Impact of K-12 School-Based Service-Learning on Academic Achievement and Student Engagement in Michigan, (The)

This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of service-learning on academic achievement and student engagement outcomes and the extent to which service-learning quality moderated impact on students. Outcomes for service-learning participants and a comparison group were compared, based on data from a sample of nearly 2000 students in Michigan collected during the 2000-2001 school year. Surveys were used to collect data about student engagement and state achievement test data were also collected for students who participated in the study. Findings revealed statistically different, but small differences in 5th-grade social studies and science achievement scores that favored service-learning participants. While differences in student engagement ratings between service-learning participants and a comparison group were mixed, service-learning student ratings of engagement in service-learning activities were consistently higher than ratings of engagement in school in general. (Information Age Publishing)