Examines the effects of the Bonner Scholars Program, a stipended college service program, that focuses on the development of community service ethics. Discusses the results of the study on the program's effectiveness for 265 students from 9 colleges and universities in the midwest and south. (SWM)

This paper describes and explores key parallels between college student retention theory and service-learning to better inform the practices of each. Service learning encompasses the various pedagogies that link community service and academic study so that each strengthens the other. It is a form of experiential education in which students engage…

Presents tools to assist students with reflection on service learning: Kolb's experiential learning cycle, role playing, journal writing, and a map for planning reflection activities before, during, and after service. (SK)

Provides detailed advice on how professors can use reflection in their service-learning courses. Describes how reflection is a critical component to service learning because it allows students to respond, often in writing, to the relationship between what they are learning in class and what they are experiencing at their service sites. (EV)

As interest in service-learning increases, there is a concomitant need for a theoretical base for it. Reviews aspects of John Dewey's educational and social philosophy relevant to the development service-learning theory, including learning from experience, reflective thinking, citizenship, community, and democracy. A series of key questions for…

A study based on data from 1,500 students at 20 colleges and universities found that students who combined community service and academic study (service learning) differed from those who did not, in their target attitudes, skills, values, and understanding of social issues. Participation in service learning had an impact on these outcomes over the…

This book focuses on the enormous potential of service learning to enhance the learning process for college students by melding cognitive learning and affective service. Conclusions are based primarily on data from two national research projects, one which compared models of service learning using survey data and intensive student interviews, and…

Top issues in service learning research include how service learning enhances subject matter; defining expected outcomes; identifying the processes of effective service learning; faculty involvement; effect on educational institutions; institutional policies, practices supporting/enhancing service learning; nature of effective community…

The Comparing Models of Service-Learning project surveyed the impact of service-learning programs on students' citizenship values, skills, attitudes, and understanding nationwide. Data were obtained from 1,136 pre- and post-surveys of students who participated in service learning and 408 of their classmates who did not select service-learning…

A research project used data from a national comparative study to examine whether service learning improved students' problem solving or contributed to a more complex understanding of social issues. In a pilot study, students with no, limited, and intensive service-learning experience were interviewed about a social problem and how they would…

A study explored the application of reflective judgment theory to the types of problem solving faced by students in community service placements. It also tested the impact of different service-learning experiences on growth in reflective judgment over the course of a semester. Participants were 66 students in 6 colleges and universities. They were…