Community Service During the First Year of College: What is the Role of Past Behavior?

This longitudinal multi-institution study examines the effects of students’ involvement in high school service clubs and their level of civic-mindedness when entering college on their propensity and intentions to volunteer during college. The level of civic-mindedness was measured by a self-rating of their ability to work effectively with others toward solving real-world problems and contributing to the welfare of the community. We found that the impact of college experiences on students’ propensity and intentions to volunteer operates fairly independently of these 2 precollege controls, suggesting that prior findings supporting the impact of college experiences on community service are not biased by self-selection.