Expanding financial education and planning opportunities through service-learning

Abstract

This paper examines the impact a service-learning activity, structured around the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, has on students' intentions to participate in, and organize, pro bono activities in the future as financial planning professionals. Data were collected from a sample of 66 student participants who were studying financial planning and enrolled in courses that had significant service-learning requirements (~20 hours of service with 20 hours of preparation). Using a pre-and post-service experimental design, results indicated statistically significant changes in students' inten-tions to participate in and organize pro bono activities as professionals.