The impact of K-12 school-based service-learning on academic achievement and student engagement in Michigan

This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of service-learning on academic achievement and student engagement outcomes and the extent to which service-learning quality moderated impact on students. Outcomes for service-learning participants and a comparison group were compared, based on data from a sample of nearly 2,000 Students in 'Michigan collected during the 2001-2002 school year. Surveys were used to collect data about student engagement and state achievement test data were also collected for students who participated in the study. A teacher survey included detailed measures of service-learning quality. Findings revealed Statistically significant, but small differences in 5th-grade social Studies and science achievement scores that favored service-learning participants. While differences in student engagement ratings between service-learning participants and a comparison group were mixed, service-learning student ratings of engagement in service-learning activities were consistently higher than ratings of engagement in school ill general. The moderating effect of service-learning quality on the relationship between service-learning participation and student engagement was mixed.