Background: Service learning has been studied and applied in diverse educational settings for the past seven decades. While several research reviews have explored service learning from varied perspectives, none have employed bibliometric methods to investigate its evolution as a "knowledge base." Purpose: This review documents the…

Background: Social responsibility and democratic citizenship are essential outcomes of a college education. Yet limited research has examined how college experiences may relate to students' moral and prosocial development, qualities that ground responsibility and citizenship. Purpose: This research sought to identify the college experiences,…

The author presents keys to designing a class that successfully melds service learning and student leadership development. These prescriptions are based on the lessons learned over 8 years of teaching a class titled "Community Leadership." This class emphasizes experiential learning and revolves around service learning projects. The…

Although research suggests that service learning (SL) is being incorporated into the college classroom at an increasing rate, faculty often report that they are not convinced of its educational values. There is a lack of research on, and awareness about, what SL is, how it can be incorporated into the curriculum, and the outcomes on student…

The purpose of this study was to describe and examine a model for assessing student learning through reflection in service-learning courses. This model utilized a course-embedded process to frame, facilitate, support, and assess students' depth of learning and critical thinking. Student reflection products in two service-learning courses (a…

A study of 230 undergraduates at California State University Monterey Bay enrolled in a required service-learning course found that students were stronger advocates of community service after completing the course, became personally and emotionally engaged, learned about their positions of privilege in society, and recognized the assumptions that…

An explanatory mixed-methods design was used to evaluate a service-learning model on academic learning, personal and interpersonal development, and community-engagement for 59 service-learning students. A repeated-method ANOVA demonstrates that students improve their academic learning and participation in service but reduce their interests in…

Community service learning combined with ethics education can enhance students' personal and moral development as well as their academic performance. Components of a successful community service learning program include student-implemented community service projects, discussion of real-life moral issues, personality development interventions, and…

Students from Canadian University College (Alberta) take part in summer development projects overseas and gain practical education in the realities of life in underdeveloped countries. Students spend 6-8 weeks immersed in another culture; debriefing and reflection help students to process their experiences and reach greater understanding of…

Pre-health freshmen from a New York university worked at a traditional Mohawk community in return for lessons in Iroquois spirituality, healing, and ecology. Reciprocity between community members and students alleviated problems related to appropriation of Native American traditions and "great white hope" philanthropy, and deepened…

A study examining the contributions of service learning to students' cognitive, affective, civic, and social development surveyed 801 ninth-grade students in 6 school districts over 2 years. Personal development and civic involvement ratings were significantly higher for students who engaged in all three types of service activity: volunteerism,…

An experiential education project at Edinboro University (Pennsylvania) trains undergraduate students to be literacy tutors and requires students to complete 60 volunteer hours tutoring at a community service agency in exchange for academic credit. Examines mutual benefits of volunteer service including breakdown of social stereotypes and…