The Development of the Civic Action and Service Orientation Survey

• In Event: Service-Learning for Democracy, Engagement, and Success

Abstract

Recent widespread implementation of service-learning initiatives reflects the increased commitment to civic engagement and service in higher education. Data regarding students’ diverse orientations to service could be a powerful tool to inform thoughtful development of differentiated service-learning opportunities, contributing to better alignment and more powerful impact. The Civic Action and Service Orientation Survey was designed for that purpose. After a thorough literature review and content validation process involving 8 experts, a pilot sample of 223 college students was collected to perform an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Three factors (civic action beliefs, connectedness, and service motivation) were retained based on the EFA. The final instrument contains 20 items across 3 factor subscales, with strong reliabilities of 0.79 and above.

Authors

• Christina M Amspaugh, University of Connecticut

• Del Siegle, University of Connecticut