Service Learning in Life-Span Developmental Psychology: Higher Exam Scores and Increased Empathy

This article describes research conducted to evaluate the impact of service learning on exam scores and emotional empathy in a life-span development course. Service learning was 1 of 3 project options offered in the course; others included an interview project and a research paper. With the exception of the first exam, scores were significantly higher for the service-learning students compared to those who completed other projects. In addition, only the service-learning group demonstrated a significant increase in emotional empathy as measured by the Emotional Empathetic Tendency Scale (EETS; Mehrabian & Epstein, 1972). I discuss the results in terms of the relations among practical experience, reflection, and emotional empathy.