Engaging with ‘the self’: a workshop

Mantz YorkeLancaster University

mantzyorke@mantzyorke.plus.com

9th Pacific Rim Conferenceon the First Year in Higher Education

Griffith University, 12 July 2006

Employers say they want …

Self-confidence

Self-awareness

Effective learning skills

Self-promotion

Career management

Action planning

Networking

Negotiation

Political awareness

Creating opportunities

…

Hawkins & Winter (1995)

Knowledge

Intellect

Willingness to learn

Self-management

Communication

Team-working

Interpersonal skills

…

Harvey et al (1997)

Working under pressure

Oral communication

Accuracy

Attention to detail

Team-working

Time management

Adaptability

Initiative

Working independently

Taking responsibility

Planning etc

Brennan et al (2001)

Smaller employers say they want …

Commitment

Dependability

Working under pressure

Handle own workload

Oral communication

…

Yorke (1999)

Attitude / Character

Experience

Industry-related courses

Educational qualifications

Based on responses from c15,000 small businesses

Federation of Small Businesses, UK

Sternberg’s ‘Triarchy’ of abilities

Creative abilityAnalytical ability

Practical ability

Child……Young adult………………………………….Senior

IQ

Child……Young adult………………………………….Senior

IQ

Practical intelligence

Informationliteracy

Ethical, social& professionalunderstanding

Research & inquiry

Personal & intellectual

autonomy

Communication

Schola

rship

Global citizenship

Lifelong learning

Barrie’s view

The view of Bennett et al

Disciplinary content

Workplace awareness

Workplace experience

Disciplinary skills

Generic skills

Management of - self - information - task - others

U Understanding of subject and broader situations

S Skilful practices in subject, employment and life

E Efficacy beliefs and personal qualities

M Metacognition

ESECT’s USEM perspective

Employability;broader personal effectiveness

Subjectunder-standing

Meta-cognition

Skilfulpracticesin context

Personalqualities, includingself-theoriesand efficacybeliefs

E

S

U M

USEM

Employability;broader personal effectiveness

Subjectunder-standing

Meta-cognition

Skilfulpracticesin context

Personalqualities, includingself-theoriesand efficacybeliefs

E

S

U M

USEM

Evidence for E and M: effect sizes

Meta-analyses Size N studies

Self-system (E of USEM) 0.74 147

Metacognition (M) 0.72 556

Marzano (1998)

• Underemphasis on general personal development

• Risk marginalising ‘process variables’

• Narrow the focus of learning

• May not optimise the development of autonomy

• Extrinsic > intrinsic motivation

• ‘The grade’s the thing’

Problems with outcomes-based curricula(though these depend on how outcomes are couched)

The ‘personal’

Motivation

Malleable v. fixed self-theory

Learning > performance goals

Emotional state

Locus of control

Self-efficacy

Learned optimism

Practical intelligence

Emotional intelligence

The ‘personal’

Motivation Pintrich & Schunk (2002)

Malleable v. fixed self-theory Dweck (1999)

Learning v. performance goals Dweck (1999); Pintrich (2000)

Emotional state Boekaerts (2003)

Locus of control Rotter (1966)

Self-efficacy Bandura (1997)

Learned optimism Seligman (1998)

Practical intelligence Sternberg (1997)

Emotional intelligence Goleman (1996)

Acquiescence Autonomy

Kohlberg 1964Perry 1970 (reprinted 1998)King and Kitchener 1994

A desired trajectory?

Five challenges

How best to encourage:

1. Self-awareness

2. Self-belief

3. Intrinsic motivation

4. Development of the capacity to work well with others

5. Development of personal autonomy

What do you do, could you do, or could you get others to do, in teaching in order to encourage these?

ConcreteExperience

ActiveExperimentation

ReflectiveObservation

AbstractConceptualisation

AccommodatorFeel/do

Diverger Feel/watch

AssimilatorThink/watch

Converger Think/do

Kolb

ConcreteExperience

ActiveExperimentation

ReflectiveObservation

AbstractConceptualisation

AccommodatorFeel/do

Diverger Feel/watch

AssimilatorThink/watch

Converger Think/do

Some references (main starting-points signalled)

Barrie SC (2004) A research-based approach to generic graduate attributes policy. Higher Education Research and Development 23 (3), pp.261-275.

Bennett N, Dunne E and Carré C (2000) Skills development in higher education and employment. Buckingham: SRHE & Open University Press.

Brennan J et al (2001) The employment of UK graduates: comparisons with Europe and Japan. Bristol: HEFCE.

Coffield F et al (2004) Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning: a systematic and critical review. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre. At www.lsda.org.uk/files/PDF/1543.pdf .

Harvey L et al (1997) Graduates’ work: organisation change and students’ attributes. Birmingham: Centre for Research into Quality and Association of Graduate Recruiters.

Hawkins P & Winter J (1995) Skills for graduates in the 21st century. London: Association of Graduate Recruiters.

Knight PT & Yorke M (2004) Learning, curriculum and employability in higher education. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

See also the Learning and Employability Series, accessible viawww.heacademy.ac.uk/employability.htm .