STAYING OFF-CAMPUS AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA: CHALLENGES AND MOTIVATION

• Main Authors: J.C. Lee, Lee, S. Bujang, Bujang, A.S. Shminan, Shminan, R.U. Khan, Khan, M. Aren, Aren
• Format: Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: BF Psychology
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/38928/3/STAYING%20OFF-CAMPUS%20-%20Copy.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/38928/; https://iated.org/edulearn/publications

Due to the policy of some public universities in Malaysia, university students have no choice that they have to stay off-campus whether they like it or not. As human being it is normal that the students expected or maybe looking forward to have a comfort place to stay, convenience and safety. Somehow, they at the same time have to accept the fact that there are challenges waiting for them. The purposes of this study were; (i) to explore what are the challenges faced by public universities students who are staying off-campus, and (ii) to determine what actually motivates them to continue their journey as university students despite all the challenges facing by them. An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was employed, which involved two phases of data collection: quantitative data and followed by qualitative data. Using a simple random sampling technique, a total of 2578 (68% female) university students from four Malaysian public universities was surveyed by means of a self-reported questionnaire, of whom 80 students were also participated in an on-line and phone interviews. Based on the findings, among the prevalence challenges staying off-campus were inconvenience of transportation, shortage of financial support, and high rental cost. It seems that, self-realization, self-determination, peer and family supports, and comfortable living environment were among prevalence factors that directly and indirectly motivated them to move on with their life as university students despite all the challenges faced by them. Majority of the students involved in this study were highly motivated and maintained their academic performances. Keywords: off-campus, university students, challenges, motivation