The impact of service-learning on 'at risk' high school biology students

Abstract

Students who may not graduate with their peer cohort are deemed "at risk." This investigation studied the effect of service- learning on attendance, attitude, and achievement of at- risk high school biology students. Students participated in two community service- learning projects: raising trout for release into local streams and/or implementing a vegetable garden on high school property. Data collected included attendance records of students both prior to the projects and during the projects. Surveys and interviews were conducted to assess the confidence factor, and pre- and post-project content questions were administered to assess the achievement portion of the research. An improvement in confidence or attitude was documented, but it did not correlate to a significant improvement in attendance or achievement. Therefore, the results are inconclusive and indicate a longer-term study is warranted.