Abstract
Although a significant body of research has accumulated on service learning over the past
seven decades, to date, no reviews have analyzed the entire multi-disciplinary literature. Thus, scholars
lack systematic documentation of the scope of this literature, its thematic structure, and topical
foci. This bibliometric review aimed to document these features of the service learning knowledge
base. The review analyzed 5615 Scopus-indexed documents on service learning published between
1950 and 2022 through citation, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence analyses. The analyses uncovered
thematic and empirical foci associated with the theory, implementation, and effects of service
learning. The review identified engineering education and problem-based learning as related topics
of significant interest. In recent years, educators have increasingly experimented with the integration
of other active teaching and learning methods into service learning programs. This review suggests
that future research examine service learning from the perspectives of public policy, stakeholder
engagement, and educating for sustainability. The field would also benefit from additional theorizing
on the features that distinguish service learning from other active learning pedagogies.