A tipping point analysis of service-learning hours and student outcomes

Abstract

PurposeAlthough extant literature links overstimulation to various job outcomes, most studies do not consider a service-learning context, and they suggest a linear association between stimuli and outcomes. This paper examines the link between the number of service-learning hours students work and three educational outcomes – student satisfaction with the service-learning project, class relevancy to the service-learning project and expected community involvement.Design/methodology/approachApplying activation theory and Yerkes–Dodson law, we test curvilinear relationships between service-learning hours and student outcomes.FindingsResults suggest that students benefit from service learning up to a certain duration of a service-learning project.Originality/valueThis study identifies the tipping point of the number of service-learning hours beyond which students perceive decrements to three outcomes.