Examining the Relationship between Service-Learning Participation and the Educational Success of Underrepresented Students

Abstract

Underrepresented students have been identified as being less likely to attain a college degree than their majority counterparts. Service-learning (SL) offers students an opportunity to engage in community work and improve skills that might contribute to their educational success in college. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of SL courses on students' academic outcomes (fourth-year cumulative GPA) and persistence (fourth-year cumulative units earned, retention, and graduation) at a large Midwestern university , with a focus examining service-learning's impact on underrepresented students. Results showed that SL participation was positively related to underrepresented students' cumulative GPA, retention, and graduation, but was not related to units earned. The relationship between SL and academic outcomes, however, were not consistent across the colleges included in the study. In some colleges, SL had negative relationships with underrepresented students' academic outcomes and persistence. The differential findings across the colleges suggest that university-wide studies of SL should take into account particular practices within SL courses that promote and limit underrepresented students' capacity to optimize educational outcomes.