Nicole Webster, Ph.D.

Research Areas:

Civic Engagement / Social Change
Positive Youth Development
Minority and At-Risk Youth

Research Focus / Projects:

My research focuses on understanding the impact of service learning experiences on youth and young adults in school and community-based settings. My emphasis is on service learning and outreach as an intervention tool for minority youth in marginalized low-income communities.

Latino Civic Engagement in Charter Schools (Co sponsored research with the National Council of La Raza) - Multi-site study on the impact of service learning programs on Latino middle school youth

Connecting Caribbean Youth (C2K) Project Action research program focusing on youth development and building educational capacity with the University of Belize and over 20 school countrywide.

Professional Associations:

International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE)

American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Honors / Awards:

John Glenn Service-Learning Scholar. The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at The Ohio State University recognizes twenty-five scholars whose scholarship efforts contribute to advancing the understanding of or adoption of service-learning, with specific emphasis on K-12 education. (2007).

Emerging Scholar. A research based project funded by Brandeis University’s Center for Youth and Communities (CYC), CIRCLE, and the International Center for Research on Civic Engagement and Service-Learning (ICR-CESL) at the University of California, Berkeley that recognized and provided support and encouragement for a new generation of diverse service-learning researchers. (2007).

Emerging Scholar Award, Honored at the 6th Annual International Conference in Service Learning Research (November 2006).

Joan Luerssen Faculty / Horace T. Woodward Faculty Enhancement Fund in the College of Agricultural Sciences, recipient; Monetary Award of $2000 to support professional development. (2005).

Selected Publications:

Webster, N. & Ingram, P. (2007). Exploring the Challenges for Extension Educators Working in Urban Communities. Journal of Extension. [Online], 45(3). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2007june/iw3.shtml

Webster, N. & Aronson, K. (2007). A Model for Creating Engaged Land Grant Universities: Penn State’s Experience. Journal of Higher Education and Outreach, 31(5), pp. 265-277.

Selected Peer Reviewed Book Chapters:

Stewart, T. & Webster, N. (Eds.) (in press). Problematizing the Culture of Service Learning. Information Age Publishing.

Stewart, T. & Webster, N. (Eds.). (forthcoming). Cultural Tensions and Dynamics in Service Learning. Information Age Publishing.

Dunlap, M. & Webster, N. (2009). Enhancing Inter-Cultural Competence through Civic Engagement. Civic Engagement in Higher Education/Creating Opportunities for College Students to Learn about and Practice Civic Engagement (pp. 140-153). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company.

Webster, N. (2007). Enriching School Connection and Learning in African American Urban Youth: The Impact of a Service-Learning Feasibility Project in Inner City Philadelphia. In S. Gelmon & S. Billig (Eds.), From Passion to Objectivity: International and Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Service-Learning Research, Advances in Service Learning Research.
Webster, N. (2005). Racial socialization and youth activism. In Sherrod, L., Flanagan, C. A., & Kassimir, R. (Eds.). Youth Activism: An International Encyclopedia. (pp. 520-521). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing.

Aronson, K. R, Webster, N. S., Parker, J., Reason, R., Ingram, P., Mitchell, K. (2005). Developing Plans for a Randomized Control Trial to Evaluate a Conceptual Model of Service-Learning. In J. Callahan, S. Root, S. Billig (Eds.), Improving Service-Learning Practice: Research on Models to Enhance Impacts, Advances in Service Learning Research (pp. 82-91). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.