An empirical study on institutional educational activities for social responsibility in central and northern Italy
Manuela Guardiani
The growing level of individualism in Western societies has induced a revival of solidarity values as a foundation of social ties. Such values can be taught through the service learning technique that includes in the educational program social oriented activities and related reflective activities. This research work represents one of the first surveys of service activities implemented in the school context. The investigation tool employed in this research was a semi-structured questionnaire including questions belonging to five thematic areas: the influence of possible previous experiences of service learning or voluntary service; the influence of family and friends; the young generation values; the students’ impression on the social program they were involved in; the influence of mass media and information technology. The questionnaire and the in-depth interviews showed a high appreciation for service learning activity by both the students and their families, revealing a high potential receptivity of Italian environment for a possible large scale introduction of this educational approach.
Keywords
Service learning, Education to social responsibility, Influences on prosocial attitudes.