Germany-Focused Study and Career Orientation at MAN 1 Makassar: A School–University Community Engagement Program

  • Syamsu Rijal Universitas Negeri Makassar
  • Agung Rinaldy Malik Universitas Negeri Makassar
  • Ernawati Universitas Negeri Makassar
  • Ainun Bashirah Syam Universitas Negeri Makassar
  • Hikmatul Lailaa Universitas Negeri Makassar
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62159/kenduri.v6i3.3262
Keywords: Career Guidance, Global Study Readiness, International Student Mobility, Intercultural Competence

Abstract

International study aspirations among secondary-school students often remain disconnected from the practical knowledge, career planning, language preparation, and intercultural readiness required to pursue education abroad. This community engagement program addressed that gap by providing Germany-focused study and career education for students at MAN 1 Kota Makassar, Indonesia. The program was implemented on 28 July 2026 through a participatory educational approach consisting of partner coordination, interactive orientation on German higher education, scholarship and application literacy, study-and-career planning, and direct intercultural dialogue with Shabrina, a guest speaker from Germany. Evaluation was descriptive and output-oriented, drawing on implementation records, participant engagement during discussion and question-and-answer sessions, program documentation, and the completion of educational materials and dissemination outputs. The program broadened students’ informational exposure to German universities, scholarship pathways, language requirements, application documents, and career considerations. The direct interaction with a German speaker added an authentic intercultural dimension, allowing students to connect academic information with everyday social and cultural realities. Program outputs included educational materials, a study and scholarship guide, mentoring activities, photo and video documentation, mass-media publication, and a community-service article submitted to a journal. The experience suggests that pre-mobility preparation at the secondary-school level is strengthened when information provision is integrated with career guidance, scholarship literacy, and authentic intercultural contact. The article proposes a practical four-domain model of global study readiness—information, planning, language/application, and intercultural readiness—for replication in school–university community engagement programs

References

Abbas, J., Alturki, U., Habib, M., Aldraiweesh, A., & Al-Rahmi, W. M. (2021). Factors affecting students in the selection of country for higher education: A comparative analysis of international students in Germany and the UK. Sustainability, 13(18), 10065. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810065
Bitschnau, M. (2023). Students or internationals? Divergent patterns of governing international student mobility in Germany and the United Kingdom. Comparative Migration Studies, 11, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-023-00332-5
Case, S. J., Collins, S. L., & Wood, E. A. (2022). Global health-based virtual exchange to improve intercultural competency in students: Long-lasting impacts and areas for improvement. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1044487. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1044487
Choi, S.-H., & Bae, J.-I. S. (2022). Intercultural competence: Does a short-term international educational trip matter? Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 22(2), 105–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2021.1969530
d’Hombres, B., & Schnepf, S. V. (2021). International mobility of students in Italy and the UK: Does it pay off and for whom?
Higher Education, 82, 1173–1194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00631-1
Dippold, D., Heron, M., & Gravett, K. (2022). International students’ linguistic transitions into disciplinary studies: A rhizomatic perspective. Higher Education, 83, 527–545. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00677-9
Dodd, V., Hanson, J., & Hooley, T. (2022). Increasing students’ career readiness through career guidance: Measuring the impact with a validated measure. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 50(2), 260–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2021.1937515
Erturk, S., Oker, K., & Nguyen Luu, L. A. (2022). “I am not an immigrant. I am an international student”: A qualitative study of adaptation experiences of Turkish international students in Germany. Journal of International Students, 12(3), 716–735. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i3.3776
Hendriana, E., Awang, K. W., & Raja Yusof, R. N. (2023). The roles of the country’s cognitive, affective, and personality aspects in international students’ decision-making. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 33(2), 143–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2021.1900486

Ismailov, M. (2021). Virtual exchanges in an inquiry-based learning environment: Effects on intra-cultural awareness and intercultural communicative competence. Cogent Education, 8(1), 1982601. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2021.1982601
Koenings, F., Di Meo, G., & Uebelmesser, S. (2020). University rankings as information source: Do they play a different role for domestic and international students? Applied Economics, 52(59), 6432–6447. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2020.1795075
Kosmaczewska, J. (2022). Exploring the determinants of choosing an academic destination under a short-term mobility: A cross-cultural comparison of Poland and Portugal. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 32(1), 138–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2020.1834487
Krannich, S., & Hunger, U. (2022). Should they stay or should they go? A case study on international students in Germany.
Comparative Migration Studies, 10, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-022-00313-0
Nikou, S., Kadel, B., & Gutema, D. M. (2023). Study destination preference and post-graduation intentions: A push-pull factor theory perspective. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 17(7), 76–96. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-04-2023-0149
Tarchi, C., & Surian, A. (2022). Promoting intercultural competence in study abroad students. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 37, 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-021-00554-0
Thies, T., & Falk, S. (2025). International students in German higher education: How quality-characteristics of the study programme relate to student satisfaction over the course of studies. Higher Education Quarterly, 79(4), e70053. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70053
Van Mol, C., Caarls, K., & Souto-Otero, M. (2021). International student mobility and labour market outcomes: An investigation of the role of level of study, type of mobility, and international prestige hierarchies. Higher Education, 82, 1145–1171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00532-3
Wiers-Jenssen, J., & Støren, L. A. (2021). International student mobility and the transition from higher education to work in Norway. Higher Education, 82, 1119–1143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00564-9
Wong, L. P. W., Yuen, M. T., & Chen, G. (2022). Career guidance and counselling: The nature and types of career-related teacher social support in Hong Kong secondary schools. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 50(6), 897–915. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2022.2040005
Xie, X. (2022). Transnational higher education partnerships in China: Exploring the impact of Chinese students’ intercultural communicative competence on their motivation to study abroad. Educational Research and Evaluation, 27(3–4), 280–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2022.2041871
Yildirim, H. H., Zimmermann, J., & Jonkmann, K. (2021). The importance of a sense of university belonging for the psychological and academic adaptation of international students in Germany. Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie, 53(1–2), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1026/0049-8637/a000234
Zimmermann, J., Greischel, H., & Jonkmann, K. (2021). The development of multicultural effectiveness in international student mobility. Higher Education, 82, 1071–1092. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00509-2
Published
2026-11-09
How to Cite
Rijal, S., Malik, A. R., Ernawati, Syam, A. B., & Lailaa, H. (2026). Germany-Focused Study and Career Orientation at MAN 1 Makassar: A School–University Community Engagement Program. KENDURI : Jurnal Pengabdian Dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat , 6(3). https://doi.org/10.62159/kenduri.v6i3.3262
Issue
Vol. 6 No. 3 (2026): September-December
Section
Articles

Copyright (c) 2026 Syamsu Rijal, Agung Rinaldy Malik, Ernawati, Ainun Bashirah Syam, Hikmatul Lailaa

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with KENDURI: Jurnal Pengabdian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the KENDURI: Jurnal Pengabdian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.