Enhancing perceptions of employability amongst first-year arts students and implications for student belonging

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant characteristics in Semester 1 and Semester 2, frequency (percentage).

	Semester One	Semester Two	Total
Gender
Female	78 (78)	39 (67)	117 (74)
Male	22 (22)	16 (28)	38 (24)
Non-binary	0 (0)	3 (5)	3 (2)
Age
17–19	72 (72)	35 (60)	107 (68)
20+	28 (28)	23 (40)	51 (32)
Degree type
Education	30 (30)	21 (36)	51 (32)
Arts	36 (36)	29 (50)	65 (41)
Vocational	34 (34)	8 (14)	42 (27)
Campus
Non-Melbourne	64 (64)	26 (45)	90 (57)
Melbourne	36 (36)	32 (55)	68 (43)
^aDid you attend a Careers Panel/Workshop?
Yes	N/A	9 (26)	9 (26)
No	N/A	26 (74)	26 (74)

^a Differs from sample size (n = 158) as Careers events took place in Semester Two, at Melbourne Campus (n = 9).

Table 2. Means, standard deviations, minimum and maximum values of dependent variables.

	Career prospects				Belonging
	M	SD	Min	Max	M	SD	Min	Max
Gender
Female	3.9	0.60	2.36	5.00	4.1	0.64	2.50	5.00
Male	3.9	0.81	1.91	5.00	4.03	0.69	2.67	5.00
Non-binary	4.61	0.53	4.00	5.00	4.72	0.48	4.17	5.00
Age
17–19	3.95	0.62	1.91	5.00	4.11	0.66	2.50	5.00
20+	3.86	0.75	1.91	5.00	4.09	0.65	2.58	5.00
Degree
Arts	3.72	0.70	1.91	5.00	4.08	0.65	2.67	5.00
Vocational	3.87	0.67	2.36	5.00	4.17	0.67	2.50	5.00
Education	4.21	0.49	2.82	5.00	4.07	0.65	2.58	5.00
Campus
Non-Melbourne	3.88	0.66	1.91	5.00	4.04	0.67	2.58	5.00
Melbourne	3.96	0.66	1.91	5.00	4.18	0.62	2.50	5.00
Semester
One	3.89	0.62	1.91	5.00	4.08	0.63	2.58	5.00
Two	3.96	0.73	1.91	5.00	4.14	0.70	2.50	5.00
Total	3.92	0.66	1.91	5.00	4.1	0.65	2.50	5.00

Figure 1. Mean career prospects by degree type (weighted by gender).

Career Prospects Scale.

Item number and content	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
1. I have a clear idea of what career I would like to pursue when I complete my studies.	□	□	□	□	□
2. My future career plans played a role in my decision to study Arts.	□	□	□	□	□
3. Future employment prospects matter a lot for what I choose to study.	□	□	□	□	□
4. My degree will help me to get the job that I want.	□	□	□	□	□
5. I feel informed about the future career options for Arts graduates.	□	□	□	□	□
6. The job prospects for Arts graduates are positive.	□	□	□	□	□
7. Finding a job is the most important thing when studying.	□	□	□	□	□
8. I am not sure what subject knowledge I will need for my preferred future career.	□	□	□	□	□
9. Arts graduates have valuable skills to offer employers.	□	□	□	□	□
10. My possibilities of finding and maintaining employment after I complete my degree are good.	□	□	□	□	□
11. Arts degrees are worth the fees.	□	□	□	□	□
12. I am confident that my Arts degree will be an asset on the labour market once I have graduated.	□	□	□	□	□
13. I have a clear idea of the specific skills afforded by my arts degree.	□	□	□	□	□
14. If you’re combining a Bachelor of Arts with another degree, I see my career prospects as higher in my non-Arts degree.	□	□	□	□	□

Note: Italicised items were removed from the final scale due to negative (items 7 and 8), and low (item 14) correlations with the total scale.

Belonging Scale.

Item number and content	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
1. I have found the School of Arts to be welcoming.	□	□	□	□	□
2. I feel like I really belong to the University.	□	□	□	□	□
3. I have meaningful interactions with teaching staff.	□	□	□	□	□
4. I am proud to study Arts.	□	□	□	□	□
5. I feel connected to my peers and fellow Arts students.	□	□	□	□	□
6. I find my studies engaging.	□	□	□	□	□
7. There is a good culture on campus.	□	□	□	□	□
8. There is a good culture in the School of Arts.	□	□	□	□	□
9. I am happy with my choice to study Arts at ACU.	□	□	□	□	□
10. I feel supported and respected on campus.	□	□	□	□	□
11. Arts students have a distinct identity at ACU.	□	□	□	□	□