The focus on short-term graduate employment metrics has catalysed the employability agenda as a strategic directive in universities. A raft of embedded, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities ...has emerged for developing employability. Their relative value lacks empirical exploration. This study explored graduates' self-reported participation in, and their perspectives on the value of, a range of embedded, extra-curricular, and co-curricular learning activities, as well as paid work, for employability. Survey data were gathered (N = 510) from Business and Creative Industries graduates from three Australian universities about the perceived value of activities for skill development, gaining relevant experience, networking, and creating employment opportunities. The activities were considered more useful for gaining experience and skills than for broadening networks and improving career outcomes. Embedded and extra-curricular internships, as well as extra-curricular activities, were believed to be important for enhancing employability. Internships organised as an extra-curricular activity rated better than those delivered as work-integrated learning. Implications for stakeholders responsible for curricular and co-curricular design are discussed. Author abstract
Participation in extra-curricular activities has been found to associate with increased well-being. Here we investigated in a survey (
n
= 786) what activities university students at a Canadian ...university engaged in during the stressful COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in April, 2020, which coincided with a novel online exam period, and how these activities related to perceived well-being, anxiety (STAI-S), social aspects of activities, and personality. Sixty-five percentage of students scored in the high anxiety category of the STAI-S, an alarming statistic given that only 24% had reached out for professional supports. This is consistent with reports that current supports on university campuses are inadequate. Listening to music (92%) and watching movies/series (92%) were engaged in most frequently, followed by socializing virtually (89%) and engaging in social media (85%). The activities students rated as most helpful to their well-being were somewhat different, with outdoor exercise rated highest, followed by socializing virtually and listening to music. While all activities were rated as beneficial, those with a social component tended to have high ratings, consistent with students attempting to replace lost social interactions. Linear regression models found few associations between STAI-S scores and other measures, likely because of large individual differences and lack of a pre-pandemic baseline needed to assess changes in anxiety. The importance of individual differences was evident in that those higher in
conscientiousness
or
extraversion
or
emotional stability
were more likely to engage in exercise, while those higher in
openness to experience
were more likely to engage in journaling, playing a musical instrument, or singing, with a trend for higher engagement in song writing. Individual differences were also evident in that equal numbers of students gave positive and negative comments related to their well-being during the pandemic. The individual differences uncovered here suggest that having a variety of proactive interventions would likely reach more students. Indeed, 52% indicated an interest in online group music therapy, 48% in art therapy and 40% in verbal therapy, despite music and art therapies being virtually non-existent on campuses. In sum, the findings highlight the importance of choice in extra-curricular activities and therapies that support well-being.
Strategies employed by middle-class families to ensure successful educational outcomes for their children have long been the focus of theoretical and empirical analysis in the United Kingdom and ...beyond. In austerity England, the issue of middle-class social reproduction through higher education increases in saliency, and students' awareness of how to 'play the game' of enhancing their chances to acquire a sought-after graduate position becomes increasingly important. Using data from a longitudinal study of working-class and middle-class undergraduates at Bristol's two universities (the Paired Peers project), we employ Bourdieu's conceptual tools to examine processes of capital mobilisation and acquisition by students to enhance future social positioning. We highlight middle-class advantage over privileged access to valued capitals, and argue that the emphasis on competition, both in terms of educational outcomes and the accrual of capital in the lives of working-class and middle-class students, compounds rather than alleviates social inequalities.
Students’ engagement in extra-curricular activities can play a significant role in their development of a student identity, as well as leading to a greater sense of belonging and wellbeing. However, ...individual characteristics such as sociability may influence the likelihood of students engaging in extra-curricular activities. We collected mixed mode data from two online surveys to explore students’ perceptions of the impact of engagement in extra-curricular activities on their experience at university, as well as the mediating role of engagement in extra-curricular activities in the relationships between extraversion and wellbeing and sense of belonging to the University. Our data demonstrate that extraversion is positively associated with both belonging and wellbeing, and that engagement in extra-curricular activities also mediates these relationships. Our qualitative data uncover further nuances in engagement with extra-curricular activities; while many perceived outcomes are positive, some students express regret at opportunities missed, and find it challenging to balance extra-curricular activities and their studies. Taken together, these findings indicate that not all students stand to benefit equally from engagement in extra-curricular activities. Providing a range of opportunities that are accessible to a wide range of students may promote equity in participation in extra-curricular activities.
Sociological studies have shown that teenagers in larger Swedish cities from ‘poor result schools’ participate in extra-curricular activities connected to religion more frequently than others, and ...that involvement in such religious activities is positive in terms of educational outcomes for pupils from the lower strata of the social hierarchy. These findings raise new questions about supplementary Islamic education, as this is one type of religious extra-curricular activity found in many such areas. The article is based on interviews with students as well as observations from four Swedish mosques. The purpose is to discuss how we can understand the potentially compensatory effect of supplementary Islamic education. Thus, the emphasis is not on the traditional core of Islamic education, but on what we can call co-curricular Islamic educational activities, such as football, homework help, and mathematics.
This paper addresses the emerging theme in the literature that graduates often do not demonstrate the relevant skills to employers in job applications, interviews and in the workplace, and that HEIs ...should harness the potential of extra-curricular opportunities to enhance employability (Tchibozo, 2007; Griffiths et al., 2017). This study reports on a survey which was distributed to students in voluntary committee roles at one university to garner information around students’ ability to identify the skills gained in their roles that are transferable as employability skills. The students’ level of confidence and readiness to articulate these skills during the job application process was then explored. Results suggest that, while students feel as though they are confident and ready to draw on skills developed in extra-curricular voluntary roles, questions could be raised as to whether their ability to identify and articulate them accurately reflects their level of confidence. Therefore, a workshop and resource have been created as part of the project to help students be able to recognise and articulate the employability skills gained.
Participation in school-organized co-curricular activities (CCAs) provides opportunities for youth to develop their interests, talents, and abilities. However, would students still reap the benefits ...of CCA if their participation is not voluntary? This study, conducted in Singapore schools where CCA is mandatory, investigated the impact of CCA on adolescent adjustment and factors which predict developmental outcomes. Self-determination theory (SDT) provided the theoretical basis for this study. Based on a survey research design, the study investigated the role of the quantity (i.e., breadth, duration, and intensity) and quality (i.e., motivation) of CCA participation on developmental outcomes (i.e., school belonging, lifelong learning, communication skill, confidence, and teamwork). It profiled the relationship between background variables (i.e., gender, stream, and grade) and the type of CCA undertaken by 1,190 Singaporean secondary school students, aged 12 to 19. Students completed a set of questionnaires twice over an academic year. After controlling for background variables, CCA types, and quantitative indicators of CCA participation, autonomous motivation in CCA participation positively predicted all the developmental outcomes in both the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Results supported SDT and highlighted the crucial role of autonomous motivation in predicting youth developmental outcomes. Implications for CCA participation that will lead to beneficial outcomes for students were discussed.
There is continued pressure on universities to develop future-oriented graduates given documented skill gaps and global talent shortages. Although work experience supports work-readiness and is ...prioritised among graduate employers, little is known about the labour market gains from student employment compared to work experience embedded within the curriculum (e.g. internship or work placement), and how one may influence the other. Drawing on the lens of capital resources and signalling theory, this study uses national survey data from 152,226 recent Australian graduates to examine the relationship between student employment, in-curricular work experience and labour market outcomes. The findings affirm the high incidence of student employment and distinctions in labour market effects by type of work undertaken during study. Student employment influenced participation in embedded work experience and other employability-building activities facilitated by universities. Taking part in in-curricular work experience led to clear labour market gains, irrespective of the type of employment students engaged in during their university years. This paper discusses important implications for universities striving to develop student employability and achieve more uniform graduate employment outcomes among diverse cohorts.
The main objective of this edited volume is to offer pedagogically sound and creative ways of integrating elements of intercultural competence into class activities, tasks, and assignments in ...short-term faculty-led study abroad programs. The intercultural competencies, categorized in the areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, included characteristics such as awareness about self and other cultures, creative thinking, problem-solving, empathy, tolerance towards ambiguity, withholding judgment, to name a few. By purposefully embedding these characteristics in their course activities, faculty leaders could better assist their students in deepening intercultural and global competencies. These competencies prepared the students for a changing global work environment and helped them manage a more diverse workforce at home. This book is arranged into three sections. Section I provides the basic framework to understand short-term faculty-led study abroad programs both from a theoretical as well as administrative perspectives. Section II showcases 11 contributions from faculty leaders who share details regarding their programs demonstrating how intercultural competencies were strategically incorporated into the activities, tasks, and assignments of their study abroad curricula. Section III presents the conclusions with recommendations for faculty and administrators to plan and design short-term faculty-led study abroad programs. This book will contribute uniquely to the field by providing theoretically driven model courses from a broad spectrum of disciplines that would encourage the creation of new short-term faculty-led study abroad programs at the university level and empower current faculty leaders to strengthen or adapt their programs. The book will interest a broad readership of multidisciplinary study abroad educators, including faculty leaders, faculty leaders-in-training, faculty scholars, and administrators.
PDF
