| Service-Learning is a form of applied learning that engages students in solving social problems within community-based settings. It is rooted in the social and educational philosophy of John Dewey's Pragmatism. As a pedagogy, service-learning presents students with opportunities for social and intellectual growth by complementing classroom learning with community-based experiential learning. This research aims to improve our understanding of the academic and social impacts of service-learning participation in higher education. This study incorporates a mixed methodological design comprised of a primary quantitative study that meets a gap in the service-learning research, and a complementary qualitative study that allows for additional themes to emerge and illustrate findings of the primary study.;The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is an ideal location for this research because of its history of service-learning leadership. Through rigorous, quasi-experimental, longitudinal analysis of a robust data set, the quantitative analysis investigates the relationship between service-learning participation and diverse measures of student academic development. A fixed effects design limits the potential bias stemming from non-random selection into service-learning. Qualitative research complements the quantitative study and provides an in-depth understanding of students' development, with a particular focus upon analyzing academic and pro-social growth through service-learning (e.g., "voluntary behavior intended to benefit another" such as altruism [Eisenberg, et al., 2006, p. 646]). The qualitative study consists of a non-probability, purposive sample of students (Singleton & Straits, 2005) participating in semi-structured interviews (Singleton & Straits, 2005), followed by thematic analysis (Marks & Yardley, 2004).;This research makes methodological contributions and strengthens our understanding of applied and service-learning, particularly as implemented through the innovative institutional practices at the studied university. The quantitative study is strengthened by modeling that addresses threats to internal validity from students' self-selection (i.e., endogenous bias; Meyer, 1995) and allows for significant analytical conclusions. Additionally, the mixed methodological design illustrates student pro-social growth through a number of emergent themes (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). The scale and design of this study increases our understanding of the impact of service-learning and the conclusions suggest it deserves further institutional attention as a core pedagogy in higher education. |
