Lori Simons

Bio: Lori Simons is an academic researcher from Widener University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Service-learning & Experiential learning. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 31 publications receiving 624 citations. Previous affiliations of Lori Simons include Eastern Kentucky University.

The Influence of Service Learning on Students' Personal and Social Development

Abstract: . An explanatory methods design was used to evaluate the influence of a service learning course on learning, personal, and social outcomes for service learning (n = 142) students. These students showed improvements in diversity and political awareness, community self-efficacy, and civic engagement scores from the beginning to the end of the semester. In addition, the students' academic learning, personal and interpersonal development, and community engagement were detected as the major benefits from engaging in service learning. The findings of this study suggest that service learning contributes to students' academic learning and personal and social development through social-emotional processes.

Lessons Learned from Experiential Learning: What Do Students Learn from a Practicum/Internship?.

Abstract: A multi-method approach was used in a pilot assessment of student learning outcomes for 38 students enrolled in an undergraduate psychology practicum/internship program. The results from a pretest-posttest survey revealed that students improved their multicultural skills from the beginning to the end of the program. The results also indicate that experiential learning enhances student personal, civic, and professional development. The consistency of responses from students, field supervisors, and faculty suggest that the practicum/internship program is beneficial for all involved and serves as a method for strengthening university-community partnerships. Over the past decade, institutions of higher education (IHE) have incorporated experiential learning courses in liberal arts curricula as a way to help students learn the course concepts, understand the conditions that lead to racial and economic disparities in the community, and develop into socially responsible citizens. Experiential learning assists students achieve intellectual goals through a broad range of academic endeavors, from volunteer activities and servicelearning courses to practica and internships (Association for Experiential Education, 2011; Eyler & Giles, 1999; Eyler 2009). Two of the most common forms of experiential learning are the practicum and internship (Eyler, 2009). Practica and internships are supervised discipline- and career-related work experiences that involve active learning (i.e., learn by doing), critical reflection, and professional development (Gavigan, 2010; O’Neil, 2010). Students are required to apply “real-world” experiences to the academic content and to use this knowledge to make informed decisions about their career paths. The purpose of this paper is to summarize lessons learned from a pilot assessment of a practicum/internship program in an undergraduate psychology curriculum at a metropolitan, teaching university.

Student and Community Perceptions of the “Value Added” for Service-Learners

Abstract: An explanatory mixed-methods design was used to evaluate a service-learning model on academic learning, personal and interpersonal development, and community-engagement for 59 service-learning students. A repeated-method ANOVA demonstrates that students improve their academic learning and participation in service but reduce their interests in social institutions, local politics, and communication with community recipients from the beginning to the end of the semester. In addition, a 2 (placement site) × 3 (placement activity) MANOVA indicates that community recipients evaluate tutors' attitudes and skills more favorably than social-recreational leaders. Content analyses of student reflections explain the mixed quantitative findings and show how the “value added” from participating in service-learning leads to students' interpersonal and personal development.

Childhood Trauma, Avoidance Coping, and Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among Women in Residential and Outpatient Treatment Programs

Abstract: This study evaluates the different types of childhood trauma, avoidance coping, and patterns of drug and alcohol use among 112 alcohol and drug abusing females in outpatient and residential treatment. A passive research design with self-report surveys was administered to female participants during treatment to assess the relationship between childhood trauma, coping methods, and alcohol and drug use. A multiple regression analysis demonstrated that women with a history of emotional abuse were more likely to engage in avoidance coping skills than those without a history of emotional abuse, which provides some support for the theory that alcohol and drug abuse may be an avoidance coping method for childhood trauma.

The Link between High-Impact Practices and Student Learning: Some Longitudinal Evidence.

Abstract: The current paper used data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education—a longitudinal, pretest/posttest design—to estimate the effects of participation in the ten “high-impact” educational practices put forth and endorsed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) on a variety of liberal arts educational outcomes. The high-impact practices included in the study were: first-year seminars, academic learning communities, writing-intensive courses, active and collaborative learning, undergraduate research, study abroad, service learning, internships, and capstone courses/experiences. Findings from ordinary least squares regression analyses suggested that active and collaborative learning as well as undergraduate research had broad-reaching positive effects across multiple liberal arts learning outcomes, such as critical thinking, need for cognition, and intercultural effectiveness. Several other high-impact practices—including study abroad, internship, service learning, and capstone course/experience—had more narrowly focused positive effects on student learning. Overall, this study’s findings support AAC&U’s advocacy of high-impact practices as pathways to student success.