Abstract
Background: Psychology graduates face a volatile job market: promotion of their skills is increasingly important, yet they often lack awareness of and engagement with their Graduate Attributes (GAs); the employability skills developed throughout university in order to prepare them for the world of work.
Objective: To address this, we designed, implemented and evaluated a GA reflective activity in a UK university.
Method: Undergraduate psychology students completed a measure of their self-efficacy in GAs (GASE) before and after taking part in a GA reflective activity. Students were asked to provide qualitative feedback on the value of the activity.
Results: GASE was higher after the activity but this effect was relatively small. A thematic analysis indicated that the activity was valued, but students wanted clearer guidance on the development and application of GAs.
Conclusion: The GA activity had a marginal impact on GA self-efficacy and appeared to raise awareness of GAs and career goals. Further work is needed to support students in identifying opportunities for skill development.
Teaching Implications: The reflective activity is a flexible method of embedding work-readiness in the curriculum that can be implemented as a stand-alone workshop or as part of personal development planning.
Objective: To address this, we designed, implemented and evaluated a GA reflective activity in a UK university.
Method: Undergraduate psychology students completed a measure of their self-efficacy in GAs (GASE) before and after taking part in a GA reflective activity. Students were asked to provide qualitative feedback on the value of the activity.
Results: GASE was higher after the activity but this effect was relatively small. A thematic analysis indicated that the activity was valued, but students wanted clearer guidance on the development and application of GAs.
Conclusion: The GA activity had a marginal impact on GA self-efficacy and appeared to raise awareness of GAs and career goals. Further work is needed to support students in identifying opportunities for skill development.
Teaching Implications: The reflective activity is a flexible method of embedding work-readiness in the curriculum that can be implemented as a stand-alone workshop or as part of personal development planning.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3-33 |
| Number of pages | 31 |
| Journal | Practice and Evidence of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 22 Dec 2021 |
Keywords
- graduate attributes
- employability
- self-efficacy
- psychology
- personal development planning