A community project that brought together cosmetology students and elderly folks has put a group of Sabah educators on the global research map.
Their findings were published on 23 June 2026 in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research.
According to the study, taking part in community service directly helps students build emotional resilience—their ability to handle stress and tough situations.
To reach this conclusion, researchers analysed survey answers from 19 students in the Cosmetology Programme at Keningau Vocational College (KV).
During the project, these students gave grooming treatments to 44 residents at Holy Family Residence for Senior Citizens in Papar, including manicures, pedicures, and full-body massages for the elderly.
Through those interactions, students tuned into their own feelings while also picking up on the emotions of the older people they were caring for.
It turned out that the more emotionally aware the students were during these sessions, the better they coped with pressure. Those who could read both their own emotions and their elderly clients’ emotions proved tougher when things got difficult.
Volunteering hands-on also helped build empathy and staying power in the participants.
Titled “Beyond Beauty: Enhancing Cosmetology’s Students’ Emotional Resilience Through a Wellness Community Project on Senior Citizens”, the paper was written by seven researchers: Bibiana Paulus, Vienny Balakrishnan, Diana Kayunon, Alvy Wendyline Florentius, Nur Syahida Mohd Nazri, Dr Sirhajwan Idek, and Lumang anak Lang.
Lumang, who’s also the director of KV Keningau, said the research proves that community service does more than just look good on paper—it genuinely shapes students’ character.
According to him, this study matters because it shows that when institutions run community projects, they’re not just helping others—they’re also building students’ identity and encouraging them to keep doing good.
Publishing this paper reflects how KV Keningau’s educators are using research to measure what really happens when students learn outside the classroom—especially when it comes to emotional growth.
A key takeaway is that real-world experiences can be just as important as lectures in building young people’s character and resilience.
You can read the full article online through the International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research.
