An Analysis of Service Learning Impact on Student Persistence at a Rural Community College in the Midwest Using a Qualitative Approach

Community Colleges are continually being thrust into the nation’s spotlight as
having an integral role in preparing future leaders. President Obama’s call to action is
driven by the dismal student completion rates. This message has not fallen on deaf ears;
leaders from the private and public sector are examining what works in higher education
and are calling for increased accountability. Unfortunately, there is a gap in the research
at the community college level. This study is an attempt to add to the increasing body of
evidence. In addressing student success rates, service learning as a pedagogy was
examined in an attempt to measure if this method affected desired student learning
outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine if students participating in
service learning have an increase in the specific measured academic outcomes of grade
achievement, next semester persistence, meeting two-year momentum benchmarks, and
attaining degree, certificate, or transfer status. The participants in this study included students from an American Government classroom at a Midwest rural community college. Upon registering for the class, students selected to participate in either the three-or four-credit option class. This combined classroom offered a non-service learning option along with a service learning option that required their participation in a 15-hour project outside of the classroom. This qualitative study examined student records over a three-year period, specifically studying three consecutive fall cohorts. The Voluntary Framework of Accountability, the first and only national model designed to measure student progress of community college students, was used to buoy the outcome measures within this study. The majority of the students involved in a class
that used service learning as a teaching tool did not result in higher grades, ongoing
enrollment, or increased levels of two-year momentum markers. Nothing of statistical
significance was found in comparing the two groups of students. However, by year three,
there was some movement in an encouraging direction, suggesting that it may be too
early to tell.