Service-Learning in Early Adolescence: Results of a School-Based Curriculum

Over the past few decades, service-learning has surged in popularity. Although most programs are implemented in high school and college classrooms, service-learning has the potential for great impact in middle school. The present article evaluates a pilot service-learning program for fifth- and seventh-grade (N = 86) children in a large, urban, midwestern city. For this project, a service-learning curriculum was developed, implemented, and assessed. Findings indicate that, relative to students in the control group, students participating in the service-learning curriculum demonstrated significantly higher scores on the measure of Leadership. Several Grade x Intervention interactions suggested stronger effects for fifth-grade students. A measure of Acceptance of Diversity did not show any significant differences. Implications and recommendations for developing future programs are discussed.