Both‐and, not either‐or: knowledge and service‐learning

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to expand the understanding of outcomes of service‐learning/community engagement. The current study explored the efficacy of service‐learning as a pedagogical tool to support content mastery by undergraduates in a management class.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved a classroom experiment with 120 students randomly assigned to complete a service‐learning or a research project as a class requirement. Data regarding mastery of course content was collected through a multiple‐choice assessment at the end of the course, and analyzed using statistical methods.

Findings

Results showed that service‐learning can be a better mechanism for student mastery of course concepts than a traditional research project. However, the benefits of service‐learning appeared to accrue disproportionately to women.

Research limitations/implications

Results suggest that educators should incorporate service‐learning into their classrooms to enhance content mastery, and that future research should examine the specific elements of service‐learning that contribute to both female and male students' learning. The findings are limited to traditional undergraduate students in a face‐to‐face management course.

Originality/value

This research study directly addresses some of the tensions between service‐learning/student‐community engagement and traditional university education. Service‐learning has been shown to support student development of socially valuable outcomes. Inclusion of service‐learning in college curricula can be particularly challenging, when a desire for ethical development must be balanced with course content mastery. According to the findings of the current study, service‐learning produces both service to the community and service to the students, as an effective pedagogical tool for content mastery.

Citation

Casile, M., Hoover, K.F. and O'Neil, D.A. (2011), "Both‐and, not either‐or: knowledge and service‐learning", Education + Training, Vol. 53 No. 2/3, pp. 129-139. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911111115672