Service-learning effects on student civic engagement and community - A case study from India.

This article focuses on a pilot service-learning (SL) project implemented at ABC School, a private K-10 institution in Mumbai, India, aimed at enhancing student civic engagement and community welfare. The project followed a six-step SL process involving investigation, planning, action, reflection, demonstration, and celebration, addressing the issue of open garbage accumulation in a nearby low-income neighborhood. Findings indicate that the project was implemented with fidelity, engaged students meaningfully, fostered authentic community partnerships, and positively influenced students’ sense of civic responsibility, environmental awareness, and belief in their ability to effect change. While the students successfully organized a clean-up drive and raised awareness about waste segregation, structural challenges limited sustained changes in residents’ segregation practices. This study represents one of the first empirical examinations of SL in Indian schools and suggests that such projects can operationalize educational policies promoting civic engagement, though considerations of project duration and dosage are important for maintaining student motivation.