ABSTRACT
Personal development is an important outcome of higher education in the United States, though it is more often assumed to occur than intentionally or explicitly targeted within curriculum development. This chapter outlines developmental theory as a grounding for understanding the link between service learning pedagogy and the many attributes of personal development. Service learning and other community-based pedagogies are contexts for moral learning. Positive psychology and research also provide important theoretical context for service learning and personal development in asking what it means to live well, to flourish. Service learning can prompt examination of personal agency and identity as students consider whether they have the ability to address social issues and whether it is appropriate to do so.
