Abstract
This paper seeks to provide university administrators and faculty who may be considering the implementation of Academic Service Learning (ASL) with a comprehensive 360 degree viewpoint so as to aid in the decision making of whether ASL may be appropriate as a learning tool for their particular college or university. The article does this by exploring the research literature on Academic Service Learning (ASL) and identifies the prevalent streams of current research. The initial stream deals with the reasons and evolution for the creation of academic service-learning. Further streams of research identify factors that make academic programs a success, reveals the benefits students and community organizations derive from service-learning as well as the drawbacks of service-learning. In discussing each stream examples are provided on how colleges have used ASL. A preponderance of methodological deficiencies are identified in terms the current research and recommendations for improvement are proposed with the utilization of better quasi experiments that will reduce the number of threats to internal as well as the external validity. Eight research proposals are stated to guide future academic service-learning research.
Recommended Citation
Hegarty, Niall and Angelidis, John
(2020)
"Academic Service-Learning: Current Findings and Future Directions,"
Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 33:
Iss.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol33/iss2/5
