ERIC EJ932190: An Action Research Project Exploring the Psychology Curriculum and Transitions to Employment

2011·0.09 MB·English

by  ERIC

An action research project exploring the
psychology curriculum and transitions to
employment
Isabella McMurray, Pat Roberts, Ian Robertson & Kevin Teoh
Within the UK, traditional subject-specific areas are increasingly being complemented by the provision of
opportunities to foster students’ personal development planning as an aide to support their future
employment and lifelong learning. This paper describes an action research project which examined
employability skills within a psychology department’s curriculum. The first cycle involved conducting a
curriculum audit, focus groups and a survey of psychology undergraduates’ views on employability.
Analysis of the findings suggested a strong focus on development of generic graduate skills, such as
communication, IT and working with others, whilst students had difficulty in recognising the applicability
of these skills beyond an educational context. Furthermore, examples of explicit career development
planning were minimal in both module information documentation and undergraduates’ accounts. After
a process of evaluation and reflection, the second cycle involved embedding employability skills into the
psychology curriculum. The process is described along with discussion on methodological issues and the
benefits and challenges of embedding employability in a curriculum.
Keywords:curriculum; employability; action research; psychology.
T
HERE HAVE BEEN a variety of theo- graduates in gaining an in-depth subject
retical approaches relating to the way knowledge of psychology following the
that we conceptualise and structure the British Psychological Society (BPS) cur-
higher education curriculum (Smith, 1996, riculum guidelines (BPS, 2008) and Quality
2000). Universities were set up as institutions Assurance Agency (QAA, 2007) benchmark
of learning: scholarly contexts in the pursuit statements. In addition delivering a degree
and transference of knowledge (Boulton & programme provides a student experience
Lucas, 2008). The society in which these that is a seedbed in which students build on
institutions find themselves has evolved and their own personal attributes in conjunction
continues to evolve in terms of its techno- with a variety of skills and social practices in
logical, social and economic climate. As a order to achieve both fulfilling employment
result Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and a desire for lifelong learning. Further-
have adapted by offering, to a more diverse more, in our institution a teaching and
student body, courses of an applied nature learning review was conducted in 2008
(Tynjala, Valimaa & Sarja, 2003). This pro- detailing a framework which aimed at pro-
vides pedagogical challenges for educators viding students with a curriculum that moti-
who must facilitate students’ learning of sub- vated them to develop as autonomous
ject specific knowledge and nurture a com- learners and prepare them for life after
plex set of skills and competencies in their university. This paper provides an account of
students in order for them to become both an action research project which explored
initiators and developers of economic employability skills within the psychology
growth (NCIHE, 1997; Garraway, 2006; curriculum and details the subsequent
Yorke & Knight, 2007). changes that were made to our programme
One of the principal aims of psychology of study.
departments in the UK is to facilitate under-
50 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1
© The British Psychological Society 2011
An action research project exploring the psychology curriculum and transitions to employment
What is employability, and why is it long learning (Brown et al., 2003; Fallows &
important? Steven, 2000; Sleap & Reed, 2006; Yorke,
Traditionally, Humboldt (1810, cited in 2004). Indeed, there is a drive in HEIs in the
Boulton & Lucas, 2008) envisaged three dis- UK to enhance graduate employability; this
tinct features of universities: as places of is evidenced by increased funding within the
research, as schools of teaching and as education sector in this area.
autonomous institutes independent of
Government control. However, contempo- Employers and the psychology graduate
rary higher education has evolved so that It is understandable then that, in this knowl-
now universities are more entwined with the edge-driven economy, graduates need to
needs of society and the business world have a high level of knowledge and skills that
(Tynjala et al., 2003) and a strong emphasis can be adapted to a range of careers and
is now placed on the applied nature of hence that enhance their employability.
knowledge and skills. These tangible out- A variety of research projects have identified
comes can be seen to lead to better prospects a plethora of different skills, practices, com-
for employment. The Higher Education Sta- petencies and personal attributes that are
tistics Agency (HESA) in the UK produces a deemed to contribute to graduate employa-
yearly graduate first destination survey which bility. For example, the HEA Psychology Net-
measures if graduates are employed six work Employability Guide (Lantz et al.,
months after leaving university. However, 2008) notes employers’ preference for
this only provides a snapshot of graduate employees who are flexible, can manage
employment and does not take into account change, have self-motivation and drive, have
the suitability of the job that the graduate is an analytical ability, are good at decision
employed to do, whether the graduate is making, have excellent communication,
applying the skills that they learnt whilst at interpersonal skills and the ability to work in
university or whether they have taken a low- a team. In addition they can organise, plan,
level job (Shah, Pell & Brooke, 2004; Pool & have the ability to prioritise, are customer-
Sewell, 2007). focused and have leadership ability. Others,
A more holistic notion of employability like Knight and Yorke (2003), find
has been put forward by the Enhancing Stu- employers prefer graduates with workplace
dent Employability Co-ordination Team who experience, whilst Shah et al. (2004) found
defined employability as: teamwork, personal organisation, self-moti-
‘a set of achievements –skills, understandings vation, oral and written communication as
and personal attributes that make graduates well as subject knowledge as being the most
more likely to gain employment and be important attributes. However, there has
successful in their chosen occupations, which been recognition that there is often a mis-
benefits themselves, the workforce, the match between the types of graduates’ skills
community and the economy.’ and the needs of the organisation (Muk-
(York, 2004, p.7) Nglik Wong & Jamil, 2006).
Although it is appreciated that this defini- The lists of skills noted above are not
tion does not take into account outside influ- exhaustive, and there is coherence within
ences which may impact on the individual them. Although external drivers emphasise
and their situation (Yorke, 2004) and how the relevance of these key skills, many aca-
one compares to the rest of the job hunting demics question the importance of fostering
market (Brown et al., 2003), it does imply skills in their students, especially at the
that employees may have to adjust their expense of developing traditional academic
achievements, skills and understandings to subject knowledge, and can also take staff
suit the changing workforce, community and away from their own research interests
economy which paves the way for their life- (Bennett et al., 1999). Furthermore, it has
Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1 51
Isabella McMurray, Pat Roberts, Ian Robertson & Kevin Teoh
been argued that checklists where specific numeracy and hypothesis testing in
skills can be evidenced as taught are not as sciences). Not only that, the theoretical
important as personal attributes and devel- knowledge attained by students on how
oping professional identities which can take human behaviour works for themselves and
longer to develop (DfES, 2002; Brown et al., others allows the student an opportunity to
2003; Holmes, 2005). acquire or improve their generic skills, for
Where does this leave educators of psy- example, being cognisant of their own per-
chology undergraduates? The UK’s widening sonal and interpersonal skills. To give exam-
participation agenda means that more stu- ples of this, students are taught the theories
dents are entering higher education from a behind cognitive biases which could influ-
diverse range of backgrounds, bringing with ence their critical thinking ability, or learn
them a wider range of different life experi- how group functioning and processes can
ences. Moreover, when UK psychology stu- affect how they work in teams (QAA, 2007).
dents do graduate approximately 80 per cent In order to acquire these various skills,
do not go on to become a psychologist but the curriculum has to be designed so that
go on to a variety of different occupations students are able to obtain the skills and
including health and social care, education, knowledge outlined above, and this should
commerce and industry (Lantz et al., 2008). be reflected in the learning, teaching and
This diversity at entry to and exit from uni- assessment methods. Knight and Yorke’s
versity means that students need to acquire (2003, 2004) USEM developmental model is
some very general skills whilst at university. often used to foster employability. The first
Indeed, what makes the psychology degree letter of this model represents the ‘Under-
special is that it has its foundations built standing’ of the academic course and subject
upon both the humanities and sciences, being taught, together with other relevant
thereby allowing the student to obtain attrib- knowledge to employability. The second
utes relevant to both these areas (i.e. critical letter stands for ‘Skilful’ practices in context,
thinking and essay writing for humanities, or general social practices. ‘Efficacy’ repre-
Figure 1: The USEM account of employability (Knight & Yorke, 2003, 2004).
S E
Skills Employ-
including ability
key skills
E
Personal
qualities,
including
self-theories
and efficacy
beliefs
Subject Meta-
under- cognition
standing
U M
52 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1
An action research project exploring the psychology curriculum and transitions to employment
sents the third letter with the last letter refer- ally being developed within the curriculum
ring to ‘Metacognition’, or strategic thinking in order to support our graduates’ future
and reflection. Knight and Yorke’s (2003, employment.
2004) model is displayed in Figure 1. They As part of the quality assurance proce-
maintain that planning a curriculum in this dure within the university there was a
manner should promote a knowledgeable mandatory requirement for all Module
well rounded graduate. Information Forms (ModInfs) to detail the
Furthermore, the psychology QAA key skills that each particular module aimed
benchmark statement (2007) advocates a to develop. These skills were drawn from the
similar approach stating that, as they QCA Key Skill Descriptors (see QCA web-
progress through their degree, along with site) and then formed part of the learning
the acquisition of knowledge, students outcomes for that particular module.
should develop the ability to critically eval- Consequently, there was an assumption
uate theories, approaches, and methods that the skills and competencies delivered
within their field of study. via the psychology curricula would continue
to be cultivated throughout the degree and
The psychology degree at the University would eventually be beneficial when the
of Bedfordshire students commenced full-time graduate
The psychology degree at the University of employment. However, the extent to which
Bedfordshire follows the core BPS (2008) this occurs as perceived by students under-
curriculum. The final destinations surveys taking the degree, our graduates and com-
for the previous three years are shown in panies that employ our graduates had not
Table 1. been previously investigated.
From Table 1 it can be seen that, during We therefore decided to use an action
the time period 2004–2008, approximately research approach to explore employability
half of our psychology graduates progressed skills within the psychology curriculum and
to employment, a quarter undertook post then to use these findings to develop and
graduate study and between 18 per cent and implement a revised curriculum. Traditional
30 per cent followed other pathways educational models of action research
including voluntary work, travelling or were encourage teachers to examine and reflect
unemployed. As we mentioned above, this on their own teaching practice (Stenhouse,
snap shot does not directly indicate what 1975). The focus of this paper describes an
skills we need to support in our curriculum. action research project which broadly aligns
However, it is one among other drivers that to participatory action research approaches
highlighted the need for the psychology (Norton, 2009): that is, it examines aspects
department to evaluate what skills were actu- of the curriculum design of the whole
Table 1: Psychology Department Final Destination Surveys 2004–2008.
Year Employed Postgraduate Other
study
2004–2005 53% 26% 21%
2005–2006 56% 26% 18%
2006–2007 46.5% 25% 28.5%
2007–2008 44% 30% 26%
(Source: Careers and Employment Service, University of Bedfordshire 2010)
Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1 53
Isabella McMurray, Pat Roberts, Ian Robertson & Kevin Teoh
psychology department, along with the per- collection methods were conducted simulta-
spectives of those who would ultimately ben- neously; however, they were all undertaken
efit from this teaching: the students. within the same academic year 2007–2008.
Graduates and graduate employers were also This was followed by a period of reflection
interviewed within the broader project but and planning during the summer of 2008 so
are not discussed within this paper. Action that the revised curriculum was delivered
research aims at changing three things: from the autumn of 2009. As previously men-
‘practitioners’ practices, understandings of tioned, the institution’s revised teaching and
practices and the conditions in which they learning review (2008) provided the oppor-
practice’ (Kemmis, 2009, p.464). Therefore, tunity for the department to restructure the
action research was chosen to explore our undergraduate curriculum with a stronger
working practice within the constraints of a emphasis on enhancing graduates’ employa-
BPS curriculum. To this end the whole bility. This provided the department with the
department was engaged in the process as opportunity to review the curriculum as a
previous research has shown that using whole and document the revised modules on
external researchers makes it more difficult to new Unit Information Forms (UIFs).
to induce curriculum change (Zuber-Sker- Within this new framework there was the
ritt, 1996, cited in Burchell, 2000). requirement to move from 15 credit mod-
ules to 30 credit units.
Research questions
Cycle 1 Methods used in Cycle 1
1. What skills are documented in the Curriculum audit
psychology department quality assurance The curriculum audit consisted of reviewing
modular information forms? the psychology department module informa-
2. What are students’ perceptions of the tion (ModInf) forms. These forms were the
employability skills they are developing quality assurance documents used within the
within the curriculum? university and formed the basis of our
module handbooks outlining, amongst
Cycle 2 other things, the rationale, teaching and
3. How does the curriculum need to be learning strategies, the learning outcomes
amended to support the employability of and assessment strategies for that particular
psychology graduates, following the module. In addition, all ModInf forms con-
outcomes of Cycle 1? tained QCA Key Skill Descriptors under
seven headings: Communication; Improving
Methodology Own Learning; Information Technology;
This action research project incorporated Application of Number; Problem Solving;
two cycles. Cycle 1 reviewed the situation at Working with Others; and Career Develop-
the beginning of the project which included ment. Under each of these skills were a
an audit, survey and a focus group to gain variety of subordinate skills. Academic staff
baseline information. During Cycle 2 these chose those that best reflected the sub-skills
findings were analysed followed by a process they believed undergraduates would be
of reflection, planning and implementing developing in that module. So, for example,
changes to the curriculum. Communication skills were broken down
When conducting an action research into written, listening and oral presentation
study for curriculum development there are skills, and so on. In total, across the whole
varying practical, financial and time con- curriculum, there were 22 modules (eight at
straints which may have an impact upon Level 1, eight at Level 2 and five at Level 3
when the research is undertaken (Burchell, plus the dissertation). The frequency of
2000). For this project some of the data times each skill was cited in the ModInfs was
54 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1
An action research project exploring the psychology curriculum and transitions to employment
mapped onto the seven QCA Key Skill at university, what they felt they were
Descriptors. The data were recorded using a learning and if and how this might support
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. their future study or career.
Guided by the BPS (2006) ethical guide-
Undergraduates’ views of skills and experiences lines, students were advised that their partic-
gained during their studies ipation was voluntary and that they could
A total of 77 (24 per cent) psychology under- withdraw from the study at any time. Ethical
graduates completed a survey detailing the approval was granted by the Psychology
skills they had felt they had developed Department Ethics Committee in August
during their degree, accounting for a 2006.
quarter of the students registered on the
course. In order to capture more detailed Cycle 1 Processes and outcomes
student views, students were invited to take Curriculum audit
part in two focus groups. These focus groups The frequency that staff documented a key
followed a semi-structured schedule which skill within each ModInf was noted, for
questioned students’ reasons for studying example, presentation skills, and allocated
psychology and what skills they felt they were to one of the seven QCA Key Skill Descrip-
developing during their degree. Students tors, for example, communication. Table 2
who took part in the study were aged shows the percentage of times that the seven
between 18 and 50 (x¯ age=25 years). The different Key Skill Descriptors were docu-
gender, age and ethnicity breakdown, mented at each level. What is apparent is
although not purposeful, mirrored the that the psychology department predomi-
demographics within the department. The nantly focused on developing students’
survey included the seven QCA Key Skill ‘Communication Skills’, followed by
Descriptors and the accompanying subordi- ‘Problem Solving Skills’. ‘Information Tech-
nate skills. Within the survey and focus nology’ and ‘Improving Own Learning’ fea-
groups, students were asked to identify tured very much as peripheral skills. What is
which skills they felt they had gained during noteworthy is that ‘Career Development’
the previous year of study and in which mod- skills were not explicitly represented in the
ules they felt that these skills were devel- psychology module documents. Informal
oped. The focus groups also included discussions with colleagues confirmed that
questions relating to students’ reasons for there were some links between the depart-
choosing to study psychology and their time ment and the university careers service and
Table 2: Frequency of key skill descriptors by level by staff.
Key Skill Descriptors Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Communication 42% 48% 37%
Improving Own Learning 12% 4% 8%
Information Technology 10% 6% 7%
Application of Number 14% 15% 7%
Problem Solving 15% 10% 37%
Working with Others 7% 17% 4%
Career Development 0 0 0
Total 100% 100% 100%
Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1 55
Isabella McMurray, Pat Roberts, Ian Robertson & Kevin Teoh
local organisations but these teaching were read line by line by two of the research
sessions were often ad hoc arrangements team and analysed using thematic analysis
rather than a co-ordinated operation by the (Braun & Clarke,2006). A grounded theoret-
whole department. ical approach was adopted (Glaser & Strauss,
The audit also showed that, as students 1967; Charmaz, 2007). Rather than have pre-
progressed through the levels, higher order determined categories, the researchers ques-
skills were more prominent. For example, in tioned, ‘What are the participants trying to
the first year there was more evidence of convey.’ A number of open codes were iden-
descriptive work, whilst in the third year tified, and then merged to arrive at three
there was evidence of critical evaluation in predominant themes: Subject breadth and
the modular information sheets. These find- adaptability, Personality and career choice,
ings provide some support for the QAA and Subject specific skills.
(2007) guidelines and the USEM model
(Knight & York, 2003, 2004). Subject breadth and adaptability
Undergraduates suggested that studying a
Undergraduates’ views of skills and experiences psychology degree offered them both a
gained during their studies breadth of choices of interesting subjects
Students were given the option of acknowl- along with adaptability in the job market.
edging that they had developed a particular These choices meant that students did not
skill in more than one module, hence mul- need to specifically choose a career pathway
tiple responses were given by students. The at the beginning of their degree but would
findings from the survey showed that Level 1 have more options when they had gradu-
students gave a total of 709 responses to the ated. Furthermore, the generic skills they
different skills they felt they had developed were learning throughout their degree
in each module. For Level 2, students would offer them a foundation for many dif-
responded a total of 945 times and Level 3 ferent career trajectories.
students responded 388 times. The fre- ‘I chose a psychology degree because I think
quency counts of responses to each skill were I wanted to have a wide range of different
converted to a percentage of the total topics to choose from, as much as I had a choice
responses for that level. The findings showed I wanted to explore all of them before making a
that students felt that they had many oppor- decision.’
tunities to develop their communication Female 1
skills with the highest percentage across all
levels. ‘Improving Own Learning’ increased Personality and career choice
at Level 3, this may be due to the opportuni- Students also indicated that having a per-
ties to develop these skills in the research dis- sonal aptitude towards helping others
sertation module. ‘Information Technology’ directed them to the subject of psychology
and ‘Application of Number’ remained con- and subsequent career choices.
sistent across the levels showing only a a ‘Yes I definitively, want to, hopefully become a
slight increase at Level 2. ‘Problem Solving counsellor, I worked as a manager in a
Skills’ were at the highest at Level 3, with a restaurant for several years and part of that is
slight dip in Level 2. This is in contrast with obviously HR and you have to deal with staff’s
‘Working with Others’, where the responses problems and I actually found that: (a) I
were highest at Level 2 compared to the enjoyed doing it; and that (b) I was quite good
other levels. Students did note that they had at it. I got a lot of positive feedback from my
the opportunity to develop their career skills team members how I’ve helped them.’
at all three levels. Female 2
The data from the focus groups were
recorded and transcribed. The transcripts
56 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1
An action research project exploring the psychology curriculum and transitions to employment
Subject specific skills The breadth of psychology as a subject
Not all students discussed a career orienta- was applauded by students in relation to the
tion, indicating that they were studying psy- adaptability it provided in their career
chology because of their interest in the choice. These findings reflect the current
subject. These students felt that thinking drive for adaptability to be built into
about future careers was somewhat prema- employees’ training skills (Lauder, 2001).
ture in the early stages of their degree pro- Van Laar’s (2008) seven-year longitudinal
gramme. Level 1 was perceived as being the study for the BPS exploring career destina-
time to focus solely on gaining a foundation tions of graduates who completed their
of subject knowledge rather than gaining degree in the year 2000 concluded in an oral
skills that could be used within and beyond presentation of the findings that ‘just about
university. For example, developing skills every job suitable for a general graduate will
such as, writing a research report was viewed be done best by a psychologist!’
as essential within an academic context but We asked ourselves, how could these find-
not recognised as being applicable to the ings improve our graduates’ future employa-
working world. bility? As educators we are aware of the
priority to ensure that there is a constructive
Reflections and planning alignment between the learning outcomes of
Reflecting specifically upon the aims of this the teaching session and the learning activi-
project, it was evident that on the whole our ties that we ask students to engage in (Biggs,
documented curriculum mirrored the skills 1996). Therefore, it is important that the
that students felt they were developing. That documented aims of each module are deliv-
is, there was consistency between the cur- ered to the students and that undergradu-
riculum audit findings and the students’ per- ates are aware of the learning outcomes of
ceptions of what skills they felt they had the unit. Through planning realistic and
gained during their psychology degree with meaningful teaching sessions the aim is that
communication skills having the highest per- students are more likely to internalise the
centages in relation to all skills at each of the knowledge and skills for future use.
levels. The Department of Psychology and the
There was some incongruence between institution as a whole has a history of com-
students’ perception of the skills relating to mitment to the student experience and stu-
both improving their own learning and the dents’ personal development planning
development of their IT skills compared with (PDP). Therefore, it was customary teaching
the QA official documentation. That is, stu- practice for staff within the department to
dents reported having the opportunity to meet to discuss, reflect and amend teaching
develop these skills in all modules to a and learning practices. As part of the
greater extent than was officially docu- teaching and learning review (2008) Mod-
mented. In contrast, ‘Application of Infs were rewritten as Unit Information
Number’ was perceived as being less devel- Forms (UIFs) which included a requirement
oped by students compared to the provision to detail the actions to be taken to
that staff felt they were offering. The cur- strengthen student employability skills. Staff
riculum audit did indicate that career skills within the department worked collabora-
were not detailed explicitly in any of the tively with the Careers and Employment
modular information specifications. Never- Service (CES), the Learning Resources
theless, students did respond that they were Centre (LRC) representatives and from the
developing listening skills during the coun- University Centre of Excellence in Teaching
selling modules which would be essential if and Learning (CETL) on how best this could
they went on to become counsellors. be achieved in order to facilitate the
teaching sessions.
Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1 57
Isabella McMurray, Pat Roberts, Ian Robertson & Kevin Teoh
Previous methods to enhance employa- curriculum. These guidelines stated the
bility within the university have included explicit skills that we expected psychology
teaching PDP as a standalone ‘bolt-on’ students to develop at each academic level.
module within the curriculum, a stand alone For example, at Level 1 there was an
‘bolt-on’ career development module, or as emphasis is on students’ gaining an under-
separate tutorials aligned to a core module. standing of psychological theories and com-
There are advantages and disadvantages of municating this knowledge through a
each of these methods. However, Harvey and descriptive essay. At Level 2, students were
Drew (2006) noted that developing learning expected to communicate both a breadth
skills was best addressed when the learning and depth of psychological knowledge
was contextualised within the curriculum within a written essay. By Level 3, students
rather than in standalone courses. Previous would demonstrate, through academic
measures within the department to support writing, a more sophisticated critical evalua-
career development specifically have tion of psychological theories. Of course, the
included working closely with the university skills guidelines involved additional aspects
CES who had delivered departmental induc- of communication, such as communicating
tion talks and lectures in the final year. verbally and working in groups.
These sessions have been arranged inde- The skills listed in the developmental
pendently by staff. Moreover, all students plan were then incorporated into the dif-
were invited to employer-led conferences ferent documents and in partnership with
and were offered assistance with job applica- our colleagues from the careers service and
tions given by the CES. However, the results the psychology librarian, new teaching
of our study demonstrated some disparities sessions were agreed, as shown in Table 3.
between our Quality Assurance documents In parallel to the implicit employability
(ModInfs) and our teaching practice. Fur- skills that are currently being developed with
thermore, an integrated approach of career the curriculum, Table 3 above shows how
development across the whole curriculum input from our LRC and CES has been
was required that would involve module embedded within the revised curriculum.
tutors, and careers staff to assist in devel- For example, at Levels 1 and 2, students used
oping skills and the students would require workbooks, written by the psychology
for future employment or postgraduate librarian with support from the psychology
study. lecturer in that unit in order to support stu-
dents in researching the most appropriate
Cycle 2 – Process and outcomes and effective sources of evidence, such as
Embedding employability into the curriculum journal articles and web pages. Towards the
The findings of the first cycle showed that end of Level 2, students were asked to con-
there was a range of traditional graduate sider what information literacy skills they
skills being promoted within the psychology have which can aid them with planning their
programme. Nevertheless, it was apparent dissertations and have the chance to demon-
that the some aspects of the curriculum strate these.
needed to be amended so that there was a In terms of teaching sessions run by or in
clear development of skills over the life conjunction with the CES, at Level 1 stu-
course of the degree with an injection of dents are asked to reflect upon their pre uni-
career development focus in the curriculum. versity life and think about what skills they
Using the psychology QAA (2007) bench- brought to university and which life events
mark statement, the USEM model, the find- have had a significant impact upon who and
ings from this study and discussions with where they are now. Students were also
colleagues, the authors created and imple- encouraged to visualise how these previous
mented a Skills Development Plan across the skills or life events might support their cur-
58 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1
An action research project exploring the psychology curriculum and transitions to employment
Table 3: Embedding employability into the psychology curriculum.
Unit Name Activity
Level 1 Introduction to Researching your personal, academic and career
Research Methods management skills lecture and tutorial
and Analysis
Interpersonal Psychology: Career choice and tutorial
Theory and Practice Action planning and goal setting
Foundations to Information literacy workbooks
Psychology
Level 2 Social Processes and Development of academic and professional identity
Life Span Development Lecture on career options with psychology
Biological and Cognitive Professional communication and tutorial
Psychology
Psychology of Individual Personality and career choice
Differences
Research Methods Planning your dissertation, links to career choice
Level 3 Research Dissertation Planning life beyond university
Occupational Psychology Workshops on CVs and interview skills
Assessments Centre Day (Optional)
rent and future academic and professional psychometric testing. The revised unit now
selves. In another session students were incorporates an overview of how psychome-
expected to appraise their own strengths and tric testing and competency measures are
areas for development and create specific applied in the working context. Indeed, the
personal, professional and career action use of these measures in graduate selection
plans and goals. These were recorded along- has grown over the past few years, with 53.9
side a realistic timeline and details of what per cent of organisations using this method
challenges might make these goals difficult as a selection criterion (IRS, 2003). Students
to obtain. Previous research has shown that also discuss which personality traits they
students who have a well-developed concept think are associated with career success in
of their career goals and a realistic under- terms of higher salaries and job satisfaction.
standing of their own abilities and aptitudes Rode et al. (2008) found that personality
have higher levels of employability than traits such as extroversion and agreeableness
other students (Eby et al., 2003). are the strongest predictors of salary and
Students in the focus groups felt that that emotional stability and a proactive per-
there was a strong link between their own sonality predict perceived job success.
personality and the career choices that they The ‘Social Processes and Life Span
made. The revised curriculum gave students Development’ unit encourages students to
the chance to explore the relationship fur- think about traditional psychological theo-
ther in the Level 2 unit entitled ‘Psychology ries and how these work in harmony with
of Individual Differences’, as well as cov- theoretical frameworks that underpin career
ering, amongst other things, theoretical theories within a lecture and a tutorial ses-
explanations of the individual differences of sion. For example, Erikson (1968) charac-
personality and intelligence and the use of terised the adolescent years as a period of
Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 17 No. 1 59