The document introduces the concepts of human development and capability approach and discusses how they can be used to conceptualize service-learning in higher education. It defines key terms related to service-learning and the approaches. The document then analyzes how service-learning at the University of the Free State has potential to advance human development goals like participation, empowerment, diversity, and capabilities based on a review of program documents and student reflections. However, it also notes some areas where service-learning could risk constraining community agency. Overall, the document argues that viewing service-learning through a human development and capabilities lens could lead to a more holistic approach that emphasizes its impacts on students, staff, and community partners.

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Conceptualising Service-Learning in Higher Education through
the Human Development and Capability Approach
University of the Free State
Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development
ISSL (28th
-30th
, 2015)
By
Ntimi Mtawa

2. Content
1. Purpose of the paper
2. Definitions of key concept
3. Contextualising service-learning (SL)
4. Institutional context
5. Methodology
6. Introducing the Human Development (HD) and
Capability Approach (CA)
7. Operationalising HD and CA within SL
8. Conclusion

3. 1. Purpose of the paper
• The paper aims to introduce the HD and CA in
conceptualising and thinking about SL practices
• It contributes to the search for an alternative and
expansive framework underpinning SL
• Drawing on the HD and CA, the paper conceptualises SL
within the human development. Thus, building on and
contributing to the broader debate on the role of HE to
human development

4. 2. Definitions of key concepts
1. Service-learning
o Defined in many ways, commonly cited definition (Bringle and Hatcher,
2004)
• Working definition for this paper, SL is:
A pedagogical approach and a sub-set of the public mission of HEIs through
which staff and students and external communities establish sustainable
partnership and participate in activities that empower them, develop their
capabilities and functionings and enhance their individual and collective
well-being and agency as academics, students and community
members. In this context, sustainability, participation, empowerment,
capabilities, functionings, well-being and agency are seen as key
components and outcomes of SL

5. Def. key concepts cont.
2. Human development
oRefers to an approach to development that creates an
enabling environments for people to enjoy long, healthy,
creative, meaningful and worthwhile lives (Ul Haq, 2003).
o Development should be focused on what people are
effectively able to do and be, that is on their capabilities
(Sen, 1999)

6. 3. Contextualising SL
• USA
 Developing civic responsibilities
 Building democratic society
 HEIs relevance to the local milieu
• UK
 Democratic citizenship
 Graduates’ moral and civic capacities
 Graduate attributes
• South America
 Built around “solidarity”
o Togetherness
o Advancing common good
o Common concern
• Africa (Limited SL programmes at
HEIs)
 Education benefiting wider society
through (public good?)
o Developing responsible individuals
o Developing abilities, awareness and
critical reflection
• South Africa
 Overarching strategy for HE
transformation agenda
o Students’ social responsibility and
awareness
o HE contribution to social and
economic development

7. 4. Introducing the Human Development and Capability Approach
1. The HD
o Founded in 1990 by Mahbub ul Haq (Pakistani
Economist)
o Basic tenet: Development entails a process of enlarging
people’s opportunities (capabilities) to choose from and
the level of their achieved well-being.
o Core principles of HD: Include inter alia, participation,
empowerment, human diversity, sustainability, equity.

8. Introducing the HD and CA cont.
2. The CA
oEmerged in the 1980s through the works of economist
Amartya Sen and later advanced by Martha Nussbaum,
among others .
oThe core argument of CA: Expand people’s opportunities
and freedom(s) so that they can achieve and enjoy valuable
beings and doings.
oThe core concepts of CA: Consist of capabilities,
functionings, agency, well-being, conversion factors.

9. Capability Approach core concepts
i. Capabilities: Are opportunities or freedom(s) to achieve what an
individual reflectively values pursuing in order to become who they
want to be in their lives (Sen, 1987). E.g. good health, participation in
political life, emotion, learning, social belonging, resiliency, patience,
love, friendship, respect, awareness, narrative imagination, critical
thinking, global citizens etc.
ii. Functionings: Defined as “beings and doings” of a person (Sen,
1999). Outcome-based capabilities, involve achievements people
derive from being or doing what they value (Realised dimensions of
well-being) E.g. being health and nourished, being safe, being
educated, having good job, being able to visit love ones, being able to
eat, being sheltered, taking part in the community endeavours etc.
iii. Agency: Is defines as the ability to act and bring about change (Sen,
1999). (It involves freedom to achieve or to pursue one’s life goals)

10. Capability approach core concepts
iv. Well-being: Is conceptualised by Sen (1999) as living a life one has
reason to value. Well-being is regarded as an end result, which can be
achieved or increased by expanding peoples’ real freedoms (capabilities) to
flourish (Alkire, 2010). E.g. safe and secure meaningful livelihoods; caring
and dignified relationships; protection against crime and violence; artistic,
cultural and spiritual activities; being well nourished; participation in political
and community activities; creativity, autonomy; self-respect; and emotional
well-being.
v. Conversion factors: Refer to the factors that determine the
relationship between a good or service and the achievement of
certain beings and doings. (Convert opportunities into
functionings)
E.g. Conversion factors may include inter alia, personal, social
environmental.

11. Why the HD and CA in SL
1. SL encompasses dimensions that can potentially
advance human development, but not always
approached from such perspectives
2. The HD and CA provide important tools that can enable
to frame SL more holistically, particularly drawing
attention to the human development implications for
lecturers, students and community partners.

12. 5. Institutional context (University of the Free State, UFS)
o Established in 1904
o UFS is historically white, but that is no longer the case
(more integrated and inclusive)
o Located in one of poorest province of the country
o Three campuses with 33096 total number of students

13. 6. Methodology
o Document review: Exploring and understanding how the
language, concepts, and phrases used in SL texts relate
to the notion of human development
1. The university’s strategic plan (2012-2016)
2. SL policy 2006
3. SL annual reports across the university
4. SL module descriptions
5. Students’ SL reflective journals

14. 7. Operationalising the HD and CA in SL
1. SL potentially advances participation and empowerment
o Enable students to participate in teaching and learning
processes, questioning pedagogical practices and
developing other attributes (valued beings and doings)
 E.g. Student reflection: “Sometimes we are not aware of things
taking place in community because the theory does not show us the
reality and we think the media is also lying to us. But we witnessed
ourselves and that helped us to better understand the situations and how
far we can contribute to making lives of others better”.
 “We now have clear understanding of social problems, responsibilities of
educated people, learning about ourselves and perceptions we have
about people living or coming from difficult backgrounds”.

15. Operationalising cont.
o In some cases SL can potentially lead to disempowerment and other
forms of passive participation (E.g. looking at 2011,2012, 2013 and
2014 SL reports)
 Definition of SL seems to focus mainly on students
 Little is mentioned on how community members participated in deciding
on the focus and the goals of SL projects
 Little is mentioned on the extent to which community members’ desires,
aspirations and things they value doing are or were considered before
and during the implementation of SL projects
 Little is mentioned regarding the participation of community members in
monitoring and evaluating the impact of SL

16. Operationalising cont.
2. SL as an enabler of understanding human diversity
o Leads to developing students who are public good
oriented as it enables them to be ethical and sensitive,
enhancing their values, knowledge and skills to provide
service and expand opportunities and achievements to
the diverse public
E.g. Student reflection: “We learnt that as people, we have
different needs, different thoughts and different priorities; this
was evident to us when one [community] member could not
see the assignment as a priority at all and decided not to
come…so we learnt to accommodate different characters in
life”.

17. Operationalising cont.
3. Capabilities enhancement as an outcome of SL
oSL provides valuable opportunities that people can
choose in order to lead the kind of lives they want to
lead, to do what they want to do, and be the person they
want to be
Using tolerance as a capability:
“…the challenges of working with partners (fellow students)
made us to be tolerant of views that may be different from our
own”.

18. Operationalising cont.
o SL potentially advances Nussbaum’s three capabilities
• Narrative imagination: “Hearing their situation made us think
how John (pseudonym) is going to be, when he is a grown man will he
live in such circumstances or will it be better or even worse?”
• Critical examination: “We felt sad, frustrated and devastated
seeing children in conditions that jeopardised their life. There were a
lot of questions in our mind, like why the church does not register the
crèche with the department of education…I think crèches that are not
registered should be discontinued”.
• Global citizens: “This project exposed me to other people, now I
have an understanding of other people and their different ways of
living and doing things”.

19. Operationalisation cont.
4. Agency in and through SL
oSL potentially enhances staff and students’ ability to act
and bring about change in society
SL leads to staff and students’ being responsible for their
own lives and those of others
SL increases collective efforts in the process of social
transformation
E.g. SL module description: To this end, we will first identify the needs of
the community together with them and then you will design and deliver
interventions that aim to address these needs (This is a potential SL outcome
aimed at advancing collective agency).

20. Operationalising cont.
E.g. Student reflection: “This project has helped me to be
much more concerned about other peoples’ life. …I have
learnt that whatever knowledge I have received, I must
pass to others. I believe that education must contribute to
improving human conditions and also engage citizens in
association with one another”.
In some cases the language used by students suggest
that SL may lead into constraining agency of community
members. E.g. Words such as helping, serving, giving,
assisting, feeling pity etc.
E.g. “They showed us how much they really need our help
and we promised them that we are going to help them with
anything we can help them with”.

21. 8. Conclusion
o SL is a complex idea (definition and application varies
across time and space)
o Credit bearing activity/social values (philanthropic
services to communities)
o Conceptualisation and application tend not to capture
how SL can potentially promote human development
o Building on the values and principles of HD and CA, the
paper has sought to show how conceptualisation of SL
can be foregrounded within the human development
perspective.

22. THANK YOU
ASANTE SANA
DANKIE
KEA LEBOHA