Service learning and student performance.

Abstract

The difference in academic performance between service learning students and non-service learning students in Basic Statistics was examined in this study. Test scores were compared between the service learning and non service-learning students. A significant difference was found in academic performance between service learning and non-service learning students. Students who participated in the service learning projects showed better performance than the students who did not participate in the service learning projects. Therefore, this study demonstrated that service-learning projects are more effective than non-service learning projects for Basic Statistics performance.

Introduction

Service learning projects impact student performance and different subjects are better learned by actively engaging the students. Fredericksen (2000) showed that mean reading scores for students who participated in service-learning projects were higher than those who did not participate in service-learning projects. Improvement of student learning through service learning has been of considerable interest in recent years. There is also extensive discussion about the importance of service learning as it relates to student learning (Kamuche, 2005a, 2005b; Kamuche and Ledman, 2005). This concern for service learning and student performance is the foundation for this study. For many parents, educators, researchers, and instructors, direct experience results in deeper levels of understanding and long-term memory (Kamuche 2005a, 2005c; Renner, 1996). This is what sets service learning apart from other types of assessment tools routinely used in courses, such as tests, quizzes, and homework assignments. According to Neil Merrell, director of the Center for Public Policy and Service at Mesa Community College, "service learning is the blending of academic study and community service." At Mesa, says Merrell; "our goal is to encourage students to become lifelong, active participants in the community" (Berson, 1997: 23). In this study, service learning is defined as learning by engaging in activities that are with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning (Frcdericksen, 2000: 64). Students in my Basic Statistics class were asked to engage in service-learning projects, as volunteers to teach Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics in selected high schools in the community. In those high schools, the college preparatory pupils have the option to take AP Statistics for future college credit.

Service learning occurs just from doing the work. For example, after a month working alongside a sheriff, a student has surely learned some important lessons about how to increase public safety, and something about what it means to be a good citizen (Berson, 1997). Active learning occurs whenever a student gives the knowledge acquired to someone else or draws connections between the knowledge acquired and other experiences (Kamuche, 2005a; Rennet, 1996). Programs that encourage active learning from service experience may even have greater impact on knowledge. These issues are addressed in the following literature review and theoretical framework for the study.

Literature Review and the Theoretical Framework

In an era characterized by accelerating technological change, increasing economic uncertainties, low student achievement, and growing demand for accountability, educational institutions are challenged to prepare students to function successfully in their chosen careers (Kamuche, 2005a). The above concern makes it imperative that administrators of educational institutions find ways to improve student learning. Many reasons are advanced for the concern such as the complications attributed to not understanding the materials, not attending class, and/or taking corrective measures as defined or identified by service learning (Kamuche, 2005a). With service learning projects, activities and their reviews, it is easier for an instructor to know how well the students understood the subject matter or course materials. The best learning occurs when the instructor actively engages or involves students in learning by doing the service learning. It will likely enhance their learning and supposedly, they will perform better.

As noted by Beets and Lobingier (2001) pedagogical research needs to begin to assess learning. Evaluations need to go beyond grades and test scores to assess understanding (Kamuche, 2005a). This study evaluates the impact of service learning on student performance among Basic Statistics students. The evaluation specifically assesses whether students who were exposed to service learning also have a better understanding of course material. Several studies have suggested the need for a meaningful assessment (Astin and Sax, 1998; Barr and Tagg, 1995; Berv, 1998; Chanlin, 1999; Cunningham, 1997; Evangelopoulos, 2003; Figlio and Lucas, 2004; Fredericksen, 2000; Giddings, 2003; Jacoby, 1996; Markus et al 1993; Marsh and Roche, 1997; Rice and Brown, 1998; Romack, 2003; Sax and Astin, 1997; Saunders and Saunders, 1999; Schaffer and Peterson, 1998; Sophos, 2004; Strange, 2001; Thompson and Serra, 2005; Warren, 1998). These studies indicate that for the specific case studied, the change in systems did have a positive effect on performance. Most education research have confirmed that service learning does yield benefits. For example, Strange (2004), Romack (2003), Sophos (2004), Thompson and Serra (2005) compared test results of service-learning and non-service-learning students in different kinds of courses. They found significantly higher scores for service-learning students and concluded that service learning influences performance. The mean scores for these students were significantly higher than for non-service-learning students.

Sophos (2004) and Romack (2003), in one of the published studies of service learning and performance, also reported on different kinds of courses. They also concluded that service-learning projects had a beneficial and significant influence on student performance. They further found that the positive effects on performance increased as the number of service learning projects increased. Fredericksen (2000) also examined effects of service learning on student performance in an American Government course over three semesters. She found that service learning projects and activities were a determinant of a higher student performance. These studies clearly suggest that there is added value to service-learning students. If service-learning students outperform non-service-learning students, it seems reasonable to conclude that something is occurring as a result of students who were exposed to service learning. That conclusion leads to the primary objective of this study. Therefore, the investigator hypothesized that service-learning students would not only perform better on tests but also would learn more. If the ultimate goal is to increase student learning, the question is, can student performance in Basic Statistics be improved as a result of service learning projects? A review of research on behavior modification found that, on average, performance improved 17 percent when behavior modification techniques were used (Ledman and Kamuche, 2003; Stajkovic and Luthans, 1997). This study extends that research, to assess the impact of service learning on student performance and to assess the relationship between student test performance and the student's ability to demonstrate an understanding of the topic, as suggested by Kamuche, 2005a; Kamuche and Ledman, 2005; Ledman and Kamuche, 2002. The null hypothesis for the study was that service-learning students would not have higher scores on an achievement test than non-service learning students. Therefore, the operational hypothesis (alternate hypothesis) for this study was that service-learning students would have higher scores on an achievement test than non-service learning students.

Research Method

The sample in this study is from students in the investigator's Basic Statistics classes for more than three academic years at Morehouse College. The classes constituted both students who opted for the service learning project and those who did not. The service learning students were required to teach AP Statistics to selected high school pupils in the community and kept journals of all their activities. The typical enrollment in the classes was thirty-five students per class section with two or more sections being taught each semester. The total enrollments in the Basic Statistics courses each year ranged from 125 in the first year to 100 in the second and third years. The total enrollment for the Morehouse College was approximately 3000 students during the years of this study.

College policies required faculty (like in most colleges and universities) to maintain complete and accurate student attendance and tests records. These records served as the data sources for this study from 1997 to 2005. The final year of data collection was the end of fall semester 2005. The sample size was 325 students.

Student enrollment records were maintained during the study years. To test student performance, the students in the course were given the same treatments (faculty, syllabus, texts, course preparation materials, and tests) for all years of the study. By using the same instructor for all sections, the author controlled the variations in instruction, lecture material, topic coverage, and students' abilities. The academic records of 325 students who completed a Basic Statistics lecture course with or without a service-learning requirement were examined, to compare grades earned by the service-learning and the non-service-learning students. Journals of the activities (e.g., lesson preparations and topics) kept by the service learning students were constantly monitored and evaluated by the instructor. Test scores of both students enrolled in Basic Statistics classes were collected. Test scores for the first and second semesters were used. The test scores for each class were averaged to get a mean for each class. The experimental group (N = 165) was service-learning students whereas the control group (n = 160) was non-service-learning students.

Results

An independent t-Test was used to analyze the data with the t score being t=2.28. The mean score for service-learning students was 82.1, while the mean score for non-service learning students was 76.4. The standard deviation of the service-learning students was 10.8 and the standard deviation for the non service-learning student was 14.8. At the .05 level of significance, the null hypothesis was rejected, indicating that students who did service-learning projects scored higher than the students who did not participate in the service learning projects.

Discussion

Based on the results of this study, service-learning students scored better than non-service learning students. This study provides evidence that faculty may engage in service learning for their students. Based on the results, service-learning projects are quite relevant to student performance in Basic Statistics since they learned a great deal of statistical concepts during the tutoring of high school pupils. The journals they kept of their activities during the service-learning further supported that the process helped them better understood the subject matter. Most students indicated that the lesson preparations and actual exchanges between them and the pupils in the classes helped them understood the Basic Statistics concepts. Clearly, the author can say that servicelearning participation caused better performance. Further studies are needed in different courses apart from the Basic Statistics, especially in light of the findings of this study. These findings clearly suggest that service learning is important to student learning in general and in particular, the Basic Statistics.

Conclusions

This study evaluated the impact of service learning on student performance among the Basic Statistics students at Morehouse College from 1997 to 2005. The students who were taking the Basic Statistics course were required to tutor selected High School pupils in AP Statistics. The students were required to keep journals for all their activities during the service-learning. Their experiences from the preparation and teaching of the High School pupils are believed to have helped the Basic Statistics students understood the Basic concepts and subject matter of the course. It was hypothesized that service-learning students would have higher scores on achievement tests than non-service learning students. The academic records of 325 students (sample size) who completed the Basic Statistics course with or without a service-learning requirement were examined, to compare grades earned by the service-learning and non-service learning students. The experimental group (N = 165) constituted the service-learning students whereas the control group (n = 160) constituted the non-service learning students. The tests scores for each group were averaged to get a mean score for each group. The mean score for the service-learning students was 82.1, while the mean score for the non-service learning students was 76.4. It was concluded that service learning projects were quite relevant to student performance in Basic Statistics. Nevertheless, in order to generalize the result, further studies are needed in other courses, apart from the Basic Statistics.

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Felix U. Kamuche, Morehouse College, GA

Felix U. Kamuche, Associate Professor at Morehouse College, received his Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. His research focuses on statistical methods and pedagogy.