Service-Learning's Impact on College Students' Commitment to Future Civic Engagement, Self-Efficacy, and Social Empowerment

Abstract

Information from surveys of undergraduate college students is used to investigate whether or not service-learning affects students' commitment to future civic engagement, self-efficacy, and social empowerment. Results indicate that some applications of service-learning do have positive effects on students' commitment to future community involvement, efficacy, and empowerment. Analysis reveals that higher levels of commitment to be engaged are mediated by students' experiences of social empowerment. The findings can be used to improve the practice of service-learning as a pedagogical tool to strengthen students' commitment to becoming active citizens in their communities.

Keywords:

• Service-learning
• civic engagement
• social empowerment
• self-efficacy

We thank Elizabeth Strong and Roger Sell for their support of and assistance with this study. The project was funded by a Citizenship and Service Learning Research Stipend and by the Academic Development Center's Teaching Fellowship Program.

Notes

¹Self-efficacy and social empowerment are related, but distinct, constructs. Efficacy refers to people's subjective level of skill mastery, confidence in general abilities, and persistence. Social empowerment is their sense that they can individually, and with others, make a positive difference in their community. The correlation of .425 between the variables (see Table 2) constitutes only 18% of overlap variance, which is statistical evidence that the two concepts are related, but different, social psychological states.

TABLE 2 Program Correlates With Self-Efficacy and Social Empowerment