Abstract

With rise of modern societies and emerging market economies, scholars and socially-minded intellectuals started to express their concerns about negative repercussions on the social fabric of the human society. Significant amounts of research wrote about the gradual decline in social cohesion between different social classes. This decline is reasoned by multiple economic and political factors that some scholars link to capitalist polices. Many solutions were proposed to decrease this social stratification globally and in Egypt, through developing the sense of social responsibility among community members. One of the proposed solutions is community service programs. This study examines the effect of community service programs on the development of sense of social responsibility among private school students in Egypt. Methodologically, the study followed a qualitative approach. Focus group discussions took place with twenty-five students from two different schools to explore the relation between participation in community service programs and the development of a sense of social responsibility. Also, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with the four teachers who served as supervisors of different community service programs, in the school to uncover their perceptions about the impact of the programs on students. Findings of this study document the positive impact of community service programs on students socially, morally and personally. More importantly, a positive correlation was drawn between social responsibility and the extent of involvement in community service programs.

Department

International & Comparative Education Department

Degree Name

MA in International & Comparative Education

Graduation Date

2-1-2018

Submission Date

January 2018

First Advisor

El-Deghaidy, Heba

Committee Member 1

Hozayin, Russanne

Committee Member 2

Osman, Gihan

Extent

70 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. The author has granted the American University in Cairo or its agents a non-exclusive license to archive this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study, and to make it accessible, in whole or in part, in all forms of media, now or hereafter known.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

Comments

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Heba EL-Deghaidy, for giving me the opportunity to work under her supervision and also for her valuable guidance and continuous support and encouragement throughout this work. She gave me her precious time and advice whenever I needed it. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Russanne Hozayin and Dr. Gehan Osman for their endless efforts to enrich this research with rigor and precision. I am also thankful to all my professors at the Graduate School of Education in the AUC from whom I have learnt a lot throughout the courses of my studies. I would also extend my gratitude to Karim El-Samman, my friend and colleague, whose comments, thoughts and editing enriched my thesis greatly.

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