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FACT SHEET FOR SERVICE-LEARNING RESEARCH
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Practitioners of service-learning have long believed in the positive impacts that service-learning activities have on youth. Today, we have findings from research studies of service-learning that demonstrate what practitioners have seen from personal experience – service-learning programs have positive impacts on youth in three areas:
Academic Engagement and Achievement
Civic Attitudes and Behaviors
Social and Personal Skills
This document outlines some of the most compelling evidence to date that demonstrates how and why service-learning positively impacts youth.
WHAT IS SERVICE-LEARNING?
Service-learning is an educational method whereby students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service. This service is designed to meet the needs of the community while enhancing the academic curriculum.
SERVICE-LEARNING’S REMARKABLE GROWTH IN THE PAST 20 YEARS
While only 9% of public high schools reported service-learning opportunities for their students in 1984, service-learning has grown tremendously since the creation of Learn and Serve America, the federal program tasked with providing grants to support service-learning programs across the country. In 1999, 46% of public high schools reported that they offered service-learning opportunities for their students.
SERVICE-LEARNING IS AN ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGY THAT IMPROVES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
The National Research Council’s summary of research on high school engagement found that active participation by students is important for effective learning, and they identify service-learning as one of the most effective strategies for improving student engagement, and thereby, academic learning (Bransford, et al, 1999).
WHAT IS IT ABOUT SERVICE-LEARNING THAT LEADS TO POSITIVE IMPACTS?
By designing and planning service-learning projects, students learn valuable problem-solving skills and develop self-confidence and a sense of efficacy.
When students engage in structured reflection in the classroom and present what they have learned through their service projects, they develop higher order thinking skills, as well as increase their sense of responsibility and their connection to their community.
By participating in service activities that last at least one semester, students have the opportunity to see how their activities have an impact on themselves and others, as well as develop more meaningful relationships with adults and those from different backgrounds.
When the service activities are connected to learning objectives in the classroom, students benefit from an active learning method that increases their understanding and learning retention.
RESEARCH SHOWS POSITIVE ACADEMIC OUTCOMES FOR SERVICE-LEARNING PARTICIPANTS
Several different studies of service-learning and academic outcomes have shown that students who participate in service-learning show positive academic outcomes.
Service-Learning Participants Have Better Problem-Solving Skills and Understanding of Complex Issues
A California comparison study found that high school students who participated in service-learning programs scored higher on all of the study’s academic measures than those high school students who did not participate in service-learning. These academic measures included mastery of course content, problem-solving skills and attitudes toward learning (Furco, 2002).
Service-learning students were found to have developed better problem-solving skills and understanding of cognitive complexities in three separate studies in Philadelphia, Denver and Hawaii. According to these studies, service-learning students were better able to advance realistic solutions to problems, understand the systemic nature of a community problem, and take steps to address a problem (Billig, 2002; Meyer, 2003; and Billig & Meyer, 2002)
When Service-Learning Is Connected to Classroom Curriculum, Service-Learning Participates Have Been Shown to Do Better on Standardized Testing
In a large-scale study, service-learning was found to be positively correlated with test scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) for 5th grade students, particularly in writing and social studies (Klute & Billig, 2002).
A Philadelphia Need in Deed study found that 6th grade students who participated in service-learning programs had higher test scores than non-service-learning participants in standardized tests for language arts and science (Billig 2004).
Students who Participate in Service-Learning Show Increased Academic Engagement
A large-scale study of Michigan Learn and Serve program sites found that service-learning participants from grades 7 to 12 were more cognitively engaged in English language studies than students who had not participated in service-learning (Klute & Billig, 2002).
A national study of high school students found that when youth reported greater engagement in service-learning, they were more likely to be academically engaged and become attached to school and community. (Billig, et al, 2005)
A study of urban high school youth engaged in service-learning activities demonstrated positive and significant gains in school attendance and acceptable school behaviors (Luchs, 1980).
Students who participated in high quality service-learning programs showed an increase in measures of school engagement and achievement in mathematics than control groups (Melchior, 1999).
Several studies showed that students who engaged in service-learning had higher attendance rates than control group peers (Shaffer, 1993; Supik, 1996; Shumer, 1994).
SERVICE-LEARNING IS CONNECTED TO POSITIVE CIVIC ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS
A study of Colorado’s Learn and Serve programs showed a significant and positive connection between participation in service-learning and students’ connection to their community and their school (Kim & Billig, 2003).
According to an evaluation of Philadelphia Freedom Schools, high school students who participate in service-learning had increases in their connections to the community, acquisition of leadership skills, and the ability to make changes in the community (Billig, 2002).
A survey of students from 10 different high schools found that youth who are given a voice through service-learning activities improve their self-concept, political engagement, and tolerance of others (Morgan & Streb, 2001)
High school students who participated in service-learning and service are more likely to be engaged in a community organization and to vote 15 years after their participation in the program than those who did not participate (Youniss, et. al., 1997).
PARTICIPANTS OF SERVICE-LEARNING DEMONSTRATE ENHANCED SOCIAL SKILLS
A 2002 California comparison study found significant and positive relationship between participation in service-learning and ethics among high school students. (Furco, 2002)
An evaluation of service-learning programs in California found that middle and high school students who engaged in quality service-learning programs showed increases in measures of personal and social responsibility, communication and sense of educational competence (Weiler, et. al., 1998).
A study of service-learning programs in Florida found that students who engaged in service-learning were less likely to be referred to the office for disciplinary measures (Follman, 1998).
Participation in service-learning has been shown to be correlated to the reduction of behaviors that lead to pregnancy or arrest (Kirby, 2001; Melchior, 1999; Allen, et. al., 1994).
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