Learning by serving in sulam advocacy: evidence on values formation and industry‑ready skills

Service-Learning Malaysia-University for Society (SULAM) represents a transformative pedagogical initiative by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia that bridges academic curricula with structured community service. Drawing on qualitative insights from students’ STARR (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection) reflection reports, this paper analyzes how the "learning by serving" model fosters ethical stewardship, civic engagement, communication, and applied financial knowledge. The study explores three distinct instructional typologies within SULAM: Direct SULAM (face-to-face community intervention), Indirect SULAM (behind-the-scenes resource development), and Advocacy SULAM (education and awareness campaigns). Focusing primarily on Advocacy SULAM, the paper demonstrates how higher education students effectively deconstruct complex financial literacy concepts and investment scam warning signs into accessible public knowledge. Ultimately, the findings reveal that integrating national financial literacy priorities into service-learning frameworks dualistically satisfies critical community development needs while accelerating university students' professional readiness and moral responsibility.