The impact of placements on students’ self-efficacy

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work placements and employability, through an analysis of the impact of a work placement on students’ self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The basis of this paper is a large-scale work-based learning module at the University of Birmingham, the “Professional Development Module”. Students completed questionnaires both before and after they undertaken their placements and the results from the questionnaires were compared. These results were then combined with the results of semi-structured interviews undertaken with students.

Findings

The paper's findings support the view that a work placement has a positive impact on students’ self-efficacy, especially in relation to their confidence in making applications and/or attending interviews, and in articulating their skills and strengths.

Research limitations/implications

While the relatively small sample size means that the paper's conclusions must remain provisional, it highlights the need for careers practitioners to encourage students to engage in critical self-reflection. The paper suggests that it is important for careers practitioners and researchers to engage in more collaborative projects in order for a fully rounded picture of the relationship between placements and employability to emerge. The paper shows that more research is needed into the relative impact of short- and long-term placements.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates the value of assessing students’ views both before and after their work placements so that these views can be compared directly.

Citation

Edwards, M. (2014), "The impact of placements on students’ self-efficacy", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 228-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-05-2014-0015