Improving student engagement in employability development: recognising and reducing affective and behavioural barriers
本研究通过访谈澳大利亚墨尔本一所大学的30名本科生，发现情感与行为障碍（如压力、课程安排冲突）阻碍了学生参与课外就业能力发展活动，并提出了一个整合学生参与、就业能力和职业发展学习的新概念模型。
In Higher Education (HE), the engagement construct continues to be evident in policy and approach and is considered a valid measure of risk and success, with correlating increased accountability to assure student employability outcomes. The research investigated how HE bachelor students engage in the development of employability, their level of engagement and participation in co-curricular and extra-curricular employability and career development opportunities (EDOs), and what factors influenced or impeded engagement. This study reports on an investigation of student engagement in employability development opportunities (EDOs) outside of their course within a single case based in Melbourne, Australia. Thirty students were interviewed (8 in the commencing year and 22 in the final year). The main findings from the study identified affective and behavioural barriers, with student-related intrinsic factors pertaining to stress and being overwhelmed and interrelated institutional barriers such as awareness of career and employability options, perceived relevance and timetabling of opportunities, and no opportunities offered in class. The interconnectedness of these engagement barriers hindered student engagement in employability development. Further analysis showed that two engagement dimensions (affective and behavioural) were prevalent throughout the tertiary education experience, with the consequences seeing students failing to engage in employability development outside of classes and lacking confidence in their employability and professional futures. The findings suggest the theoretical frameworks of student engagement, employability and career development learning should intersect and inform learning and teaching practice in HE to improve employability development inside of the classroom. A new conceptual model that intersects these frameworks is proposed.