Examining Service-Learning Pedagogical Practice Through Centering BIPOC Student Voices

Abstract

This study centers BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students’ experiences in service-learning courses at a predominantly White college. Researchers conducted eight semi-structured interviews using qualitative case study methods and analyzed the data through a critical conscious-ness framework. Data illuminated tensions in predominantly White spaces, perils and promises of preparation, and relationality with community partners demonstrating how Whiteness is often center-ed unintentionally. Based on the data collected, the authors suggest recommendations for implement-ing pedagogy that addresses the lived experiences of BIPOC students in service-learning courses.