Both-and, not either-or: knowledge and service-learning Maureen Casile SUNY Institute of Technology, Utica, New York, USA Kristine F. Hoover Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, USA, and Deborah A. O’Neil Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to expand the understanding of outcomes of service-learning/community engagement. The current study explored the efficacy of service-learning as a pedagogical tool to support content mastery by undergraduates in a management class. Design/methodology/approach – The study involved a classroom experiment with 120 students randomly assigned to complete a service-learning or a research project as a class requirement. Data regarding mastery of course content was collected through a multiple-choice assessment at the end of the course, and analyzed using statistical methods. Findings – Results showed that service-learning can be a better mechanism for student mastery of course concepts than a traditional research project. However, the benefits of service-learning appeared to accrue disproportionately to women. Research limitations/implications – Results suggest that educators should incorporate service-learning into their classrooms to enhance content mastery, and that future research should examine the specific elements of service-learning that contribute to both female and male students’ learning. The findings are limited to traditional undergraduate students in a face-to-face management course. Originality/value – This research study directly addresses some of the tensions between service-learning/student-community engagement and traditional university education. Service-learning has been shown to support student development of socially valuable outcomes. Inclusion of service-learning in college curricula can be particularly challenging, when a desire for ethical development must be balanced with course content mastery. According to the findings of the current study, service-learning produces both service to the community and service to the students, as an effective pedagogical tool for content mastery. Keywords Undergraduates, Learning methods, Communities, Ethics, Management training, United States of America Paper type Research paper Introduction Whenever managerial ethics come under fire, it’s a safe bet that managerial education will be the next institution up for scrutiny. Business schools showed resurgent interest in ethics education in 2002 after scandals including Enron and WorldCom. They are doing so again in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse. Even in happier times, business education is often berated for its narrow focus and lack of civic engagement (Godfrey et al., 2005) as well as for its over-reliance on traditional lecture (Bailey and Ford, 1996) conferring knowledge upon students without any attending ability to solve problems in complex settings. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0040-0912.htm Both-and, not either-or 129 Education þ Training Vol. 53 No. 2/3, 2011 pp. 129-139 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0040-0912 DOI 10.1108/00400911111115672