Enabling the Endeavoring:
Hope’s Role in Service
Learning
Kevin L. Rand
IUPUI
Name the author…
Each life converges to some centre
Expressed or still;
Exists in every human nature
A goal
Name the author…
Each life converges to some centre
Expressed or still;
Exists in every human nature
A goal
-Emily Dickinson
Overview: Where are we
going?



What is hope theory?
How does hope relate to learning?
What are the practical &
research implications of
hope theory for service
learning?
Research on Hope
Higher hope → increased effort at tasks
 Higher hope → greater pain tolerance
 Higher hope → superior athletic
performance above and beyond athletic
ability
 Higher hope → better recovery from
illness & injury
 Higher hope → better mental health

Snyder’s (1994) Hope
Theory
Goals – the common thread to all
purposive human behavior
 Pathways – ‘Waypower’
 Agency – ‘Willpower’
 Emotions – information feedback about
goal pursuit

 Negative
– blocked goal
 Positive – progress or accomplishment
Goals
• Mental Target
• Some Probability of Reaching
• Short & Long Term
• Avoid vs. approach
• Hierarchical
Hierarchical Nature of Goals
Abstract (“Be”)
Ideal Self
Be Healthy
Exercise
Diet
Concrete (“Do”)
Be Happy
Run
Swim
Pathways
• Perceived Ability to Produce Plans
• Crucial When Encountering Blockages
• Most Preferred &
Alternate Routes
Agency
• Mental Determination
• Self-talk: “I will do this…”
• Channeling of Mental Energy
to Appropriate Routes
• Source can be internal
and/or external
Hope
Measuring Hope

Trait Hope
 Adult

State Hope
 State

Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991)
Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1996)
Goal-specific Hope
 Goal-specific
2009)
Hope Scale (Feldman et al.,
Adult Hope Scale
HOW TRUE IS EACH STATEMENT OF YOU
GENERALLY
1= Definitely False 4= Slightly False 5= Slightly True 8= Definitely True
___ 1. I can think of many way to get out of a jam. P
___ 2. There are lots of ways around any problem. P
___ 3. I can think of many ways to get the things in life that
are important to me. P
___ 4. Even when others get discouraged, I know I can find a
way to solve the problem. P
___ 5. I energetically pursue my goals. A
___ 6. My past experiences have prepared me well for my
future. A
___ 7. I’ve been pretty successful in life. A
___ 8. I meet the goals that I set for myself. A
Trait Hope Scale Data
 Average
total score for adults is 48
 High
agency/pathways ≥ 26
 Low agency/pathways ≤ 20
 No
gender differences
 Some ethnic/racial differences
Hope & Learning: Theory
 Hope
allows students to select,
commit to, & work toward goals
 Hope engenders positive emotions,
which foster learning & perseverance
 Broaden
& build functions of positive
emotions (Frederickson)
 Reduction in debilitating effects of
anxiety
Hope & Learning: Research

Higher hope → more engaged & less disengaged
coping with academic stressors


Higher hope → less test anxiety


Chang, 1998; Alexander & Onwuegbuzie, 2007
Onwuegbuzie, 1998; Snyder, 1999
Higher hope → academic success above and
beyond intelligence

Curry, Snyder, et al., 1997; Rand, 2009; Snyder,
Hoza, et al., 1997;
Snyder et al. (2002)
 6-year
prospective study of college
students
 Hope measured first-semester of
freshman year
 Higher-hope:
 Higher
overall GPA (controlling for ACT)
 Lower dismissal rate
 Higher graduation rate
Rand (2009)
 Semester-long
prospective study of
college students in psychology course
 Hope, optimism, & grade expectations
measured at beginning of semester
 Higher-hope:
 Higher
grade expectations → higher final
grade
 Higher final grade (controlling for GPA)
Optimism
GPA
.25
.87
.22
Goal
Attitude
.22
.87
Hope
Class Grade
.31
Predicted
Grade
.19
Rand, Martin, & Shea (2008)
 Semester-long
prospective study of
first-year law students
 Hope & optimism measured at
beginning of semester
 Higher-hope:
 Higher
semester GPA (controlling for
undergraduate GPA & LSAT)
LSAT
.13
UGPA
.38*
.25*
Hope
.39*
.38*
Optimism
Law School
GPA
.78
Life
Satisfaction
.56
Fostering Hopeful Education:
General Ideas

Optimizing Goals

Fostering Pathways

Fostering Agency
Optimizing Goals



Goals should be concrete & approach-oriented
Set stretch goals for students
Learning vs. performance goals
“Understand the 4 types of experimental validity”
 “Get a 90% on my next psychology exam”
 Ironically, learning goals improve performance
 Avoid forced grade distributions


Connect course goals to higher-order student
goals/values

Goal Clarification – remember Mr. Miyagi
Goal Clarification
Value
Why?
Goal
How?
Pathway
Goal Clarification
Student Value
Why?
Learning Goal
Be able to influence outcomes of
various situations
Why?
Be able to understand complex causal
relationships across situations
Why?
Examine the relationship between
social stigma & individual behavior
Fostering Pathways Thinking
 Be
explicit about what behaviors will
lead to success
 10
Pathways to successful learning
 “Generate 3 multiple-choice test questions each
week”
 “Describe examples of stereotype thinking you
observed during your service experience”
 Offer multiple ways to success
 Papers, tests, journals, activities
 Goal clarification
Goal Clarification
Learning Goal
How?
Pathway
Goal Clarification
Examine the relationship between
social stigma & individual behavior
How?
Provide 20 hours of service at an
agency serving severely mentally ill
Fostering Agency: Class Structure
 Multiple
methods of reinforcement
 Offer
more than just grades
 Connect learning goals to other life domains

Give meaning to learning goals
 Protects
against satiation & burnout
 Depersonalize
 It’s
grading system
about their behaviors, not about them
 Failure is simply information that they should
try something different
Fostering Agency: Class Style
 Exude Energy
 Teach with enthusiasm & humor
 Energy is contagious
 Positive affect = better learning
 Be a Storyteller
 Humans are wired to learn & share stories
 Organize lecture as a narrative; use jokes, anecdotes
 Personalize the Class
 Learn & use student names
 Offer anecdotes from your own life
 Talk about things that are relevant to college
students & their experiences
Optimize Your Hope

Have a circumscribed set of goals for the class


Teach what excites you


Cover more of what you are interested in & less of
what you are not interested in
Don’t assume responsibility for students’ goals


Sometimes, less is more
You can only lead the horses to water…
Reframe student failure for yourself

Failure, while unpleasant, is not inherently bad
Service Learning:
Some Hopeful Suggestions

Begin the course by eliciting student values &
priorities



Have students rank-order their values/priorities


What are your life priorities/values?
What are your goals regarding your education?
What is your most important value? Second?
Pathfinding - ask students to create pathways
between service learning and their most important
values


How might completing this course get you closer to
what you want in life?
Show the link between the self and others
WE
E
W
Service Learning Issue:
Requiring Service


May decrease motivation for future service (Batson
et al., 1978; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Stukas, Snyder, &
Clary, 1999)
External control reduces intrinsic motivation


Need for autonomy
Effect is most pronounced for students not already
motivated to engage in service


“Why did I do it?”
“Because I had to.”
Service Learning Issue:
Requiring Service

Allow students & community representative to
jointly define super-ordinate goals together



Allow students to choose details and focus of
service
Have students reflect on pros and cons of
required service


Robbers Cave Study
Reduces ambivalence
Have students engage in pathfinding exercise
connecting service learning experience to personal
goals
Pathfinding Exercise
Abstract (“Be”)
Be Happy
Why?
Make $
Connect with
Others
Why?
Get a Job
Why?
Graduate
Why?
Concrete (“Do”)
Service Learning
Develop Diversity
Skills
Service Learning:
Risks of Reflection

Reflection exercises may erode perceptions of
intrinsic altruism (Batson, Fultz, et al., 1987)

Overly-sufficient justification



Q: “Why did you really do this?”
A: “For the grade.”
Students who value self-knowledge at greatest risk
Social learning theory of prosocial development

1) material reward


2) social reward


“Here’s some candy!”
“You’re a good girl/boy!”
3) self-reward

“I’m a kind, caring, altruistic person.”
Service Learning:
Risks of Reflection

Benefits of reflection may outweigh the costs


Pennebaker’s work showing that writing involving causal
attribution, insight, and self-reflection has mental and
physical health benefits
Tailor reflection & pathfinding exercises to
student’s pre-course level of prosocial development

As part of initial goals/values assessment, assess where
students are in terms of prosocial development
Materially focused
 Socially focused
 Intrinsically focused

Pathfinding Exercise (Material)
Abstract (“Be”)
Ideal Self
Make $
Get a Job
Graduate
Concrete (“Do”)
Service Learning
Pathfinding Exercise (Social)
Abstract (“Be”)
Ideal Self
Relate to Others
Develop
Diversity Skills
Concrete (“Do”)
Service Learning
Pathfinding Exercise (Intrinsic)
Abstract (“Be”)
Ideal Self
Express Care
for Others
Concrete (“Do”)
Service Learning
Hope & Service Learning:
Research Questions

Is trait hope a moderator of the relationship
between service learning and outcomes?



Do students with higher levels of pathways thinking
generate more connections between course goals and
their personal goals?
Do students with higher levels of agency participate
more in the service learning?
Do students with higher levels of agency thinking show
greater increases in intention to remain civically active?
Hope & Service Learning:
Research Questions

Is hope a mechanism by which service learning
leads to outcomes?



Does hope increase during service learning course?
Do increases in hope predict intention to remain
civically active?
Do students with more concrete initial goals/values
have less intention to remain active following the
course?

Also, does the proportion of material, social, and
intrinsic goals change throughout the course?
Thank You

If you have questions about hope theory, please
contact me:
Kevin L. Rand
klrand@iupui.edu
Department of Psychology
IUPUI
317-274-6771
State Hope Scale
HOW TRUE IS EACH STATEMENT OF YOU RIGHT
NOW
1= Definitely False 4= Slightly False 5= Slightly True 8= Definitely True
___ 1. If I should find myself in a jam, I could think of many
ways to get out of it. P
___ 2. There are lots of ways around any problem that I am
facing now. P
___ 3. I can think of many ways to reach my current goals. P
___ 4. At the present time, I am energetically pursuing my goals.
A
___ 5. Right now I see myself as being pretty successful. A
___ 6. At this time, I am meeting the goals that I have set for
myself. A
Goal-Specific Hope Scale
GOAL:
HOW TRUE IS EACH STATEMENT OF YOU RIGHT
NOW AS YOU THINK ABOUT THIS GOAL
1= Definitely False 4= Slightly False 5= Slightly True 8= Definitely True
___ 1. If I had problems achieving this goal, I could think of lots
of ways around these problems. P
___ 2. Even when others get discouraged with similar goals, I
know I can find a way to attain this goal. P
___ 3. I can think of many ways to achieve this goal. P
___ 4. I energetically pursue this goal. A
___ 5. My past experiences have prepared me well for trying to
attain this goal. A
___ 6. I believe that I will meet this goal that I have set for
myself. A
Hope & Service Learning:
Practical Applications






Service Learning – teaching and learning strategy
that integrates meaningful community service with
instruction and reflection to enrich learning, teach
civic responsibility, and strengthen communities
Meaningful = superordinate goals for both student
and community
Civic responsibility = active citizenship
Strengthen communities = help create “We” goals
Goals of instructor: foster sense of caring for
others, learning beyond classroom, active learning
Pathways: pedagogy, active service, reflection
Higher-Order Goals
“Be” Goals
Improve your creativity and
problem-solving skills that can be
used to achieve goals in other
domains of your life.
Become a more educated
consumer of information and
make better choices/decisions in
getting the things you want.
Understand how to use the
scientific method and logic to
answer questions and gain
information to help you navigate
life.
Why?
Learning Goal: Deepen Your Understanding of a Published
Research Study
How?
Generate an alternative
theory or hypothesis that
would equally explain the
findings of the study.
Assuming the results of the
study (and the theory they
support) are true, how
would you apply this
knowledge to your own life?
Lower-Order Goals
“Do” Goals
What questions do these
results raise? Design a
follow-up study to answer
one or more of these
questions.