Graduate employability, skills development and the UK’s Universities Business Challenge competition: a self-determined learning perspective

ABSTRACT

Drawing on elements of self-determined learning or heutagogy, the graduate employability impact of the UK’s leading Universities Business Challenge (UBC) competition is investigated over a five year period of from 2012–17. A central research question was addressed, namely: what do inter-university business simulations, such as the UBC, contribute to developing self-determined learner skills and graduate employability? A mixed-methods research approach combined structured equation modelling (SEM) results of 2 student surveys from over 50 (UK) universities, with qualitative analysis of 7 student focus-groups and 15 semi-structured interviews. The article contributes to new knowledge about the role of UBC as an example of an inter-university business simulation. It models the direct and indirect effects of personal/managerial skills development and reflective learning capacity (as mediator) on perceived employability impact. There is fresh evidence to support the claim that reflective learning is important in the study of self-determined learning and graduate employability.

KEYWORDS:

• Heutagogy
• self-determined learning
• business simulation
• experiential learning
• employability

Acknowledgements

The co-authors would like to thank the organisers of the UBC (Learning Dynamics) for all of their help and assistance in carrying out this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Learners have the freedom to self-direct team-tasks, create learning conversations, interactions and content; thereby, mastering their interpersonal leadership skills and competences beyond the relatively rigid confines of the traditional HE class-room (Jackson 2016; Pittaway and Cope 2007).

2 Several scholars cite the advantages of writing-up reflective learning journals (e.g. Blaschke and Hase 2016) and presenting learning portfolios (Coulson and Harvey 2013). These help to evidence experiential learning and whole-person learner development, which of course can assist students in preparing for job interviews; they also help employers to better understand HE learner progression and emergent career-oriented (person) capabilities.

3 2nd generation CB-SEM approaches in packages such as AMOS are now widely used for CFA measurement and structural modelling purposes. They are preferential over 1st generation statistical techniques including EFA, variants of ANOVA and linear regression in SPSS. A major advantage of CB-SEM in AMOS is its increased modelling capability. For example, AMOS can be used to assess CFA model fit, as well as compare direct and indirect structural pathway effects (and associated parameters) simultaneously.

4 Table 2 was developed from http://statwiki.kolobkreations.com/wiki/Main_Page.

5 Mediation analysis in Table 4 firstly incorporates all 4 steps of the Baron and Kenny (1986) approach, followed by a bootstrapping analysis to verify the indirect effect/path (Frazier, Tix, and Barron 2004, 125–126).

6 Additional focus group research (complementing the survey) was developed in conjunction with guidance from Wolff et al. (1993).

7 Deci and Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory (i.e. the innate psychological needs for developing personal competence, relative autonomy and in this case UBC team relatedness) is not the same concept as self-determined learning (heutagogy). However, the former is useful for helping us to understand the motivations for self-directed learners.

8 McCartney et al. (2009, 383) succinctly defined liminal space as: ‘the transitional period between beginning to learn a concept and fully mastering it’. Liminal thinking refers to UBC experiential learners juxtaposed on the cusp of mastering new skills and knowledge for future career success, accompanied with a self-awareness of personal skills and learning gaps associated with real world business practice.