Although recent global developments suggest progress toward LGBT+ equality, institutional structures perpetuating differential treatment based on sexual orientation and gender identity persist. The present research employed a mixed-method campus climate study of LGBT+ and cis-heterosexual students sampled from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines and the UK. Phase 1 reports a largescale survey assessing relationships among students' social attitudes toward LGBT+, campus climate perceptions and experiences of harassment, well-being, academic persistence, and social identity belonging within the university (LGBT+ = 877; cisheterosexual = 2107). Phase 2 reports focus groups and interviews with 35 LGBT+ students, further exploring their campus climate experiences. Triangulated results highlight the role of social identity belonging in creating positive LGBT+ campus climates. Fostering belonging, through visible institutional support for intersectionalLGBT+ student organisations and endorsement of LGBT+ inclusive policies and programmes, is recommended for creating safe and inclusive spaces for LGBT+ students.
There is increasing emphasis on the importance of making Graduate Attributes (GAs) explicit to students as part of their degree programme and the role of students themselves in proactively developing GAs. The aim of the present project was to encourage students to actively develop and reflect upon curricular and extra-curricular attributes at an earlier stage in their degree programme. To this end we developed and evaluated shortself-reflection exercises in second year (prehonours) psychology practical classes which asked students to reflect on their curricular and extra-curricular activities and on how the practical skills gained from these activities are linked to graduate attributes. Activities were followed by careers workshops focused on gaining confidence in communicating graduate attributes in an interview context, and the benefits of engaging with professional networking sites. We evaluated the impact of these activities on: 1) students' levels of selfefficacy in specific GAs before and after the inclass exercises; 2) students' confidence in presenting their GAs in an interview situation; 3) student awareness of professional networking sites. The activities resulted in increased self-efficacy ratings after the GAS reflection, increased confidence in presenting 1 http://www.gla.ac.uk/students/attributes/
The development of graduate employability and skills are an increasingly important driver of UK Higher Education strategy and policy, but less is known about how students perceive and access opportunities for skill development. This study explores students’ perspectives on how curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities contribute to their development of skills and preparedness for the graduate workplace. We surveyed 319 students from a range of disciplines studying at 15 higher education institutions (HEIs) about how they perceived graduate, global and digital skills, focusing on the types of activities they believed had contributed to their skill development and their readiness for the workplace. Findings indicate that: 1) graduate, digital and global skills predicted readiness for employment; 2) curricular activities associated with graduate skills predicted readiness for employment and graduate skills mediated this relationship; 3) co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in the digital domain predicted readiness for employment and digital skills mediated this relationship; 4) Global skills predicted readiness for employment but activities associated with global skills (e.g., study abroad) did not; 5) Activities such as coursework, study skills, training in and access to IT, use of social media, and committee membership were among those reported as most helpful for students’ skill development. These findings suggest that active reflection on skill development strengthens the link between participation in curricular, co- and extra-curricular activities and readiness for the workplace. The paper explores the implications of this for the formation of professional identities and discusses how institutions can support students to reflect upon their skills.
Psychology graduates face a volatile job market: promotion of their skills is increasingly important, yet they often lack awareness of and engagement with their Graduate Attributes (GAs); the employability skills developed throughout university in order to prepare them for the world of work. To address this, we designed, implemented and evaluated a GA reflective activity in a UK university. Undergraduate psychology students completed a measure of their self-efficacy in GAs (GASE) before and after taking part in a GA reflective activity. Students were asked to provide qualitative feedback on the value of the activity. GASE was higher after the activity but this effect was relatively small. A thematic analysis indicated that the activity was valued, but students wanted clearer guidance on the development and application of GAs. In summary, the GA activity had a marginal impact on GA self-efficacy and appeared to raise awareness of GAs and career goals. This reflective activity can be embedded in the curriculum as a stand-alone workshop or as part of personal development planning. Further work is needed to support students in identifying opportunities for skill development.
Volunteering is known to benefit not only recipients of services but also the volunteers themselves. Such benefits are especially important in volunteering young adults, who are undergoing a period of rapid transition and psychosocial development. Whilst the impact of volunteering is reasonably well studied in student groups, there is relatively little research on young adult volunteers outside the ‘student as volunteer’ context, despite the fact that this group may present different motivations towards, and benefits from, volunteering. We conducted semi-structured interviews to explore the lived experience of young volunteers. Using the experiential qualitative approach of interpretive phenomenological analysis, prominent themes relating to the social experience of volunteering were explored. These were selected as the topic of this article and are explored under three subthemes: Social belonging; Social motivation to volunteer; Social effects of volunteering on wellbeing and development. Interpretations of the participant’s verbatim are offered and discussed in relation to identity fusion theory and positive youth development.This study was supported through a Carnegie Undergraduate Student Summer Scholarship (2016).
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