Article 2009

Work placement experience: Should i stay or should i go?

BK
Bullock, Kate M.
 GV
Gould, Virginia
 HM
Hejmadi, Momna V.
 LG
Lock, Gary D.
Higher Education Research and Development
Journal · Vol. 28 · Issue 5 · pp. 481-494
Abstract

The opportunity to experience work placements that complement taught and practical courses in higher education has become a central strand of many undergraduate degree programmes. While there is tacit agreement that such placements are a good thing, in recent years the numbers of students opting for work placements has been declining. This paper uses a mixed method research design to probe the learning outcomes, attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate students who choose not to go on a work placement. Findings highlight some areas of concern that could be considered by institutions of higher education working to enhance good practice in students' work placement experiences. © 2009 HERDSA.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Higher education Experiential learning Transferable skills work placements

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
University of Bath, Department of Education, Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom
Funding & Acknowledgements
Royal Academy of Engineering
The research reported here was supported by grants from the University of Bath Teaching and Learning Fund and the Royal Academy of Engineering. The authors are grateful for this support and for the willing contributions from the participating students and staff.
References 10 References
1 Risk Society Towards A New Modernity, (1992)
2 Inside the Black Box Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment, (1998)
3 Blackwell, Alison, Transforming work experience in higher education, British Educational Research Journal, 27, 3, pp. 269-285, (2001)
4 A Review of Work Based Learning in Higher Education, (1996)
5 Informality and Formality in Learning A Report for the Learning and Skills Research Centre, (2003)
6 Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology, (1999)
7 Crebert, Gay, Developing generic skills at university, during work placement and in employment: Graduates' perceptions, Higher Education Research and Development, 23, 2, pp. 147-165, (2004)
8 Darmody, Merike, Full-time students? Term-time employment among higher education students in Ireland, Journal of Education and Work, 21, 4, pp. 349-362, (2008)
9 Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, (1997)
10 Using Semi Structured Interviews in Small Scale Research A Teacher S Guide, (1995)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
58
Times Cited (Scopus)
References 10
Document Identifiers