By Dr Lorcan Cronin (September 2023)
Part of many – but not all – undergraduate psychology degree programmes is a work-based placement. Given that practical real-world learning is said to engage the Irish student during their degree (O’Neill & Short, 2023), placements play a key role within any undergraduate degree programme. From my experience of working with psychology students, the placement setting can be as varied as working within a hospital, exercise facility, school, charitable organization, sports team, or business. This might involve shadowing a clinical psychologist dealing with mental health patients, researching how we can best encourage people to engage in exercise, or working with HR personnel to keep employees both motivated and happy. Regardless of the setting or the roles undertaken, what is most important for the student is the actual placement experience and what they learn from the placement.
In this regard, students are generally positive about their placement experiences. Often times, students I have spoken to in my role as placement module coordinator for the Department of Psychology at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) report that a particular placement allowed them to see if a career was for them or not, get experience of the ‘actual’ working world, apply in practice the knowledge they have gained during their degree, and develop a range of key skills that will equip them for their future careers. Such anecdotal evidence from students is mirrored by the research literature investigating the value of work-based placements.
A key value of placements is the development of what have been variously termed employability, soft, generic, transferable, or life skills (Cranmer, 2006). Given that such skills are often used across all aspects of a student’s life, the term ‘life skills’ seems most preferable. According to research from the UK (Robles, 2012), Australia (Jackson, 2010), and Ireland (Curry et al., 2003), some of the important life skills which students require are teamwork, oral and written communication, problem solving, decision making, leadership, and time management. Interestingly, research has shown that psychology students that undertake a placement are rated higher in terms of such life skills as compared to students that do not undertake a placement (Reddy & Moores, 2006). This is a key point as numerous studies have shown that such life skills are sought after by employers (Robles, 2012), need to be evidenced within a cover letter or CV when applying for a job (Reddy & Moores, 2006), are a key topic of conversation during a job interview, and important in terms of starting a career, success on the job, and further career progression (Azevado et al., 2012; Jackson, 2010). Others would go further by suggesting that graduates who possess such life skills will be of benefit to themselves, their employer, and the wider economy (Confederation of British Industry, 2009).
A second area of value of a placement is that students tend to perform better academically after undertaking a placement. This is true across a variety of subject areas (Binder et al., 2015) and within the area of psychology (Reddy & Moores, 2006). Although the magnitude of the increase in academic performance tends to be small (Binder et al., 2015), it is of large significance to the student. In particular, improving one’s academic performance has an obvious knock-on effect, with a good degree classification being helpful when it comes to further educational studies, obtaining a job, and future career prospects. Improvements in academic performance also increase academic self-concept – that is, a student’s own self-evaluations in relation to their studies. Academic self-concept is not only increased by previous academic performance, it also has a subsequent positive effect on performance so the benefits can potentially be long-lasting (Marsh & Martin, 2011). My own experience of working with psychology students is that they tend to mature whilst on placement and are more focused on their studies when they return from placement. Perhaps the placement experience helps students to focus on what they need to achieve academically to be successful in their future career or studies. Alternatively, some time away from academic schedules and deadlines may provide a new perspective, an opportunity to reflect on what the student really wants from their learning, and their future.
A third area of value of placements is that psychology students often learn if a particular career path is for them or not. In short, students can test out a particular career through undertaking a placement. From speaking to students, the placement experience can go one of three ways: 1) the student loved the placement experience and it has solidified their career choice, 2) they had mixed feelings about the placement and they would like to further test out that particular career, or 3) they disliked the placement experience and it has been ruled out as a future career choice. Regardless of such outcomes, most
students come away from their placement feeling that they have learned key skills that will serve them well in any future career. In an ideal (and not uncommon) scenario, a student will come away with an employment offer from their placement provider that unlocks the door to their future career.
Tied in with the idea of a placement having value for the student is the importance of the quality of the actual placement. In this regard, universities often make great efforts to ensure that placements are of good quality and match the needs of the student. At MIC, this involves a great deal of work from the academic staff member/s leading the placement modules and the professional staff in our placement office. In practical terms, this involves the placement module coordinator surveying the particular year group on the types of placement settings that they would prefer, vetting potential placements for their value, and following-up with both the student and placement provider to ensure that the placement is a success for both parties. Additionally, the student needs to also undertake some reflection and forward planning work so that they can gain the best possible experience from a placement. At MIC, our psychology students are asked to carefully decide on the type of placement they would prefer, apply themselves fully when on placement, reflect on and evaluate what they have learned on placement, and translate such reflection into their CV writing and future career planning. Each of the above research-based activities (Harvey et al., 1998) helps to ensure that students and the placement providers both have a positive placement experience.
In conclusion, whether you are a student, a parent or guardian, or an educator like myself, it is important to realize the benefits of a work-based placement for psychology students as part of their undergraduate degree programme. Importantly, such a placement will allow the student to develop key life skills, perform better academically, and help refine their career choices. For maturing students, or the mature student, a psychology placement will serve to set them on the right path for a meaningful and happy career and life.
References
Azevedo, A., Apfelthaler, G., & Hurst, D. (2012). Competency development in business graduates: An industry-driven approach for examining the alignment of undergraduate business education with industry requirements. The International Journal of Management Education, 10(1), 12-28.
Binder, J. F., Baguley, T., Crook, C., & Miller, F. (2015). The academic value of internships: Benefits across disciplines and student backgrounds. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41, 73-82.
Confederation of British Industry. (2009). Future fit: Preparing graduates for the world of work. London, England: CBI.
Cranmer, S. (2006). Enhancing graduate employability: Best intentions and mixed outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 169-184.
Curry, P., Sherry, R., & Tunney, O. (2003). What transferable skills do employers look for in third-level graduates: Results of employer survey. Trinity College Dublin: Transferable Skills Project.
Harvey, L., Geall, V., & Moon, S. (1998). Work experience: Expanding opportunities for undergraduates.
Jackson, D. (2010). An international profile of industry-relevant competencies and skill gaps in modern graduates. International Journal of Management Education, 8(3), 29-58.
Marsh, H. W. & Martin, A. J. (2011). Academic self-concept and academic achievement: Relations and causal ordering. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 59-77.
O’Neill, G., & Short, A. (2023). Relevant, practical and connected to the real world: what higher education students say engages them in the curriculum. Irish Educational Studies, 1-18.
Reddy, P., & Moores, E. (2006). Measuring the benefits of a psychology placement year. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(5), 551-567.
Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 453-465.
