Service Learning: integration of moral content on youth self-representation

Abstract

This article aims to explore whether the involvement of youths in moral actions, in the context of service-learning projects, can promote the integration of moral content in their self-representations. The research, with a qualitative and longitudinal approach, is exploratory and the population is constituted by 19 female youth, with an average of 17 years old, protagonists of two service-learning projects, developed as part of high school curriculum of a private school located in the city of São Paulo (Brazil). Data collection was performed by an opened questionnaire about self-representation before and after the projects (pre and post-test), and data analysis was done based on Organizing Models of Thinking Theory. Eighteen of the 19 participants extended or make changes on the integration of moral content into their self-representations. Of these, 13 mentioned the service-learning project in their self-representations and eight referred to new moral contents related to the project. In general, the results suggest that the youth’s protagonism interventions on social problems, in the context of service-learning projects, can foment the integration of moral contents in their self-representations, being an important methodology for values and citizenship education.