Becoming leaders of change through service: An investigation of socially empowered learning in post-secondary education.

Abstract

This article presents findings from the study of a service-learning program for undergraduate students offered by a post-secondary leadership education centre. The program was designed to enhance post-secondary learning beyond the program of studies while developing perspectives of servant-leadership and serving community-identified needs. The theoretical framework is explained and details of the program are described, followed by the research study with findings that support service-learning programs as an effective form of Socially Empowered Learning. Specifically, results indicate that the program investigated here led to a significant increase in group potency, collective efficacy, and overall social empowerment. Implications for the theory of Socially Empowered Learning are explored in addition to recommendations for future research and practice.