Community service among college and university students: individual and institutional relationships

Increased interest in moral education and prosocial learning behavior has focused attention on the performance of community service by college students. Drawing from the literature on voluntary action and related fields, this study surveyed 1,960 students in eleven institutions of higher education in a southeastern state. Results revealed connections between frequency of community service and both individual and institutional characteristics. However, only two personal variables showed significant relationships to community service in each of the institutional categories: Spiritual/religious values were positively associated with service, while an emphasis on professional success was found to have a negative relationship. These findings offer fresh evidence of the importance of human values in the development of prosocial behavior.