Linking Service Learning and Civic Engagement in Community College Students

Most of the limited research on service learning's ties to civic engagement has been done in primary and secondary school settings. It has been unclear whether there is a connection to civic engagement at the community college level. Discovering such a connection may allow service learning coordinators and faculty to foster greater awareness of how students, learning the curriculum through local service learning placements, can also become active community participants. This research brief summarizes the findings and implications of a three-year study of service learners and non-service learners at 12 community colleges. [author]