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
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
Sample Forms and Templates: Surveys/Questionnaires
Publishing and Presenting Your Research
NSLC-Produced Resources
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)