2
examine how individual traits and effort affect the success of the project. I also examine how success of
the group project influenced individual evaluations. I find that the success of the program depended
greatly on the type of students involved. I conclude with a discussion for how future work in this area
may consider instituting research-as-service projects.
Background and Context
For nearly a century, scholars have noted the importance of combining coursework with
community service, what is now known as “service-learning.”
1
Students who participate in service-
learning develop the civic skills necessary for participation in political life,
2
appreciate the need to
influence the political process,
3
learn to think about political issues,
4
become more tolerant of others and
new ideas,
5
and thus should “produce citizens who are both educated observers of the political scene and
more active participants in public life.”
6
In fact, education that incorporates service learning can literally
affect students for a lifetime.
7
Over the past two decades, there have been vibrant movements to increase student involvement
with both research and public service.
8
There are strong models of undergraduate research programs at
1
Battistoni, Richard M. 1997. “Service Learning and Democratic Citizenship.” Theory into Practice 36:15-56;
Frantzich, Stephen and Sheilah Mann. 1997. “Experiencing Government: Political Science Internships.” In
Experiencing Citizenship: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Political Science. Richard Battistoni and
William E. Hudson, ed. Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education; Hepburnm, Mary A. 1997.
“Service Learning in Civic Education: A Concept with Long, Sturdy Roots.” Theory into Practice 36:136-42.
2
Eyler, Janet and Dwight E. Giles, Jr., and John Braxton. 1997. “The Impact of Service-Learning on College
Students.” Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 4:5-15.
3
Eyler, Janet and Dwight E. Giles, Jr. 1997. “The Importance of Program Quality in Service-Learning.” In Service-
Learning: Applications from the Research. Alan S. Waterman, ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
4
Youniss, James and Miranda Yates. 1997. Community Service and Social Responsibility in Youth. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
5
Eyler, Janet and Dwight E. Giles. 1999. Where’s the Learning in Service-Learning? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
6
Delli Carpini, Michael X. and Scott Keeter. 2000. “What Should Be Learned through Service
Learning?” PS: Political Science and Politics. 33(September) pg. 637.
7
Alwin, Duane F., Ronald L. Cohen, and Theodore M. Newcomb. 1991. Political Attitudes Over the Lifespan: The
Bennington Women after Fifty Years. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
8
Battistoni, Richard M. 1997. “Service Learning and Democratic Citizenship.” Theory into Practice.
36:15-56; Gray, Maryann J., Elizabeth H. Ondaatje, and Laura Zakaras. 1999. Combining Service and Learning in
Higher Education: Summary Report. Santa Monica:RAND; Markus, G.B., J.P.F. Howard, and D.C. King. 1993.
“Integrating Community Service and Classroom Instruction Enhances Learning: Results from an Experiment.”
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 15:410-419.
Convention