CIMLE Current Issues in Middle Level Education - The Impact of Service Learning on Middle Level Pre-Service Teachers

Oct 15, 2026

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Study examines service-learning projects at two universities in the southeastern United States and how these experiences affect pre-service teachers’ understanding of young adolescents from diverse backgrounds and knowledge of middle level professional roles. Data were collected via surveys with Likert-scale and open-ended items, organized into four themes: adolescent development knowledge, advocacy, family and cultural diversity, and dispositions and professional behaviors. Findings show increased understanding, confidence, appreciation of diversity, and life-changing insights, relevant to middle level teacher preparation standards.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

The Impact of Service Learning on Middle Level Pre-Service Teachers

Study design and data collection

Four thematic findings

Context: young adolescent development and standards

Service learning as teacher preparation

CIMLE Current Issues in Middle Level Education (2014) 19 (1), 36-42 The Impact of Service Learning on Middle Level Pre-Service Teachers Deborah H. McMurtrie University of South Carolina Aiken Bridget K. Coleman University of South Carolina Aiken Nancy Ruppert University of North Carolina Asheville Gary J. Senn University of South Carolina Aiken In this study, candidates at two universities in the southeastern United States engaged in service-learning projects that investigated the effects of service learning on pre-service teachers' understanding of the unique characteristics ofyoung adolescents from diverse backgrounds and knowledge of middle level professional roles. Data were collected through a survey that included Likert scale and open-ended items. The data were used to determine the pre-service teachers' understanding ofyoung adolescents and the professional role ofmiddle level educators. The data are organized into four themes: (a) knowledge ofyoung adolescent development, (b) advocacy for young adolescents, (c) family and cultural diversity, and (d) dispositions and professional behaviors. Within each theme, correlations are made to Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) standards and then specific data are provided to support the pre-service teachers’ relationship to each theme. The data provide insight into university students who changed majors to middle level education and comments related to the experience being a life-changing event. Pre-service teachers reveal increased knowledge and understanding of the nature and needs ofyoung adolescents, which is critical to becoming an effective middle school teacher. They exhibit positive dispositions such as confidence and embracing opportunities to grow professionally. They indicate increased awareness and appreciation for diverse students from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Young adolescents are characterized by variable and uneven rates of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional growth and development. Furthermore, this nation‟s school-age population is becoming increasingly diverse. We believe middle level educators need to be prepared to enter classrooms equipped to work with this age group and to work effectively with students from backgrounds different than their own. The National Council for the Accreditation of Education (NCATE, 2013) provides colleges of education with specific standards associated with exemplary middle schools. Together these two resources call for candidates to be able to identify “the characteristics of adolescent development” and to be “prepared to teach them.” The Association for Middle Level Education (2010) is rewriting standards for middle level teacher preparation programs. The new standards focus on five categories: (a) the learner and learning, (b) content,(c) curriculum, (d) instruction, and (e) professional development. This study investigates the emergent insights of pre-service teachers as they engage in service-learning experiences to determine whether common themes associated with middle level teacher preparation are revealed. Teaching young adolescents presents challenges unique to this age group. The “middle school concept” goes well beyond school organization and has “two prime foundations: the nature and needs of young adolescents and the accepted principles of learning, both undergirded by a commitment to our democratic way of life”(Lounsbury, 2009, p. 2) . Since its inception in 1973, the AMLE has been committed to the educational and developmental needs of young adolescents and the preparation of middle level teachers. In the position paper, This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents, AMLE advocates for creating schools that are developmentally responsive, challenging, empowering, and equitable (AMLE, 2010) . Service learning is an approach to preparing teachers to work with young adolescents effectively. Service learning can be seen in fieldwork, when candidat

FAQs

What was the purpose of the service-learning study?

The study investigated how candidates’ service-learning experiences influence pre-service teachers’ understanding of young adolescents and middle level professional roles.

How were data collected and analyzed?

Researchers used a survey containing Likert-scale items and open-ended responses, then organized results into four themes and connected them to AMLE standards.

What four themes emerged from the findings?

The themes were: (a) knowledge of young adolescent development, (b) advocacy for young adolescents, (c) family and cultural diversity, and (d) dispositions and professional behaviors.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni