Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Background

Psychology students can and sometimes do develop skills and career readiness in their courses, but these outcomes are rarely made explicit.

Objective

This research jointly examines how two potential factors may improve student skills and career readiness: explicit instruction on skill development in an advanced laboratory course, coupled with an embedded staff person from the institution’s career center.

Method

Changes in self-reports of skills and career readiness from pretest to posttest were examined for the course designed to improve these outcomes, as well as in a comparison group of similarly qualified students.

Results

Students in the course targeting skill development and career readiness improved on these outcomes over time. The comparison group did not improve.

Conclusion

These findings show promise for the impact of direct skill instruction and embedded staff on student career–related outcomes.

Teaching Implications

Instructors would serve their students well by pointing out the skills they are developing, when they are developing them, and their usefulness. Other implications for embedding staff, including feasibility, are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Psychological Association (2013). APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major: Version 2.0. http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/undergrad/index.aspx

Appleby

D. C.

(2018). Preparing psychology majors to enter the workforce: Then, now, with whom, and how. Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628317744944

Borden

V. M. H.

Rajecki

D. W.

(2000). First-year employment outcomes of psychology baccalaureates: Relatedness, preparedness, and prospects. Teaching of Psychology, 27(3), 164-168. https://doi.org/10.2304/plat.2009.8.2.23

Bridgstock

(2009). The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: Enhancing graduate employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(1), 31-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360802444347

Career readiness for the new college graduate: A definition and competencies. (2019, January). Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/uploadedfiles/pages/knowledge/articles/career-readiness-fact-sheet-jan-2019.pdf

Casner-Lotto

Barrington

(2006, October). Are they really ready to work? Employers’ perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century US workforce(The Conference Board, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, Society for Human Resource Management). http://www.conference-board.org/pdf_free/BED-06-Workforce.pdf

Ciarocco

N. J.

(2018). Traditional and new approaches to career preparation through coursework. Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 32-40. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628317744963

Ciarocco

N. J.

Strohmetz

D. B.

(2018). The employable skills self-efficacy survey: An assessment of skill confidence for psychology undergraduates. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 4(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000102

Cranmer

(2006). Enhancing graduate employability: Best intentions and mixed outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 169-184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572041

10.

Dunn

D. S.

Troisi

J. D.

Baker

S. C.

(2020). Faculty receptivity to assessment: Changing the climate for evaluating teaching and learning in psychology. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 6(3), 244-253. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000247

11.

Halonen

J. S.

Dunn

D. S.

(2018). Embedding career issues in advanced psychology major courses. Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628317744967

12.

Landrum

R. E.

(2015). Career development courses: Preparing psychology majors for the workplace. In Dunn

D. S.

(Ed.), Oxford library of psychology. The Oxford handbook of undergraduate psychology education (pp. 681-691). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199933815.013.054

13.

Landrum

R. E.

Hettich

P. I.

Wilner

(2010). Alumni perceptions of workforce readiness. Teaching of Psychology, 37(2), 97-106. https://doi.org/10.1080/00986281003626912

14.

Martini

T. S.

Judges

Belicki

(2015). Psychology majors’ understanding of skills-based learning outcomes. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1(2), 113-124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/stl0000019

15.

Naufel

K. Z.

(2021). Assessment of skillful psychology student skills. [Unpublished measure].

16.

Naufel

K. Z.

Appleby

D. C.

Young

Van Kirk

J. F.

Spencer

S. M.

Rudmann

Richmond

A. S.

(2018). The skillful psychology student: Prepared for success in the 21st century workplace. https://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/transferable-skills.pdf

17.

Schwartz

B. M.

Gregg

V. R.

McKee

(2018). Conversations about careers: Engaging students in and out of the classroom. Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 50-59. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628317745247

18.

Troisi

J. D.

(2021). Skills Project – Skills and Careers Sessions. Open science Framework. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XYUFT

19.

Vespia

K. M.

Freis

S. D.

Arrowood

R. M.

(2018). Faculty and career advising: Challenges, opportunities, and outcome assessment. Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628317744962

Improving Student Skills and Career Readiness Through Targeted and Embedded Instruction

Abstract

Background

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusion

Teaching Implications

Get full access to this article

References