Assessment of Elementary School Service-Learning Teaching Methods, (An): Using Service-Learning Goals

The purpose of this study is to examine the progress and the difficulties teachers encounter in implementing service-learning programs in an urban elementary school. The study characterizes each service-learning project using the Kahne and Westheimer (1996) service-learning goals matrix. Based on this investigation, most of the service-learning projects at the upper elementary level emphasize emotional intelligence such as character building, social reconstruction, and additive experience. In contrast, service-learning projects at the lower elementary level focused more on social reconstruction and provided transformative experience. Standardized test scores show students who participated in service-learning programs scored higher than their counterparts in traditional classrooms.