Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning
Fall 1996, pp. 72-81
Outcomes of Service-Learning in an Introduction to Sociology Course
J. Richard Kendrick, Jr.
SUNY Cortland
Although there is a considerable body of research on service-learning in secondary education, evidence
is just now emerging to support the hypothesis that service--learning has positive effects on student
development in higher education. This article contributes to this growing body of literature by exploring the effects of service--learning on students in an Introduction to Sociology course. It compares learning outcomes of students in two courses, one traditionally-taught and one with service-learning. Students
in the service-learning course were found to show greater improvements in measures of social responsibility and personal efficacy, and they showed evidence of greater ability to apply course concepts to new
situations, lending credence to the claims that service-learning has important benefits for students.
This article compares service-learning with traditional classroom techniques as a method for
teaching Introduction to Sociology. The question I
address is, are there differences in learning outcomes between students who experience the service-learning approach and those who do not? In
the courses that I compare, I find significant differences between the two groups. Students in servicelearning seemed to be better at applying course
concepts to new situations, and they were more
likely to report changes in attitudes toward a
greater sense of social responsibility and personal
efficacy. These findings hold even for a group of
students which appeared less motivated than most,
were participants in fairly large classes, and in
which service-learning was minimally integrated
with classroom experience.
In referring to service-learning, I use the definition of the National and Community Service Act of
1990 which describes service-learning - learning
by participation in a community-based social service agency - as an integrated experience in which
the classroom and service are tightly coordinated
so that students' service experiences are woven into
the fabric of a complementary classroom experience. What students learn from participating with
community agencies is incorporated into classroom
learning, and classroom learning is applied by students to their service experiences (Cohen &
Kinsey, 1994).
Those who use this technique believe that it
enhances student development. Research on experiential learning and service-learning among high
school students supports this. For example,
Conrad and Hedin (1982) found that experiential
learning contributed to the social, psychological,
and intellectual and academic development of students. Hamilton and Zeldin discovered that students who completed internships in government
learned more and "demonstrated more positive attitudes toward community participation" (1987, p.
415). Hedin's (1989) review of the literature on
service in secondary education concludes that it
has positive effects on intellectual and socialpsychological development, social responsibility, attitudes toward others, self-esteem, knowledge of
careers, moral and ego development, problemsolving skills, and higher level thinking.
More recently, researchers have turned their
attention to the effects of service-learning on college students (Batchelder & Root, 1994; Miller,
1994). Reports of service-learning outcomes have
been published for courses in political science
(Markus, Howard, & King, 1994), journalism
(Cohen & Kinsey, 1994), and psychology (Bringle
& Kremer, 1993; McClusky-Fawcett & Green,
1992; Miller, 1994). Two studies, at Vanderbilt
University (Giles & Eyler, 1994) and Alma College
(Batchelder & Root, 1994), analyzed student outcomes in a variety of service-learning courses at
their respective institutions. In these studies, service-learning has been linked to improvements in
grades, the ability to apply course concepts to new
situations, motivation, social responsibility, and
citizenship and civic involvement.
Although service-learning is being used in a
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