Service learning and student academic success.

Abstract

Service Learning has, in recent years, become a common requirement for graduation in many school districts across America. The question remains, how effective is Service Learning at enhancing student performance in the public school curriculum? This study explores the value of Service Learning in improving student academic success and compares the success of Service Learning to that of Academic Service Learning which has a more direct link between curriculum and community service.

Introduction

Academic Service Learning is an element of education that continues to grow in public and private schools across the United States. There is considerable literature on the value of Academic Service Learning for students, schools, and the community as a whole. This study explores the effect of Academic Service Learning on student academic improvement and will compare the degree of improvement to that experienced by students using a Service Learning model. Data on students who are not involved in any type of service learning will be used as a base model.

Service Learning is a strategy by which students are able to serve their community and tie their experiences to course objectives in their school curriculum. There are numerous values for students who participate in Service Learning. Studies suggest that there is an impact for students in social development, civic responsibility, and career interests (Billig, 2000). Students also develop a better understanding of the environment (Hardwood & Chang, 1999), improve their cooperation and acceptance skills in multicultural settings (Jones & Hill, 2001), and learn to perform better at problem-solving tasks (Shumer & Druckenfield, 2004). Although these impacts are important to students in developing the skills and attitudes that will make them good citizens, it is also important to consider the effect of Service Learning on their academic development and ability to meet the standards set for them (Scales & Blyth, 1997). The connection of "real life" experiences to the school curriculum should lead to more effective learning and therefore to improvement in test results.

Background

Service learning manifests itself in a variety of ways in educational systems across the United States (Kahne, Westheimer, & Rogers, 2000) but there are some common features. It provides a distinct pedagogy (Eyler, J. S. 2000) with specific expectations and defined outcomes (Tucker, 1999). It provides a context for adolescent and young learners (Morgan & Streb, 2001) through which they can relate their educational experiences to the real world and create their own definition of who they are (Tucker, 1999). There is a clear difference between service learning and community service. Many of the values suggested above can be developed through volunteering in the community but community volunteering lacks the linkage to school curriculum and therefore has less direct effect on academic achievement.

An Internet-based search of school websites was conducted using the Hotbot search engine. This search was used to identify school websites that included wording related to service learning in their own description of their school. A total of 225 school sites were reviewed for evidence that students participated in service learning as a part of the school culture and that there was a connection to the curriculum being delivered in the school. A total of 110 middle/junior schools and 115 high schools were reviewed.

Based on a review of over two hundred websites describing their individual service learning models two categories emerged relating to service learning in public schools. The first is Service Learning. In this model individuals participate in structured or unstructured activities in the community that are of benefit to both the individual and the community. This model maintains a connection to the community, yet it lacks a definite and specific connection to the public school curriculum.

The second model is the Academic Service Learning Model. This model, as defined by the Morgridge Center for Public Service (2004) states that there are three basic criteria that are the foundation of any Academic Service Learning project. The three basic criteria are that a project must in some way provide relevant and meaningful service with the community, enhance academic learning, and enhance purposeful civic learning.

Service Learning has two of the same criteria as Academic Service Learning, that a project must in some way provide relevant and meaningful service with the community, and enhance purposeful civic learning. However, Academic Service Learning adds a third criterion that includes a specific link from the learning event to classroom objectives and goals. It is this third criterion that gives Academic Service Learning a school emphasis and makes it a unique strategy for teachers to use in the classroom. It is also this criterion that requires specific research into the relationship between service learning and academic improvement.

Research

The website search produced 137 schools where information suggested a model of service learning was part of the school plan. Forty-six schools identified a clear link between the Service Learning model and course, school, or state learning objectives thus meeting the criteria for the Academic Service Learning model. During a yearlong identification process, schools in thirty-seven states were contacted and requested to share data. Information was gathered from twenty-four schools with a population of 2925 students representing fifteen states. Of these schools, eight had Service Learning projects for students from grade 6 to grade 12, eight had Academic Service Learning projects, and eight had no identified Service Learning projects. The measure of student improvement used for this study was student grade point averages. Specific data collected included class grade point averages for students initially in the top 10% GPA, the median 10% GPA, and the lowest 10% GPA in grades 6 through 12. Grade 12 students were identified as those who would graduate in 2003. Data gathered were submitted to a single analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine statistically significant interactions related to the use of Service Learning and Academic Service Learning experiences in the identified schools. Data from the eight schools with no Service Learning model was used as a baseline.

Findings

There was an increase in the mean GPA for students in all the categories between grade 6 and grade 12 across the 6 years of data collected. Students who were not involved in a service model saw an increase in the mean GPA of .126 while students involved in a Service Learning model saw an increase of .159. Students in the Academic Service Learning model saw an increase of .352 in the mean GPA.

The data for each of the three groups, the top 10% GPA, the middle 10% GPA, and the lowest 10% GPA, produced significant findings. For those in the top 10% there was virtually no difference in improvement between the students who were part of a Service Learning model and those who did not participate in a Service Learning model. For those in the middle 10% GPA students who did not participate in a Service Learning model improved slightly up until grade 9 but saw little improvement after that. The results for students who participated in the Service Learning model saw similar results. Students who participated in the Academic Service Learning model saw significant improvement each year from grade 6 to grade 12. The overall mean for this group improved from a 2.5 GPA in grade 6 to a 2.75 GPA in grade 12.

The most significant finding occurred in the group with the lowest GPA. Students in the Service Learning group and the group that did not participate in a Service Learning model showed small improvement in grades 6 and 7 but little change in the mean GPA after that. The students who participated in Academic Service Learning showed dramatic improvement in the mean GPA from a mean of 1.35 on a 4.0 point scale in grade 6 to a mean of 2.10 in grade 12.

These results suggest that students who are in the middle and lower achievement groups are able to improve academically when the curriculum is tied to real life activities and made relevant to them. The effect is especially dramatic for lower achieving students who struggle with theoretical learning without the chance to apply it in real world situations. Students in the higher achievement groups did not see a dramatic change in the mean GPA. There are a number of possible reasons for this. One is that the mean GPA is already high and therefore less affected by stimuli such as Academic Service Learning. Another possibility is that high achieving students are more able to work in the abstract and require less practical application for their learning.

Further Research

This research suggests a positive relationship between Academic Service Learning and student performance but it also leads to a number of questions that require further research.

One area for further research is to consider the specific elements of an Academic Service Learning program that lead to academic improvement. One suggestion is that by applying their learning in a real life setting students develop skills such as the ability to apply their knowledge and to synthesis and analyze their findings (Bray & Pickeral, 2000). Another suggestion is that student improvement occurs when the Academic Service Learning activity is connected directly to the specific curriculum of the school (Billig, 2000). Although our research supports this view it is important to look at the nature of the connection from those that are very direct such as students who tutor younger students and see increases in their own performance in that subject area to those where students are required to find the connection such as applying the results of a stream pollution cleanup to their studies in science. Generally speaking, however, academic improvement in students who are part of an Academic Service Learning program can be tracked and quantified but the specific reasons for this improvement are difficult to track (Bray & Pickeral, 2000).

Another area for further research might be to consider the reasons why students in the middle and lowest GPA groups show the most significant improvement. We have suggested that students in the highest GPA group may have shown less improvement because their results are already high and also that they are already able to work in the abstract and thus able to make some of the connections that other students learn to make through practical application. A study of students with low GPA results may well lead to a better understanding of the specific needs of those students and may help in the design of an effective Academic Service Learning program.

Conclusion

The following conclusions can be derived from said findings. Academic Service Learning can be a valuable element of the school curriculum that can assist students in meeting standards and is not simply an enrichment activity with no specific value to teaching and learning. A second conclusion is that Academic Service Learning can be an important tool in promoting student performance for all students, especially those whose GPA results indicate an ongoing inability to succeed in traditional classroom programs.

Bibliography 

Billig, S.H. (2000, August). The effects of Service Learning. The School Administrator. Vol. 57, Issue 7.

Bray, J. & Pickeral, T.L. (August, 2000). Service learning in an age of standards. The School Administrator. Vol 57, Issue 7.

Eyler, J. S. (2000). What do we most need to know about the impact of service-learning on student learning? Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning. Fall, 11-17.

Hardwood, A.J. & Chang, J. (1999) Project Connect: a university-middle school service learning collaboration. Taken from http://www.bham.wednet.edu/learning/servlearn.htm on August 26, 2004.

Hotbot Search Engine. (http://www.hotbot.com)

Jones, S.R., & Hill, K. (2001). Crossing High Street: understanding diversity through community service-learning. Journal of College Student Development. Vol. 42, No. 3,204-217.

Kahne, J., Westheimer, J., & Rogers, B. (2000). Service-learning and citizenship: directions for research. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning. Fall, 42-51.

Morgan W., & Streb, M. (2001, March). Building citizenship: How student voice in service-learning develops civic values. Social Science Quarterly. 82(1), 155-169.

Scales, P. & Blyth, D. (Winter 1997). Effects of service learning on youth: what what we know, and what we need to know. The Generator.

Shumer, R. & Duckenfield, M. (2004). Service-learning: Engaging students in community-based learning. In J. Smink & F. P. Schargel (Eds), Helping students graduate: A strategic approach to dropout Prevention. (pp. 155-163). Larchmont, NY

Tucker, W. (2000 January) Reflection: The Heart-Mind Connection. Michigan Department of Education, Service-Learning Conference, January, 27, 2000, Ypsilanti, MI.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Service-Learning and Community-Based Research Manual for Faculty and Instructional Staff: Taken from http://www.morgridge.wisc.edu/manual/section1.html on August 28, 2004

Michael Magarrey, Central Michigan University Raymond Francis, Central Michigan University

Dr. Michael Magarrey and Dr. Raymond Francis are both currently working with field experience students at Central Michigan University