The Role of Student Leadership In International Service Learning: A Literature Review

In the field of international service learning (ISL), there is much debate about the quality of the academic component of alternative break programs, a popular concept in the world of student programming in higher education today. Alternative break programs allow students to travel, both domestically and internationally, and serve during their university breaks as well as participate in classes meant to expand their understanding of the culture, history, and social problems of the area they are working in. Some institutions offer course credit for international alternative break programs. To increase the transformative power of these programs, institutions will often allow student leaders to take control of planning, including designing and teaching classes. This project aims to raise the question: what effects, both positive and negative, does student leadership have on these programs? I conduct a literature review of publications in the realm of ISL, explore models from the alternative break movement, and also use my personal experience with leadership of international alternative break programs to illustrate the lessons learned related to student leadership. Additional queries raised include: Is the goal to give students ownership of their learning and create collaboration between peers reached at the cost of a quality academic understanding of the experience as a whole? How does student leadership affect the role of reflection? Further research opportunities are also discussed.