Conference Program

This contribution offers a theoretical and methodological reflection on the concept of Service Learning (SL), understood as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon characterized by multiple meanings and by strong ethical, value‑based, and social components. Within the architecture of educational systems, SL activates processes that engage students, teachers, and territorial actors in an integrated way, positioning itself as an educational practice with significant formative and social impact. The dialectic that shapes SL experiences revolves around three main axes: (i) strengthening collaboration between educational institutions and local stakeholders; (ii) enhancing the relationship between students and their territory by fostering the development of life/soft skills; and (iii) innovating teaching practices through the virtuous cycle generated by external activities, educational research, and teachers’ professional experience. Positioned within the broader debate on Third Mission activities and the social impact of education at different levels, the contribution presents the results of a content analysis as a survey conducted on an extensive corpus of scientific publications. The aim is twofold: to reconstruct the meanings attributed to SL by practitioners, and to identify – through a realistic evauation – the social mechanisms and contextual factors that activate the development of soft/life skills in students. The proposal thus highlights the multidimensionality of SL, the cross‑cutting nature of its formative effects, and the relevance of local contexts in shaping the quality and impact of such experiences.