Positive Impacts of Service Learning on Students’ Personal Outcome and Social Outcome

Abstract

Service learning has received considerable attention in the field of education lately, especially among universities across Malaysia. Service learning is an experiential learning approach to teaching and learning that has a set of diverse learning outcomes. Students found that service learning has provided them a meaningful academically community service experience which enhance their personal growth in their undergraduate study. Over the years, there have been quite a number of studies which reported on the numerous benefits of service learning (Astin et al. in How service learning affects students. Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA, 2000; Singleton in J Gerontological Soc Work 50(1):105–118, 2007; Eyler et al. in At a glance: What we know about the effects of service learning on college students, faculty, institutions and communities, 1993–2000, 2001; Eyler and Giles in Where’s the learning in service learning? Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, 1999). Therefore, this paper aims to explore the positive impacts service learning has on students’ personal outcome and social outcome among our undergraduates. The study employs a qualitative study which utilizes students’ reflective writing as the main data source and fieldwork observation. The key findings of this paper suggest that service learning helped enhance the process of self-discovery among students which in turn developed their overall personal and social growth.