Abstract:

In response to the Malaysian National Education Philosophy (NEP) on developing holistic individuals who are “intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced”, the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia mandated compulsory subjects for development of these values through practical involvement with local community in out-of-class activities for example community service or co-curriculum activity. All Malaysian HEIs are thus required to have in each programme, a community service or co-curriculum module. To date, not much is known about the effectiveness of the community service module in inculcating said values as it has only been introduced into Malaysian HEIs. The current study thus sought to understand the benefits of participating in mandatory community service projects from the perspectives of business students at a private HEI in Malaysia. The study also looked at the impact of some pedagogical considerations on students’ community service learning and experiences. The study found that participation in the mandatory community service was worthwhile for most students as they reported developing positive values (empathy, social attitude, social efficacy), skills (social skills), and better understanding and tolerance of people of different races and background. Recommendations for future design and delivery of community service modules in response to the NEP are discussed.

Keywords:

Service learning, higher education, pedagogy, action research, Malaysia.