Chapter 6: Service-Learning as a Transformative Experience: An Analysis of the Impact of Service-Learning on Student Attitudes and Behaviors After Two Years of College

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between service-learning (SL) and the attitudes and behaviors of college students during the first 2 years of undergraduate study at a faith-based (Jesuit) university. The study investigated the role SL involvement plays in the timing and depth of students’ engagement in campus activities and the attitudinal changes that accompany such activity. Students were surveyed at 3 time points about their social, civic, and religious attitudes and were interviewed each spring about their time use. Freshmen SL students were more likely to attend alternative spring breaks, and as sophomores were more likely to complete advocacy work and attend retreats. Implications are that freshmen SL experiences seem to promote involvement in activities aimed at formation of students’ attitudes and behaviors.