A new national service learning program in the Netherlands: preliminary evidence

Since 2006, the Department of Education in the Netherlands encourages the introduction of service learning programs at the level of secondary education. The goal of the programs is to promote civic-mindedness: civic engagement, awareness of values and norms, and active citizenship. Past studies of the effects of service learning programs in the USA, Canada and Australia have produced mixed results. While some studies claim that mandatory programs do not promote civicmindedness, other studies do claim positive effects. The goal of the present study was to estimate the effects of mandatory service learning programs in the Netherlands on civicmindedness.