Improving student engagement in employability development
Recognising and reducing affective and behavioural barriers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14689755 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicola Fish (Swinburne University of Technology, corresponding author), Santina Bertone (0000-0002-3028-306X, Swinburne University of Technology), Bernadine Van Gramberg (Swinburne University of Technology) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03075079.2025.2461271 |
| OpenAlex | W4407398540 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 56 |
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
Employability · Higher education · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Student engagement · Career Development and Diversity · Higher Education and Employability · Higher Education Learning Practices · Psychology
Defining and Measuring Employability
The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked
Staying Engaged
Student engagement in the educational interface
Facilitating Student Engagement Through Educational Technology
The key to employability
School Engagement
Social Research Methods
Social Research
Student engagement and inclusive education
Theorising student engagement in higher education
Employing discourse
Competing perspectives on graduate employability
The four pillars of tertiary student engagement and success
Strategic institutional approaches to graduate employability
The undergraduate self-perception of employability
Framing student engagement in higher education
Accepting employability as a purpose of higher education? Academics' perceptions and practices
The student perspective on employability
A real rollercoaster of confidence and emotions
Rethinking graduate employability
Hermeneutic Phenomenology and Phenomenology
Burnout and Engagement in University Students
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |