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Out of the comfort zone: Enhancing work-based learning about employability through student reflection on work placements

Eden, Sally

Authors

Sally Eden



Abstract

This paper examines the work-based learning about employability reported by 26 undergraduate Geography and Environmental Management students on part-time, unpaid work placements. The students' “reflective essays” emphasized their learning more in terms of emotional challenges than in terms of skills, as being pushed out of their “comfort zone” forced them to be more proactive, tackle unfamiliar activities and develop emotionally. This conceptualizes employability as more than skills and as integrative, reflective and adaptable. This also emphasizes that higher education institutions must support employability and work-based learning outside the academic zone and better integrate off-campus work-based learning with on-campus reflection.

Citation

Eden, S. (2014). Out of the comfort zone: Enhancing work-based learning about employability through student reflection on work placements. Journal of geography in higher education, 38(2), 266-276. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 10, 2013
Publication Date 2014
Deposit Date May 19, 2015
Publicly Available Date May 19, 2015
Journal Journal of geography in higher education
Print ISSN 0309-8265
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 38
Issue 2
Pages 266-276
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826
Keywords Employability; Work-based learning; Work-related learning; Work experience; Placements; Reflection
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/373994
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826
Additional Information This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of geography in higher education on 01/05/2014, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826
Contract Date May 19, 2015

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