Chapter 5: An Interdisciplinary Study of Service-Learning Predictors and Outcomes Among College Students

An interdisciplinary team of faculty and students from three institutions studied predictors of five outcomes of service-learning: cognitive learning, intellectual development, spiritual and ethical development, civic engagement, and community impact. By making clear distinctions among different types of service-learning outcomes, the results of the study provide support for best practices across different outcomes, suggest recommendations for best practices in the context of specific outcomes, and suggest directions for further investigations. Researchers and practitioners must be clear about the types of outcomes they wish to study or to affect in their students. This study provides a framework for distinguishing among different outcomes and data that support the need to clearly state outcome goals.