Conduct Research

Service-Learning Research Primer (available for free download)
Created by the IUPUI Center for Service and Learning for NSLC, this primer is designed to address the need for information on how to conduct high-quality and rigorous research on service-learning. It reviews the literature base, appropriate research methodologies and measurement procedures, and available online resources. Topics include: the nature of scientific research, designing service-learning research, measurement, ethical issues, data analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of research results.

While the Service-Learning Research Primer reviews the research process as a whole, below are our most relevant supplemental resources on different aspects of service-learning research.

Conducting Research

NSLC-Produced Resources

• Research Standards and Protection of Human Subjects

NSLC library items (How to borrow)

• Toolkit for the Evaluation of Service-Learning Programs (2011), L. Caswell,  Shelley H. Billig,  B. Goodson,  K. Gan,  Marjorie Levin, and  F. Unlu (PDF)
• Beyond Anecdote: Challenges in Bringing Rigor to Service-Learning Research (2005), Andrew Furco, Sherril Gelmon, Barbara Holland, and Robert G. Bringle (PDF)
• Research Design for Service-Learning Scholars (2007), Kathryn S. Steinberg (PDF)
• Designing Research on Service-Learning (2007), Robert G. Bringle and Kathryn S. Steinberg (PDF)
• The Measure of Service Learning: Research Scales to Assess Student Experiences (2004), Robert G. Bringle, Mindy A. Phillips, and Michael Hudson
• Survey of Outcomes Measurement in Research on Character Education Programs (2009), Ann E. Person, Emily Moiduddin, Megan Hague-Angus, and Lizabeth M. Malone (PDF)
• Developing Scales (n.d.), Robert G. Bringle (PDF)
• Identifying and Developing Quantitative Scales for Service-Learning Research (2004), Robert G. Bringle and Julie A. Hatcher (PDF)
• Studying Service-Learning: Innovations in Education Research Methodology (2003), Shelley H. Billig and Alan S. Waterman 

Related Websites: Resources and centers for research in service-learning and related fields

• RMC Research Corporation: An educational research, evaluation, and professional services organization
• Center for Youth and Communities: Specializes in research on youth and community development
• National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC): The annual Growing to Greatness series explores the state of K-12 service-learning in the U.S.
• Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE): Conducts research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans
• UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (HERI): An interdisciplinary center for research, evaluation, information, policy studies, and research training in postsecondary education
• Campus Compact: A national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents—representing some 6 million students—dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education
• Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH): A nonprofit organization that promotes health  through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions
• International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE): An international nonprofit membership organization devoted to promoting research and discussion about service-learning and community engagement
• Compendium of Assessment and Research Tools (CART): A database that provides information on instruments that measure attributes associated with youth development programs.

Sample Forms and Templates: Surveys/Questionnaires

• Campus Compact Service-Learning Survey
• End of Course Survey
• Post-Test Items by Construct
• Learn and Serve America Higher Education Partner Survey
• Civic-Minded Graduate Scale - Campus Version
• Civic-Minded Graduate Scale - Course Version
• Civic-Minded Graduate Scale - Sorted by Subscale
• Integrity Scale - Morton
• Types of Service Scale

Publishing and Presenting Your Research

NSLC-Produced Resources

• Developing Service-Learning Scholarship: Actions & Issues to Consider
• Publishing and Presenting in Service-Learning

NSLC library items (How to borrow)

• Scholarship in Public: Knowledge Creation and Tenure Policy in the Engaged University (2008), Julie Ellison and Timothy K. Eatman (PDF)
• Research in Service Learning: Publishing Opportunities Resource List (2007), Gary Homana (PDF)
• Community-Engaged Scholarship Toolkit (2005), D. Calleson, J. Kauper-Brown, and S. D. Seifer (PDF)
• Scholarship in Public: Knowledge Creation and Tenure Policy in the Engaged University (2008), Julie Ellison and Timothy K. Eatman (PDF)
• Documenting Engagement: Faculty Perspectives on Self-Representation for Promotion and Tenure (2008), Kelly Ward and Tami L. Moore
• Community Engagement and Institutional Culture in Higher Education: An Investigation of Faculty Reward Policies at Engaged Campuses (2009), John Saltmarsh, Dwight E. Giles, KerryAnn O'Meara, and Lorilee Sandmann
• Discussion Guide for Departments and Colleges about Engaged Scholarship in Promotion and Tenure (2011), Diane M. Doberneck, Chris R. Glass, and John Schweitzer (DOC)