ABSTRACT
The empowerment process used strategies and approaches that may differ slightly from community-based research (CBR), but the attention to social change and social justice is just what was called for through effective service-learning in community contexts. Youth participatory research and evaluation is becoming the tool, using principles of service-learning, to expand the knowledge and skills of young people as they work constructively to achieve social change and social justice. Community-based research, empowerment evaluation, utilization-focused research and evaluation, and youth participatory research and evaluation are changing the nature of investigation and putting important elements of service-learning in play at many levels. As service-learning expands its network of practitioners and policy advocates, conducting research and evaluation consistent with the principles of service-learning continues to offer new hope that service can lead to enhanced learning and provide meaningful social action and social change.
