Conference Agenda

Service-learning (SL) has the potential to address human, social, and environmental needs while enriching academic learning and strengthening communities – thereby contributing to democratic culture (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995). While a strand of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of SL in strengthening civic and democratic competences (Salam et al., 2019; Compare & Albanesi, 2023), the literature emphasises that poorly structured SL experiences can reinforce biases and inequalities (Boyle-Baise, 2002). To unpack the characteristics of SL experiences aimed at promoting democratic culture, a scoping literature review is proposed, focusing on the research question: To what extent is democratic culture promoted through SL experiences across higher educational institutions in Europe? To guide the review, the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) was identified as a framework for defining democratic culture and the competences associated with it.

The scoping review is structured around the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) framework (Pollock et al., 2023), which informed the identification of the search terms, which included service-learning terms, including spelling variants and closely related terms, competences for democratic culture terms, as articulated within the RFCDC, and higher education institution terms. Given the numerosity of Concept and Context terms, no Population terms were identified to avoid further restricting the search output. We include empirical, peer-reviewed papers offering reflections on student outcomes coming from all relevant actors, thereby focusing on SL and competences for democratic culture as being operationalised in the RFCDC framework. Moreover, the review focuses on higher educational settings. Following the practice of Compare and Albanesi (2023), searches are conducted in Scopus and Web of Science, robust and extensive databases of peer-reviewed literature. To ensure transparency and reproducibility, the PRISMA protocol is used to screen and synthesise the identified records.

In the identification phase, 4,142 records were identified. After the deduplication phase, 2,051 records remained. Using inclusion and exclusion criteria, the identified records entered the titles and abstracts screening phase, followed by full-text screening and final analysis. This review is expected to provide a greater understanding not only of the effects of SL experiences on the acquisition or strengthening of competences for democratic culture, but also to identify shared patterns in the design of SL experiences that have a positive impact on democratic culture. Finally, this literature review will systematically map how democratic culture is conceptualised, giving visibility to the SL approach within the European policy agenda at both the academic and governmental levels.

Service Learning (SL) is considered a promising approach to connect academic learning with civic engagement and thereby contribute to the development of democratic competences (Eyler & Giles Jr., 1999). However, the relationship between SL and democratic competences remains theoretically insufficiently specified, and empirical evidence regarding its impact is still fragmented. This paper addresses this research gap by focusing on teacher education as a key site for the professionalisation of (democratic) educational processes (Reusser & Pauli, 2014).

The contribution is situated within the track “Didactical Methods for Effective Democracy Education” and examines Service Learning as a higher education pedagogical approach. It focuses on how SL transforms the professional interpretative and action-guiding frameworks of pre-service teachers and what this implies for the promotion of democratic competences.

The study is based on a qualitative longitudinal design, reconstructing the subjective theories of ten pre-service teachers in the subject Economics, Work, and Household (WAH) before and after participation in a Service Learning module. Data were collected through concept mapping, group discussions, and semi-structured interviews using the Heidelberg Structure-Laying Technique (Scheele & Groeben, 2020). Subjective theories are understood as action-guiding cognitive orientations that structure the perception, planning, and enactment of teaching (Dann, 1989).

The findings indicate that SL leads to a shift in subjective theories—towards a stronger orientation to societal problems, an increased emphasis on participatory learning formats, and a broader understanding of the societal relevance of teaching. These developments can be interpreted as important preconditions for fostering democratic competences. At the same time, clear limitations become evident: central didactic principles such as multi-perspectivity, conceptual clarity, and systematic problem orientation remain underdeveloped. The connection between experiential learning and subject-specific conceptualisation often remains implicit and fragmented.

Against the background of the professionalisation mandate of teacher education institutions, the study shows that Service Learning does not automatically foster democratic competences. Rather, its potential crucially depends on the extent to which experiential learning processes are systematically linked to subject-specific conceptualisation, structured reflection, and explicit engagement with societal conflicts. Beyond teacher education, the study highlights the importance of considering subjective theories as a key dimension of higher education didactics, as they significantly shape how knowledge is understood and translated into action within complex societal contexts.

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