A tipping point analysis of service-learning hours and student outcomes John Garger The Science Survival Academy, Binghamton, New York, USA Veselina P. Vracheva Chapman University, Orange, California, USA, and Paul Jacques Department of Management and Marketing, Rhode Island College, Providence, Rhode Island, USA Abstract Purpose – Although extant literature links overstimulation to various job outcomes, most studies do not consider a service-learning context, and they suggest a linear association between stimuli and outcomes. This paper examines the link between the number of service-learning hours students work and three educational outcomes – student satisfaction with the service-learning project, class relevancy to the service-learning project and expected community involvement. Design/methodology/approach – Applying activation theory and Yerkes–Dodson law, we test curvilinear relationships between service-learning hours and student outcomes. Findings – Results suggest that students benefit from service learning up to a certain duration of a service- learning project. Originality/value – This study identifies the tipping point of the number of service-learning hours beyond which students perceive decrements to three outcomes. Keywords Service-learning, Yerkes–Dodson, Inverted U, Student outcomes, Satisfaction, Course relevancy, Community involvement Paper type Research paper Service learning (SL) is “a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities” (National Commission on Service-Learning, 2002). Unlike internships, which benefit the student, SL projects are designed with a broader view on the distribution of contributions among various stakeholders, including students, community partners, faculty and the university (Nikolova and Andersen, 2017). Through hands-on work experiences with individuals, groups and organizations in the community, SL improves students’ academic and non-academic outcomes (Olberding and Hacker, 2016). Research suggests that SL alone influences students academically, civically and personally, associating with enhancements to students’ ethical judgements and decision-making skills (Christensen and Woodland, 2015). SL strategies increase students’ ability to manage financial resources (Olsen-Buchanan et al., 2013), teach students to understand problems that non-profit organizations face, allow students to gain experience in non-profit sectors and prepare students to be future board members of non-profit organizations (Govekar and Rishi, 2007). SL also affects students’ long-term outcomes, such as expected degrees of challenges at future jobs, opportunities to choose job assignments and expectations regarding the ability to change and secure a job (Jacques et al., 2016). Most SL studies emphasize positive properties and student outcomes of SL projects, but some assess SL’s dark side. Morin (2009) found three fundamental pitfalls of SL that students Service- learning hours and student outcomes 413 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0040-0912.htm Received 17 September 2019 Revised 2 March 2020 3 April 2020 Accepted 14 April 2020 Education þ Training Vol. 62 No. 4, 2020 pp. 413-425 © Emerald Publishing Limited 0040-0912 DOI 10.1108/ET-09-2019-0210