Foundations & Theory
Theoretical underpinnings of service learning
Theory Into Practice
Why this paper matters
Explains why service-learning effects vary through belonging, competence, and change-agent mechanisms.
Evidence reviewed
Design: Conceptual synthesis
Full-text status: Indexed PDF/full text reviewed
Principal finding
Benefits depend on how experience is structured and interpreted, not on service activity alone.
EntrSL interpretation
This paper informs the design or evaluation of service-learning and experiential-learning work. Its findings should be interpreted within the reported design and context, not treated as universal or necessarily causal evidence.
Limitations and boundary conditions
Theoretical propositions require empirical testing.
Scoring rationale
- EntrSL relevance: 5/5. Directness to service-learning, experiential learning, higher education, entrepreneurship, reflection, reciprocity, or institutional practice.
- Evidence quality: 3/5. Based on design transparency, sample or review breadth, analytical fit, and inferential limits.
- Journal standing is separate. OpenAlex two-year mean citedness and h-index are descriptive source metrics and do not increase this paper’s evidence score.
Citation
Rebecca Lynn Carver (1997). “Theoretical underpinnings of service learning.” Theory Into Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849709543760