Sit and Get Vs Doing

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This topic was explored further through research by gathering insight from students, staff, school alumni, and teacher participants. The main focus was placed on what students gained and how they gave back to their school and local community. Service learning also took students’ minds outside of the classroom and placed them in a 3D world of learning and application.

Stereotypically in a classroom setting, classrooms contained students who experienced routines that were repetitive and mundane. This type of setting could hinder student enthusiasm and involvement. This encouraged me to produce a mixture of approaches that could be resourceful for students to use in more reasonable conditions. Business and Computer Applications (BCA) was a course taught in Louisiana Public High Schools, where students developed many different skills, such as typing, creating office documents, planning, preparing, and budgeting. This class was categorized under the Career and Technical Education (CTE) framework. By placing students in a class that only taught hard and soft skills limited them from further learning experiences and opportunities they needed for the real-world. The initial purpose of this research was to reflect on how much of an impact the Business and Computer Applications (BCA) curriculum had on the student’s ability to learn and apply what they learned while working in the school’s Nike Storefront.

As a result, students were not adequately prepared to work in the real world because they had no opportunities to fully assess their capabilities and skills. They lacked experience which could have enabled a stronger set of confidence entering the real world. In the long term, businesses struggled to retain skilled workers who could help local communities thrive. Last summer, each CTE teacher attended professional development. During these sessions, major businesses from the local and state levels commented on new entry-level employees and what they were lacking. One of the main skills they mentioned was the same set of skills that service learning taught—hard skills, soft skills, and collaboration.

The purpose of this research project was to inspire and equip fellow educators with modern ways to engage students in hands-on service-learning experiences that could be integrated into PK-12 schools. These experiences could eventually lead students to more opportunities outside of school in their local communities. This project aimed to enlighten educators about new teaching practices once they saw how effective service learning could be. This action research project provided a broader array of ideas for educators and those who felt stuck within their schools’ CTE curriculums.

RQ1 How did students participating in Service Learning demonstrate their ability to apply classroom knowledge in a real-world setting?

This study explored how service-learning experiences impacted high school seniors’ academic, personal, and social development. Service learning combined meaningful community service with structured reflection, offering students a way to connect classroom knowledge to real-world applications. The goal of this research was to examine how service-learning prepared students for future academic and career challenges, enhanced civic engagement, and supported personal growth.

This literature review was divided into sections. First, it outlined the academic databases and search strategies used to find relevant literature. Next, it critically examined current research, highlighting key agreements, disagreements, and gaps in the field. The third section focused on how service learning was implemented in high schools and explored best practices. Finally, the review concluded with a synthesis of findings and their relevance to this action research project.

To ensure a thorough and credible literature review, I used the following peer-reviewed academic sources when conducting my research: ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), a comprehensive database of education and related studies; PsycINFO, a psychology-focused database containing research on learning and development; ProQuest Education Database, a collection of peer-reviewed education research; Google Scholar, a widely used search engine for academic articles, books, and conference papers; BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine), a tool that provided access to open-access academic literature; and EBSCOhost, a database offering peer-reviewed journal articles from multiple disciplines.

The search strategies I used included terms such as "service learning in high schools," "experiential learning in education," "impact of service learning on academic achievement," "civic engagement through service learning," "Kolb’s experiential theory and service learning," "roles of reflection in service learning," "long-term impact of service learning on students," "technology integration in service learning," and "equity and inclusion in service learning." The search parameters included peer-reviewed journal articles published in the last five years (2019-2024) as well as seminal works older than five years for foundational theories and related articles.

A few key points I collected during my research indicated that service learning was deeply connected to experiential learning theories, particularly those developed by John Dewey & David Kolb. Dewey (1938) emphasized the importance of hands-on experiences in education, arguing that students learned best by actively engaging with their environment. Kolb’s experiential cycle (1984) further elaborated on this by outlining four stages of learning: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. These theories provided a strong foundation for understanding the pedagogical value of service learning.

The strengths and weaknesses I noticed included that while many studies highlighted the benefits of service learning, there were notable gaps and limitations. Strengths included a consistent emphasis on the role of reflection in enhancing learning outcomes Eyler & Giles, (1999); Ash & Clayton, (2004). However, fewer studies examined the long-term impact of service learning on students’ future civic engagement or career choices. Additionally, much of the existing research was based on specific educational settings, making it difficult to generalize findings across diverse student populations.

The impact that service learning had on academic growth was evident in recent studies, which showed that service-learning improved students’ academic performance and critical thinking skills. A meta-analysis by Conway, Amel, & Gerwein (2019) found that service learning positively impacted students’ engagement and understanding of course material. Similarly, Celio, Durlak, & Dymnicki (2020) concluded that service learning improved problem-solving skills and academic motivation. Warren (2021) found similar results, reinforcing the idea that service learning contributed to academic achievement.

However, not all research agreed on the academic benefits of service learning. Some studies indicated that poorly structured service-learning programs, particularly those lacking reflective components, did not lead to significant academic gains (Billig, 2020). Additionally, factors such as teacher preparation, student motivation, and curriculum alignment played crucial roles in determining success Giles & Eyler (2021).

Service-learning fostered personal growth by enhancing students’ self-confidence, empathy, and sense of responsibility. A study by Mitchell (2021) found that students engaged in community-based projects reported increased awareness of social issues and were more committed to public engagement. Service learning also enhanced interpersonal skills, such as teamwork and communication Brown (2020). Research by Simons & Cleary (2022) further supported this, indicating that service-learning improved students’ ability to collaborate and work effectively with diverse groups. One ongoing debate in the literature involved whether service learning should be mandatory or voluntary. Some scholars argued that mandatory service learning reduced intrinsic motivation Deci & Ryan (2019), while others believed that, if well-designed, required service-learning programs could still provide meaningful experiences Yorio & Ye (2020).

Researchers identified several key strategies for implementing successful service-learning programs. Structured reflection was a critical component that helped students connect their service experiences to academic concepts Ash & Clayton (2021). Community partnerships with organizations enhanced the relevance and impact of service learning Eyler & Giles (2019). Curriculum integration aligned service-learning projects with academic goals, increasing their educational value Billig (2020). Diversity and inclusion ensured equitable access to service-learning opportunities, benefiting all students Mitchell (2021). The use of technology, such as digital tools and virtual service projects, expanded the reach and effectiveness of service-learning Hebert & Hauf (2022).

Despite the growing body of research on service learning, several gaps remained. There was a need for more studies examining the long-term effects of service learning and its influence on students’ future career choices. The impact of service learning on students from underrepresented or underserved backgrounds also demanded more attention. Additionally, more research was needed on how technology could be better integrated into service-learning programs to improve engagement and accessibility. Hebert & Hauf (2022) suggested that future research should explore how digital tools could enhance the service-learning experience, particularly in hybrid or online learning environments.

In conclusion, the existing literature demonstrated that service learning could be a powerful tool for enhancing academic performance, personal growth, and civic engagement. However, its effectiveness depended on factors such as program design, reflection opportunities, and curriculum alignment. While research highlighted many benefits, there was still a need for further studies on the long-term impact of service learning and how it could be adapted to diverse student populations. This action research project aimed to contribute to the ongoing discussion by exploring effective ways to integrate service learning into the high school curriculum.

My action research topic was Reflections on Service Learning: Running a Storefront in a High School Setting. This project explored the implementation and operation of an on-campus Nike store, designed to provide students with real-world business experience. I was the second teacher in my district to lead a project of this nature. The store served as a platform for students, alumni, and the broader community to purchase athletic apparel featuring our school’s logo. It also functioned as a service-learning initiative, with participation limited to business students who managed the daily operations.

The methodology I chose for this research was qualitative action research. This approach was appropriate because it allowed for ongoing reflection, problem-solving, and active engagement with students throughout the process. Action research focused on improving practices within a specific context, making it ideal for addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with running the school’s storefront. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of this service-learning project in providing students with meaningful experiential learning while also fostering a sense of school pride and community involvement.

Action research was particularly well suited for educational settings because it empowered teachers to study and improve their own practices. The qualitative nature of this research allowed me to gather in-depth data through interviews and surveys. By focusing on the experiences of the students involved, I aimed to capture descriptive insights from viewpoints of the students through identifying the successes and challenges of the storefront.

The design I chose for this study was the case study approach; it enabled an in-depth exploration of this unique project within its specific context. The case study design aligned with the project’s purpose and research questions by providing an understanding of how service-learning impacted students’ skills, confidence, and engagement. This approach also allowed for flexibility in data collection and analysis, which was essential given the evolving nature of the storefront operations.

Alternative designs such as quantitative experimental studies and mixed methods were considered, but they would have been less appropriate for this project. A quantitative study would not have captured the nuanced, experiential aspects of service learning that were central to understanding the project’s impact. Similarly, mixed-methods research, though comprehensive, would have required a level of complexity and resources that may not have been feasible within the scope of this project. The qualitative case study design, by contrast, provided the depth and focus needed to address the project’s research questions effectively. The interviews and surveys that were given allowed clarity through personal insight on the reflections from the students. This design ensured that the voices of students and teachers were at the forefront, highlighting their experiences and perspectives.

Data Collection

Before collecting data, approval had to be granted from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). This ensured everything was done ethically and in line with research guidelines. A detailed plan explaining what the study was about and how the data would be collected was submitted. Presenting this plan also demonstrated how participants' privacy would be protected. For participants, the focus was on business students working in the storefront and teachers involved in overseeing the program. Students needed parental consent if they were minors, and all participants were fully informed about the study, including their right to opt out at any time.

Interviews and surveys were used to gather insights from students and teachers. All survey and interview data responses were recorded using SurveyMonkey. This helped to effectively collect responses that were later converted into bar charts. Interviews included business students and teachers who helped or supervised the storefront. These conversations focused on their experiences, what they had learned, and how the storefront had impacted them. One-on-one interviews were conducted in person during class. Each interview included open-ended questions, was recorded (with permission), and later transcribed for analysis. Interviews took place in the last six weeks of the semester, giving participants enough time to reflect on their experiences.

Each survey was given to business students and teachers who had worked in or supervised the storefront. The surveys measured students' growth in business skills, teamwork, and confidence, as well as teachers’ perspectives on the storefront’s impact. Surveys were conducted online using SurveyMonkey, and responses remained anonymous to encourage honest feedback. Surveys were sent out at the start of the semester (pre-survey) and again at the end (post-survey) to track any changes. Collecting both interview and survey data helped compare insights and identify recurring themes. This provided a clear picture of how the storefront benefited students and where there might have been room for improvement.

My goal was to ensure this study was well-organized and structured in a way that it could be replicated at other schools looking to implement something similar.

Data Analysis

The strategies that were used to code and analyze the data were based on reviewing the data from interviews and surveys and comparing information from the two. Methodological and Investigator Triangulation helped to gather and analyze the data that was collected.

The software used in this action research was SurveyMonkey. It was a tool that helped gather, organize, and display data all in one location. Once the data was collected, it provided an option to display the responses from the recipients and categorize them into charts or tables. The choice of coding was to organize data that was collected by grouping their responses into categories. These categories helped to capture what the students thought was most and least significant out of what they experienced.

The first step in using SurveyMonkey was to create the questions to be used. Next, answers/choices were created for participants to respond to the questions. Once the survey was created, the next step was to generate a link to share with the participants. Each participant then answered the survey thoroughly. After completing the survey, they pressed "finish," and SurveyMonkey collected the responses and analyzed the results, which were then stored and displayed in a chart.

My participants from whom I gathered data were all high school teenagers aged 14-18. They ranged from male to female, and all lived within the same socioeconomic status, with the exception of one female teacher who was a great help with the project I researched. She was in her mid-thirties and also lived within the same socioeconomic status as the students. The skills students gained from working in their school store were invaluable. School pride, self-pride, confidence, customer service skills, social skills, collaboration, communication, and other hard and soft skills were just a few examples. One of the most noticeable aspects was the excitement on students’ faces when a fellow classmate walked into the store. They immediately wanted to showcase what they had learned through their training. I also witnessed my students display confidence as they took over transactions to demonstrate their learning. They could identify and explain how the skills they learned in the school store helped them at their jobs outside of school.

This project took a glimpse at Service Learning and how it impacted the students who worked in it. At the beginning of the school year, a Nike athletic store was created on campus to help generate funding opportunities for the school. Business teachers and students played a central role in the project from the ground up. The business students helped with the entire project, from receiving inventory to selling the products to their fellow classmates, teachers, and the community. These students were able to apply every skill they had learned during class while working in the actual store.

After extensive research, the results strongly suggested that most of my students felt confident in applying what they learned in class to their work in the store. Most reported feeling more comfortable collaborating with others and interacting with customers, who were sometimes total strangers. To solidify the four criteria for trustworthiness (credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability), specific parameters were put into place. Consent forms were sent to parents, documents were locked and secured, and all gathered information was kept anonymous. Credibility referred to the researcher’s ability to take into account the complexities that arose in a study and to address patterns that were not easily explained.

Guba (1981) identified challenges that arose while gaining insight for the research, which were acknowledged and ultimately overcome. Participants were interviewed and given surveys on a confidential basis to ensure credibility. Transferability, according to Guba, referred to qualitative researchers’ belief that everything they study is context-bound and that the goal of their work is not to develop truth statements that can be generalized to larger groups of people. In this research, transferability was established by collecting data through multiple methods and researchers. The results derived from this data were custom, detailed, and involved open-ended questions that allowed the participants to express their unaltered opinions.

Dependability referred to the stability of the data. The data collected through multiple methods, such as interviews and surveys, ensured its dependability. If one method proved weak, another provided an opportunity to gather what was missed or left out.

Confirmability was the final criterion for ensuring the trustworthiness of the data. According to Guba, it referred to the neutrality or objectivity of the collected data. Throughout this project, triangulation was used to ensure that the data remained neutral and objective. Participants’ data were created, collected, and stored using software that ensured confirmability.

RQ1

How did students’ participation in Service Learning demonstrate their ability to apply classroom knowledge in a real-world setting?

Research Question 2

RQ2

In what ways did educators effectively demonstrate the value of on-campus service learning and academic success?

In my findings, my data was collected using two methods. Those two methods were semi-structured interviews and surveys. My participants were mainly high school business students, with the exception of one librarian who helped with the Nike store. The overall project aimed to analyze how much of an effect service learning had on students who were working. The Thematic Analysis revealed major areas that supported this idea.

The first major theme that stood out was that 50% of the participants strongly agreed that they felt confident about managing transactions and providing customer service in the store. The second major theme was that 55% of the participants agreed that the storefront improved their teamwork and communication skills. Another major theme was that 55% of the participants felt they understood business concepts better after participating in the storefront.

Upon further research, 42% of the participants agreed and felt that working in the store helped them feel more connected to their school community. Lastly, 50% of all participants strongly agreed and believed the storefront was beneficial for both students and the school as a whole. A few of the responses were as follows: “What I enjoyed the most about working in the store was gaining experience.” “Creating a bond with my peers.” “Experiencing how a business works.” “The skills I learned were stocking and handling different clothing.”

Student Surveys on Storefront Experience

The following findings showed that my research was substantial and supported. These findings proved that there was a true need for service learning in schools. They also showed that certain skills could only be improved by consistently practicing them in a hands-on environment, according to the participants and their comments.

Readers should know that certain skills could not be learned solely from a textbook. There were many different directions this research could have taken, but by exclusively interviewing student workers, I was able to prove both research questions posed in this analysis. There were little to no remarks indicating disagreement with the idea that having a service-based center on the school campus helped the participants gain skills and knowledge throughout this study. A few other examples of how educators could replicate this storefront project could be to follow this example and create a spirit store and coffee shop for faculty. These ideas could also create a space to culprit school spirit, experience as well as give students experience to apply what they learned from their classroom settings.

Overall, I noticed several recommendations that could be applied to educational practices. My first recommendation was to offer retail preparedness courses in all high schools. Most of the time, a student’s first job after high school was in the retail or service industry. Offering service learning had a significant impact on the students, campus, and local businesses. This project affected my students in a meaningful way. My students expressed how their time in the store led them to gain experience they had not had before, such as customer service, cashier duties, stocking, and inventory management. Without hands-on experience, they would not have fully understood how to apply these skills other than by working at an actual store. This project helped me see which areas my business students needed the most in order to be productive and feel more confident when entering the workforce. Neither my students nor I would have realized these were areas where they needed more experience had they not identified these challenges through actually working in the store.

The literature that supported my first recommendation explained how students learned more effectively when they were guided before engaging in hands-on experiences (Kolb, 1984). It offered a perspective on how students learn through experiential learning. The project results indicated that if other schools incorporated retail courses into the curriculum, students would receive training in these areas before working in the school store. Customer Service and Principles of business are just a couple of CTE courses offered. While they have been beneficial, taking the next step to include Retail Preparedness classes that are coupled with engaging in an actual on -campus store, will take students learning to another level.

My second recommendation was to allow students enrolled in CTE courses to participate in different roles within the school and local small businesses. Allowing students to shadow roles that could potentially help them as they entered the workforce would be beneficial for their future. This could have been as simple as helping the prom committee design flyers for an after-school event or assisting a coach in scheduling which team would work concessions for the season. Encouraging students to engage in specific school needs helped them develop school pride and gain essential skills that could not be learned solely from textbooks.

The literature supporting my second recommendation, engaging in school roles and local small businesses, came from Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development. His theory emphasized the role of social interaction and culture in learning (Vygotsky, 1978). The implications were clear: when students were allowed to participate in tasks that mirrored real-world responsibilities, such as creating schedules and designing flyers, they became more productive in actual job settings.

Lastly, my third recommendation was to make it mandatory for every school to have a school store. This initiative could create numerous opportunities to enhance students’ learning experiences before they stepped into the real world. It was supported by Fullan’s idea that students should have tools or avenues to learn in various ways (Fullan, 2007). The implications from my project showed that the Nike store provided students with a valuable learning tool that could help them succeed both in the present and in their future careers. If properly managed the school store could be a method that stays around for future students and teachers. This could lead to generations of preparedness which could offer decades of reinforced support to the local school, small businesses, and students who are entering into society as skilled young adults. CTE has been a great addition to education, however it would be beneficial to observe what could happen if limits were pushed and all schools were able to see the effects of having stores on campus.

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