Service-Learning Research: What Have We Learned from the Past?

The 2004 edition of Growing to Greatness produced interesting and important information about the field of service-learning. Reflecting on that information raised questions about what we have learned from previous research that might shed light on future G2G research ventures. In preparation for this review of research, a small group of researchers and practitioners convened to discuss their thoughts on the most important/influential studies that shaped the history of service-learning research. Five research reviews and studies were selected as most influential:

Research Reviews:

• Conrad and Hedin (1989/1991)
• Billig (2000)

Research Studies:

• Conrad and Hedin (1981)
• Eyler and Giles (1999)
• Bailis/Melchior (Three national studies, 2002)

The purpose of this article is to summarize those studies and to discover directions for future research. (pages 48-53)