaller size class will show higher levels of engaged learning, civic development and psychosocial well-being than students attending a larger size class with a service learning component. • Students attending the intro-level and capstone classes with first time exposure to service learning and career development will show similar levels of growth. • Research questions • What lessons can be learned in the design and delivery of the courses with service-learning projects and career development courses? • How do students reflect on their experiences in the courses with service-learning projects and career development activities? Teaming up for student success:A pilot study on the relationship among engaged learning, civic development and psychosocial well-being in public relations students • What Previous Research has shown • Research has shown a correlation between civic engagement and psychosocial well-being of college students (Finley, 2012; Flanagan & Bundnik, 2011; Swaner, 2007). • Career development as one aspect of personality development, which is a critical part of one’s psychosocial well-being (Munley, 1975; Super, 1954, 1980; Thomason & Winer, 1994). • Meanwhile, service-learning has been recognized as one of the effective pedagogies to achieve engaged learning (Swaner, 2007). • There are also numerous researches supporting the benefits of service-learning for civic development (see a detailed review in Finley, 2011). • Furthermore, service-learning has been linked with motivating career exploration and boosting skills development in general (Franta, 1994), and in the communication programs in particular (Daugherty, 2002; O’Hara, 2001; Oster-Aaland, Sellnow, Nelson, & Pearson, 2004; Witmer, Silverman, & Gaschen, 2009). • However, there hasn’t been any effort to connect service-learning, career development and psychosocial well-being in one case and test the relationships of engaged learning, civic development, and psychosocial well-being in both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Lead Authors: Dr. Dandan Liu & Dr. Junfeng Wang Third author & Student Assistant: Samantha Langley • Research subjects • Public relations undergraduate students taking PRE 2200 and PRE 4600 in fall 2013 and spring 2014 are invited to participate in this research project.. Both of the courses are supplemented with a service-learning component and career development activities. Students in the classes provide the researchers with • Reflection journals • Self-evaluation reports • Class discussion transcripts • Pre- and post-test surveys • The instructor for both courses also provides observation notes in both semesters. Bibliography Daugherty, E. (2002). Service-learning integration of a public relations program: A pedagogy for skill development and an opportunity for need fulfillment. Paper presented to the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Miami. Finley, A. (2011). “Civic learning and democratic engagements: A review of the literature on civic engagement in postsecondary Education.” Unpublished paper. Retrieved from: http://www.civiclearning.org/SupportDocs/
LiteratureReview_CivicEngagement_Finley July2011.pdf. Finley, A. (2012). The joy of learning: The impact of civic engagement on psychosocial well-being. Diversity & Democracy,15 (3). Retrieved from http://www.diversityweb.org/DiversityDemocracy/vol15no3/finley.cfm Flanagan, C. & Bundnik, M. (2011). Civic engagement and psychosocial well-being in college students. Liberal Education, 97 (2), 20–27. Franta, P. (1994). Service-learning: A new priority for career centers. Journal of Career Development, 21(2), 131-134. Frost, R. A., Strom, S. L., Downey, J., Schultz, D. D., & Holland, T. A. (2010). Enhancing student learning with academic and student affairs collaboration. Community College Enterprise, 16(1), 37-51. Munley, P. H. (1975). Eric Erickson's theory of psychosocial development and vocational behavior. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22(4), 314-319. O'Hara, L. S. (2001). Service-learning: Students' transformative journey from communication student to civic-minded professional. Southern Journal of Communication, 66, 251-265. Oster-Aaland, L. K., Sellnow, T. L., Nelson, P. E., &Pearson, J. C. (2004).The status of service learning in departments of communication: A follow-up study. Communication Education, 53(4), 348-356. (2012) Sad circle of life .http://weknowmemes.com/tag/the-sad-circle-of-life/. (2014). Service learning. http://www.carrollk12.org/wmh/counseling/service/ Super, D. E. (1953). A theory of vocational development. American Psychologist, 8, 185- 190. Super, D. E. (1980). A life-span-life-space approach to career development. Journal of Vocational Development, 16, 282-298. Swaner, L. E. (2007). Linking engaged learning, student mental health and well-being, and civic development: a review of the literature. Liberal Education, 93(1). Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/le-wi07/Le-wi07_feature2.cfm Thomason, S. L.& Winer, J. L. (1994). Career maturity and familial independence among college freshmen. Journal of Career Development, 21(1), 23-35. Witmer, D. F., Silverman, D. A., & Gaschen, D. (2009). Working to learn and learning to work: A profile of service-learning courses in university public relations programs. Public Relations Review, 35(2), 153-155. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2009.02.001