Abstract
Social capital is important for individual and societal advancement. For individuals, social capital helps one advance in the organizational hierarchy but also flows to communities as these individuals are more likely to volunteer for non-profit organizations and pool their resources to advance societal causes. This paper argues that one overlooked mechanism for generating social capital is through service learning. Service learning benefits students not only academically, but professionally as it helps students connect with voluntary organizations, often composed of individuals of means. Students then integrate into the social networks of these influential members and potentially benefit from the resources they possess. These voluntary organizations help individuals from different segments of society coalesce and alleviate social capital inequality by creating bonding opportunities for individuals from more and less advantageous socioeconomic backgrounds to interact and become friends. Universities play a role in this as service learning creates a mechanism for students to benefit from increased social capital and in turn, benefit society.
Recommended Citation
Ross, Jason R.
(2026)
"The Impact of Service Learning on Social Capital and Community Engagement,"
Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Vol. 22, Article 6.
Available at:
https://encompass.eku.edu/kjectl/vol22/iss1/6
