Abstract
<p>This review of recent literature examines the research on the impact of service-learning on student retention. The theoretical framework of the review draws on both Tinto’s model of student attrition and Knowles’s theory of adult learning, which together suggest that academic and social integration, active participation and engagement in learning, and application and relevancy of the subject-matter under study are key factors in student success. The role of these factors has been confirmed in a growing body of research around learning experiences in general and, as this review shows, particularly in service-learning experiences. Suggestions are made for how future research might expand and critically deepen this evidence and offers some implications for service-learning as a means of improving student retention.</p>
Highlights
In the United States, the numbers of higher education students who drop-out of college or university and fail to graduate successfully have been alarming
The results of the review will begin with a brief overview of the findings of some of the most recent and representative research that explores the features of Tinto’s and Knowles’s models and their impact on student retention in non-service-learning settings, since these findings help establish both what features might be key to student retention and what might be significant about the features the models identify
This will include a critical examination of the research that has identified the features of service learning that correlate with Tinto and Knowles’s models, followed by a study of the impact of service-learning over time, and some analyses that have compared the impact of service-learning with other common retention initiatives
Summary
In the United States, the numbers of higher education students who drop-out of college or university and fail to graduate successfully have been alarming. The most recent data from the U.S Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics indicate that in Bachelors or equivalent degree programs, only 38.1% of students who enrolled in 2004 were able to graduate within normal completion times; that is, by 2008 Figures for two-year certificate programs were even more alarming, with 21.2% completing in normal program time. The high attrition rates represent a loss of revenue for the institutions that enrolled the students, but of greater concern is the loss in human capital and development these figures suggest
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call