Service Learning in Higher Education: Evidence from Malaysia

Abstract

The conventional lecture teaching style designed by our education system is becoming less relevant in meeting the millennial students’ learning necessities. Common lecture seems no longer adequate in developing an engaging and effective lesson for the graduates. For that reason, Malaysian Ministry of Education suggests SERVICE-LEARNING (SL) to be conducted to supplement student learning. Nevertheless, prior studies on SL effectiveness showed mixed results. Therefore, this study is conducted to understand and provide a detailed account of students’ learning development in a higher education institution in Malaysia. By employing the qualitative methodology, 39 students participated in SL project were interviewed to understand students’ learning development. The responses were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by using thematic analysis. The results revealed that knowledge and skills developed meaningfully through SL unlike in typical classroom setting where knowledge is expected to flow effectively from lecturers to students without real world experience or lasting impact. However, some students were found to understand the lesson slightly different from their peers. This research provides guidelines for course instructors to design SL in academic courses and improve student learning for the purpose of realizing Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

Impacts of Service-Learning on Cultural Adaptation, Analytical Thinking, and Communication Skills of University Students

“…They may encounter unfavorable events throughout the service-learning project, but these experiences are essential in skill development as suggested by Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory. Service-learning nurtures skill development meaningfully through real-world experience and provides a lasting impact (Hudin et al, 2018).…”

“…Previous studies show students do not know the strategies and do not have enough skills to apply the theoretical knowledge to the actual environment (Hudin et al, 2018). They found difficulties applying the theoretical knowledge they gained in the classroom to real situations (Yusof et al, 2020).…”

Undergraduates’ Perception of Community Service Course-Narratives on Challenges and Initiatives at Technical Engineering University

“…Due to this, there has been a high increase throughout the academia in terms of implementing high impact educational initiatives which include corporate social responsibility, community service and service learning (Salam et al, 2019;Bringle & Clayton, 2020) Basically, the term community service has been used interchangeability with service learning, volunteerism, community-based learning, civic engagement and service-learning internship. All these experiential learning via activities relate to a number of theories for learning such as the Lewin's iterative model of action learning, Kolb's experiential learning cycle and constructivist learning theory which explains that learning process starts with a prior knowledge and reconstructed through reflective piece that impact future actions (Hudin, et al, 2018). The theory of learning approaches centering around community service and service-learning could be traced to have originated from the theory of four philosophers and experts in the field of education, namely John Dewey, Paulo Freire, David A.…”