CONNECTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH RESEARCH SERVICE LEARNING

Research-based science combined with service learning is a pedagogical strategy designed to engage students in scientific inquiry while addressing a need in the community. This strategy has the potential to increase students’ engagement in science as well as foster students’ connections to their community. In this chapter, we explore 16 diverse high school students’ meanings of a research-based service learning project that focused on documenting local amphibian and reptile populations for their state museum. Three main themes emerged: students felt they were doing science, they were engaged in meaningful science work, and they made accomplishments and valuable contributions. The project enabled students to make connections to the larger scientific community as well as their geographical community. Findings suggest that research-based service learning increases students’ affiliation with science, which might lead to more sustained participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities.