Adaptation and initial validation of the career resources questionnaire for Portuguese - he students form

A diversified set of career resources has been related in the literature with career development and career success. The Career Resources Questionnaire (CRQ), based on the Career Success framework, was proposed by Hirschi and colleagues (2018) as an instrument aggregating several constructs that emerged as important predictors of career success. This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the CRQ to a Portuguese higher education sample, as a way to extend previous evidence of validity presented by the authors of the original version. For such, construct, convergent and discriminant validity were examined. Also, reliability and correlations analysis were conducted, taking some sociodemographic and educational attainment variables. The obtained findings showed adequate results, which support the use of the CRQ in Portugal for research or practical purposes. Suggestions for further research and practical implications are also presented.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(UIDB/01661/2020

Employability of higher education graduates: reflections and pedagogical implications

The changes that have occurred in higher education and labour market in recent years highlight the need for an in-depth reflection on current prevailing educational paradigms, and their adequacy in responding to the demands of today’s society. One of the topics that has gained particular attention is related with graduates’ employment rates, which represents one current criteria used to assess the quality of higher education institutions and courses. In this context, this article aims to reflect on current knowledge about graduates’ employability. Considering various empirical works and research lines developed over recent years, we propose a set of four premises in an effort to lend structure to some pedagogical and curricular implications for higher education institutions: (i) the risk of the “one-dimensional prioritisation” of technical skills; (ii) career management skills as a catalyst for employability; (iii) graduates and their transformative potential within organizations; (iv) the implausibility of a single model for promoting employability. To conclude, it is argued that the education of future graduates should not limit itself to the present. Pedagogical practices of teaching and learning must promote the continued construction of knowledge and skills, practical experience and work placements in organizations with different structures within the community. Keywords: higher education; graduates; employability; pedagogical implication

Employabilité des diplômés de l’enseignement supérieur: réflexions et implications pédagogiques

The changes that have occurred in higher education and labour market in recent years highlight the need for an in-depth reflection on current prevailing educational paradigms, and their adequacy in responding to the demands of today’s society. One of the topics that has gained particular attention is related with graduates’ employment rates, which represents one current criteria used to assess the quality of higher education institutions and courses. In this context, this article aims to reflect on current knowledge about graduates’ employability. Considering various empirical works and research lines developed over recent years, we propose a set of four premises in an effort to lend structure to some pedagogical and curricular implications for higher education institutions: (i) the risk of the “one-dimensional prioritisation” of technical skills; (ii) career management skills as a catalyst for employability; (iii) graduates and their transformative potential within organizations; (iv) the implausibility of a single model for promoting employability. To conclude, it is argued that the education of future graduates should not limit itself to the present. Pedagogical practices of teaching and learning must promote the continued construction of knowledge and skills, practical experience and work placements in organizations with different structures within the community.As mudanças, ocorridas no ensino superior e no mercado de trabalho ao longo dos últimos anos, remetem para a necessidade de uma reflexão aprofundada acerca dos paradigmas educativos que hoje prevalecem e da sua adequação face às exigências sociais que hoje se colocam. A este respeito, um dos tópicos que ganha particular relevância relaciona-se com as taxas de emprego dos graduados, e que representa um critério atual utilizado para avaliar a qualidade das instituições e cursos de ensino superior. Pretende-se com este artigo apresentar uma reflexão em torno do conhecimento atual sobre o tema da empregabilidade, integrando diferentes trabalhos e linhas empíricas desenvolvidas ao longo dos últimos anos, organizada em quatro premissas: (i) o risco da “priorização avulsa” das competências técnicas; (ii) as competências de gestão de carreira como catalisadoras da empregabilidade; (iii) os graduados e o potencial transformador das organizações; (iv) a implausibilidade de modelos únicos na promoção da empregabilidade. Para concluir, argumenta-se que a educação dos futuros licenciados não se deve limitar a uma visão de curto prazo. As práticas pedagógicas de ensino e aprendizagem devem promover a construção contínua de conhecimentos e competências, experiência prática e estágios em organizações com diferentes estruturas, dentro da comunidade.Los cambios que se han producido en la enseñanza superior y en el mercado laboral en los últimos años apuntan a la necesidad de una reflexión profunda sobre los actuales paradigmas educativos imperantes y su adecuación a las exigencias de la sociedad actual. En este contexto, uno de los temas que adquiere especial relevancia se refiere a las tasas de empleo de los graduados después de su formación, que es un criterio que se utiliza actualmente para evaluar la calidad de las instituciones y cursos de enseñanza superior. Así pues, este artículo pretende reflexionar sobre los conocimientos actuales en materia de empleabilidad de los graduados. Considerando varios trabajos empíricos y líneas de investigación desarrolladas en los últimos años, se presenta un conjunto de cuatro premisas: i) el riesgo de la “priorización única” de las competencias técnicas; ii) las competencias en materia de gestión de la carrera como catalizadoras de la empleabilidad; iii) los graduados y el potencial transformador de las organizaciones; iv) la inverosimilitud de los modelos singulares en la promoción de la empleabilidad. En conclusión, se argumenta que la educación de los futuros graduados no debe limitarse a las circunstancias y necesidades actuales. Por otra parte, se propone la idea de prácticas de enseñanza y aprendizaje que promuevan la construcción continua de conocimientos, habilidades y experiencias prácticas a fin de contribuir a diferentes tipos de contextos.Les changements survenus dans l’enseignement supérieur et sur le marché du travail ces dernières années soulignent la nécessité d’une réflexion approfondie sur les paradigmes éducatifs qui prévalent actuellement, et sur leur adéquation pour répondre aux exigences de la société actuelle. L’un des sujets qui a fait l’objet d’une attention particulière est lié au taux d’emploi des diplômés, qui représente l’un des critères actuellement utilisés pour évaluer la qualité des institutions et des cours de l’enseignement supérieur. Dans ce contexte, cet article vise à réfléchir sur les connaissances actuelles concernant l’employabilité des diplômés. En tenant compte de divers travaux empiriques et lignes de recherche développés au cours des dernières années, nous proposons un ensemble de quatre prémisses afin de structurer certaines implications pédagogiques et curriculaires pour les institutions d’enseignement supérieur: (i) le risque d’une «hiérarchisation unidimensionnelle» des compétences techniques; (ii) les compétences en gestion de carrière comme catalyseur de l’employabilité; (iii) les diplômés et leur potentiel de transformation au sein des organisations; (iv) l’invraisemblance d’un modèle unique de promotion de l’employabilité. Pour conclure, on fait valoir que l’éducation des futurs diplômés ne devrait pas se limiter au présent. Les pratiques pédagogiques d’enseignement et d’apprentissage doivent promouvoir la construction continue de connaissances et de compétences, l’expérience pratique et les stages dans des organisations ayant des structures différentes au sein de la communauté.This work is funded by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, Institute of Education, University of Minho, projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-P

Perceived employability and career adaptability of engineering graduates

The new demands of the labor market have led to the emergence of more comprehensive and complexes employability models, including not only a set of skills determining employability but also a subjective dimension that integrates personal beliefs and attitudes. Besides that, there is also evidence that individuals' psychological resources, namely in terms of career adaptability, are significantly associated with further employability. In this paper, we present data on the perceptions of employability (four dimensions: my university, my study field, the labor market, and self-efficacy) and on the adaptability resources (concern, control, curiosity and confidence) of master's final-year students (n=362), comparing a group of engineering students with students from other study fields (Social Sciences and Humanities and Economics). Regarding the perceptions of employability, the obtained results demonstrate that engineering graduates present more positive perceptions in the dimensions of study field and of external labor market, comparing with their colleagues from other fields. Concerning career adaptability resources, the differences are reversed, with engineering students with scoring lower in the dimensions of concern and confidence.This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [SFRH/BPD/92331/2013] and by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, projects UID/CED/1661/2013 , UID/CED/1661/2016, Institute of Education, and Project UID/CTM/00264/2019 of 2C2T – Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia Têxtil , University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT

The role of teachers at university: what do high achiever students look for?

The perceptions of students about their teachers have interested the academic and scientific community, regarding the improvement of the quality of higher education. This paper presents data obtained from interviews conducted with ten high achiever engineering students and focuses on the characteristics of teachers that are highly valued by the participants. Furthermore, the influence of teachers on the development of the students was explored. The data collected describes a set of aspects from the scientific, pedagogic and emotional domains, which students identified about their teachers. Some reflections and practical implications are also presented with regard to the characteristics and pedagogical needs of high achievers.Indiana University Bloomington LibrariesIUScholarWork

Engineering graduates’ perception of competencies and preparation to the labor market transition

Publicado em "Proceedings of ICERI2016 Conference", ISBN 978-84-617-5895-1Current models of employability are rather broad and complex, including not only a set of skills as determinant factors in employability, but also a subjective dimension that considers individual selfbeliefs and attitudes. Under this framework, the perception of competencies developed during Higher Education were explored. This study intended to understand how engineering graduates evaluate the competencies developed during higher education and how this relates with the perception of preparation to the labor market transition. For that purpose, a sample of 332 Portuguese senior students taking an engineering masters’ degree filled a questionnaire. The obtained results pointed to (i) a lower evaluation concerning practical competencies comparing with other theoretical, transversal or employability competencies; (ii) practical competencies, together with communication, methodological and socioemotional competencies appear as the most important predictors of labor market transition. These findings enhance the importance of the integration of a stronger practical component in engineering curriculum as a way to better prepare graduates and to promote employability.Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BPD/92331/2013

Adaptación y validación inicial de la Escala de Empleabilidad Percibida

Our study seeks to (i) explore the factor structure of the perceived employability scale – Higher Education version; (ii) identify the biographical and contextual predictors of the perceived employability. For this purpose, 373 Portuguese graduates participated in our study. Based on collected data, we performed confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis. The data allow to confirm a four-factor solution with a 67% total variance explained (34% for factor 1, 14% for factor 2, 12% for factor 3 and 7% for factor 4), based on the theorical framework. Regarding the predictors of the perceived employability, gender and study area arose as negative predictors, while the previous work experience showed to be a negative predictor. Based on the results we can provide theorical and practical explanations regarding the evaluation and intervention in the graduates’ employability.Este estudo pretende (i) explorar a estrutura fatorial da escala de empregabilidade percebida – versão para o ensino superior; (ii) identificar os fatores biográficos e contextuais preditores da empregabilidade percebida. Para tal, 373 graduados portugueses participaram neste estudo. Com base nos dados recolhidos, foram conduzidas análises fatoriais confirmatórias e análises de regressão. Os dados obtidos permitem-nos confirmar uma solução de quatro fatores, baseada no quadro teórico apresentado, com uma variância total explicada de 67% (34% para o fator 1, 14% para o fator 2, 12% para o fator 3 e 7% para o fator 4). Relativamente aos preditores da empregabilidade percebida, o género e a área de estudo emergiram como preditores positivos, enquanto que a experiência de trabalho prévia se apresentou como um preditor negativo. Os resultados apresentados permitem-nos tecer algumas implicações teóricas e práticas relativamente à avaliação e intervenção na empregabilidade dos graduados no ensino superior.Este estudio busca (i) explorar la estructura factorial de la escala de empleabilidad percibida –con versión para la educación superior–; e (ii) identificar los factores biográficos y contextuales que predicen la empleabilidad percibida. Para ello, en este estudio participaron 373 graduados portugueses. Con base en los datos recopilados, se realizaron análisis factoriales confirmatorios y análisis de regresión. Los datos obtenidos nos permiten confirmar una solución de cuatro factores, basada en el marco teórico presentado, con una varianza total explicada del 67% (el 34% para el factor 1, el 14% para el factor 2, el 12% para el factor 3, y el 7 % para el factor 4). Con respecto a los predictores de empleabilidad percibida, el género y el área de estudio surgieron como los predictores positivos, mientras que la experiencia laboral previa fue el negativo. Los resultados presentados nos permiten plantear algunas implicaciones teóricas y prácticas con relación a la evaluación e intervención en la empleabilidad de los graduados en educación superior.The research for this paper has been also conducted as part of the research project ref. RTI2018-101722-B-I00 “SUISIA”, funded by the National R&D Programme of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily the views of that organization. This work is funded by FCT (SRFH/BPD/92331/2013) and by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, project UID/CED/01661/2019, Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT

Adaptação e Validação inicial da Escala de Empregabilidade Percebida

Este estudo pretende (i) explorar a estrutura fatorial da escala de empregabilidade percebida – versão para o ensino superior; (ii) identificar os fatores biográficos e contextuais preditores da empregabilidade percebida. Para tal, 373 graduados portugueses participaram neste estudo. Com base nos dados recolhidos, foram conduzidas análises fatoriais confirmatórias e análises de regressão. Os dados obtidos permitem-nos confirmar uma solução de quatro fatores, baseada no quadro teórico apresentado, com uma variância total explicada de 67% (34% para o fator 1, 14% para o fator 2, 12% para o fator 3 e 7% para o fator 4). Relativamente aos preditores da empregabilidade percebida, o género e a área de estudo emergiram como preditores positivos, enquanto que a experiência de trabalho prévia se apresentou como um preditor negativo. Os resultados apresentados permitem-nos tecer algumas implicações teóricas e práticas relativamente à avaliação e intervenção na empregabilidade dos graduados no ensino superior.Our study seeks to (i) explore the factor structure of the perceived employability scale – Higher Education version; (ii) identify the biographical and contextual predictors of the perceived employability. For this purpose, 373 Portuguese graduates participated in our study. Based on collected data, we performed confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis. The data allow to confirm a four-factor solution with a 67% total variance explained (34% for factor 1, 14% for factor 2, 12% for factor 3 and 7% for factor 4), based on the theorical framework. Regarding the predictors of the perceived employability, gender and study area arose as negative predictors, while the previous work experience showed to be a negative predictor. Based on the results we can provide theorical and practical explanations regarding the evaluation and intervention in the graduates’ employability.Este estudio busca (i) explorar la estructura factorial de la escala de empleabilidad percibida –con versión para la educación superior–; e (ii) identificar los factores biográficos y contextuales que predicen la empleabilidad percibida. Para ello, en este estudio participaron 373 graduados portugueses. Con base en los datos recopilados, se realizaron análisis factoriales confirmatorios y análisis de regresión. Los datos obtenidos nos permiten confirmar una solución de cuatro factores, basada en el marco teórico presentado, con una varianza total explicada del 67% (el 34% para el factor 1, el 14% para el factor 2, el 12% para el factor 3, y el 7 % para el factor 4). Con respecto a los predictores de empleabilidad percibida, el género y el área de estudio surgieron como los predictores positivos, mientras que la experiencia laboral previa fue el negativo. Los resultados presentados nos permiten plantear algunas implicaciones teóricas y prácticas con relación a la evaluación e intervención en la empleabilidad de los graduados en educación superior

Abordagens à aprendizagem, autorregulação e motivação: convergência no desempenho acadêmico excelente

Este estudo exploratório teve por objetivo identifi car os fatores diferenciadores e preditivos do rendimento acadêmico excelente. Para tal, foi aplicada a Escala de Competências de Estudo e o Questionário de Motivação para a Prática Deliberada junto de um grupo de alunos excelentes (N = 33) e de um grupo de alunos com rendimento médio (N = 200, aproximadamente), do 2º ao 5º ano de cursos de engenharia. Os resultados apontam diferenças a favor dos alunos excelentes na abordagem profunda ao estudo e nas motivações relacionadas com o futuro profi ssional. Verifi cou-se ainda que o rendimento surge negativamente associado com o tempo de trabalho em grupo, com alguns comportamentos específi cos do estudo, e com a orientação estratégica do estudo para o processo de avaliação.In this exploratory study, we aimed to identify the factors that differentiate highly- achieving students and also analyze the variables predicting high performance. We applied the Scale of Study Skills and the Motivation for Deliberate Practice Questionnaire to a group of high achievers (N = 33) and a group of students with average achievement (N ≈ 200), from 2nd to 5th grade in engineering courses. The results showed that high achievers have a positive statistical difference concerning a deeper approach to learning and motivations related to their future career. We also verifi ed that high achievement is negatively associated with the time spent with team work, some specifi c study behaviors, and with a strategic orientation of the study towards the evaluation process.Este estudio exploratorio tuvo el objeto de identifi car los factores diferenciadores y predictivos del rendimiento académico excelente. Para eso, se aplicó la Escala de Competencias de Estudio y el Cuestionario de Motivación para la Práctica Deliberada a un grupo de alumnos excelentes (N = 33) y un grupo de alumnos con rendimiento medio (N = 200, aproximadamente), de 2º a 5º año de cursos de ingeniería. Los resultados indican diferencias a favor de los alumnos excelentes en el enfoque profundo al estudio y en las motivaciones relacionadas con el futuro profesional. Se verifi có aun que el rendimiento surge negativamente asociado con el tiempo de trabajo en grupo, con algunos comportamientos específi cos del estudio, y con la orientación estratégica del estudio para el proceso de evaluación.CNPqCAPESMinistério da EducaçãoMinistério da Ciência e TecnologiaBrasil - Governo Federa

Rendimento académico: influência dos métodos de estudo

Diversos estudos têm apontado para diferenças individuais dos alunos nos seus métodos de estudo de acordo com o seu rendimento académico. Alunos com melhores classificações no ensino secundário apresentam abordagens ao estudo, ao entrarem no ensino superior, mais próximas de um enfoque profundo ou compreensivo de aprendizagem. Por sua vez, alunos com piores classificações parecem gerir as suas actividades de estudo e de aprendizagem numa lógica mais memorística ou de simples registo e fixação de conteúdos. Assim, este artigo analisa os métodos de estudo de alunos do 1ºano dos cursos de Engenharia. Foi aplicado aos estudantes, no momento de entrada na Universidade do Minho, o Inventário de Atitudes e Comportamentos Habituais de Estudo - IACHE (Tavares, Almeida, Vasconcelos & Bessa, 2004), composto por cinco subescalas: enfoque compreensivo; enfoque reprodutivo; percepções pessoais de competência; envolvimento no estudo; e organização das actividades de estudo. Numa fase posterior, foram relacionados os resultados obtidos nas avaliações do 1º semestre com as pontuações obtidas nas diversas subescalas do instrumento, com vista a identificar uma possível correlação entre estas duas variáveis. Os valores obtidos no IACHE, cruzado com as notas de candidatura ao ensino superior e com as classificações nos exames do 1º semestre, permitem-nos salientar que, não só no ensino básico e secundário, mas também no ensino universitário, as abordagens à aprendizagem são um importante factor na variabilidade das classificações escolares dos estudantes e no seu rendimento académico