ERIC Number: EJ1314774
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2167-4779
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What Skills Are Learned at University? Views of Students and Working Adults
Martini, Tanya S.; Frangella, Lorenzo; VanderVlist, Meghan
Teaching & Learning Inquiry, v9 n2 2021
Though academics and employers have demonstrated increasing interest in the skills learned by university students, less is known about student perceptions of the skills developed during a degree. In the current study, we examined students' and working adults' beliefs about the skills learned and not learned during their first degree. We also examined each group's ability to define four career-related skills (communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership), and their self-evaluations of those skills. Data indicated very few differences in the beliefs of students and working adults about skills learned and not learned at university. In addition, the skills most frequently endorsed as "learned" and "not learned" were very similar to one another. Contrary to expectations, there were few group-based differences in the quality of skill-based definitions. In keeping with the hypotheses, there were no group-based differences in self-assessments of skills. Implications of these results for university courses and programs are discussed.
Descriptors: Skill Development, Job Skills, Communication Skills, Critical Thinking, Teamwork, Leadership, Student Attitudes, Employee Attitudes, Adults, Undergraduate Students, Education Work Relationship, Higher Education, Self Evaluation (Individuals), Congruence (Psychology)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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