Current Volume: Volume 10 (2022)

Volume 10 is emerging

Dear VA Engage Journal of Student Scholarship readers: The work of the journal continues and despite our slower than anticipated pace in publishing articles, we are still eager to share meaningful and thoughtful student work with you. The first manuscript in Volume 10 has been long in coming and reflects the importance of pairing critical reflection with quantitative research. The authors initiated an original study and throughout the process challenged their assumptions about related topics including racism, political polarization, and patriotism. By conducting the study prior to the global pandemic, the Black Lives Matters protests, and the January 6th mob attack on the capital, but continuing to interpret the results following these monumental events, the study has extra resonance.

The second article of Volume 10 encourages us to reflect on how Service-Learning retains its meaning and efficacy in an online format. Examining data from the spring 2020 semester, the author investigates the student Service-Learning experience during this unsettling and turbulent time. Throughout the revision process the author has worked hard to turn a spotlight on the key findings from this study. Our responsibility then as a reader is to ponder these contradictory findings that are at times encouraging and others expected. Our work fostering transformative educational environments requires us to explore these results and interpretations of online Service-Learning and grapple with how they align and depart from our critical Service-Learning aspirations.

Best wishes,
Steve Grande, James Madison University
Editor, VA Engage Journal of Student Scholarship

Research Studies