The contributors to this special issue on community involvement discuss the topic from a variety of perspectives drawn from psychology, sociology, and education. In total, they present an overview of the recent history and trends associated with community involvement, including definitions, goals, major movements, and examples of specific models. In the course of this set of papers, contributors discuss the functions, processes, and theoretical underpinnings of community involvement, and specific types of involvement such as community service, service-learning, and volunteerism. A special…mehr
The contributors to this special issue on community involvement discuss the topic from a variety of perspectives drawn from psychology, sociology, and education. In total, they present an overview of the recent history and trends associated with community involvement, including definitions, goals, major movements, and examples of specific models. In the course of this set of papers, contributors discuss the functions, processes, and theoretical underpinnings of community involvement, and specific types of involvement such as community service, service-learning, and volunteerism. A special emphasis is given to service-learning programs and the factors that produce beneficial outcomes for all relevant constituencies. Specific themes such as education, power relations, and motivation are highlighted as they emerge from the discussion of community involvement.
Arthur A. Stukas holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He recently moved from the USA to Melbourne, Australia, to take up a lectureship in social psychology at La Trobe University's School of Psychological Science. Previously, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Northern Colorado and as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His research interests focus on the personal and situational factors that underlie value-expression and goal-directed behavior, including such varied behaviors as volunteerism and community involvement, organ and tissue donation, principled stands against prejudice, and active disconfirmation of erroneous interpersonal expectations. He is a member of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, and the American Psychological Society. Michelle R. Dunlap received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida. She is a social psychologist who specializes in social and personality development as an associate professor of human development at Connecticut College. She has served in various professional capacities with the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP), Campus Compact, the New England Psychological Association (NEPA), and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI). She has written extensively about college students working in urban community settings, intergroup relations, and multicultural child-rearing issues. She is author of Reaching Out to Children and Families: Students Model Effective Community Service, and co-editor of the forthcoming book, Charting a New Course for Feminist Psychology.
