Abstract
Learning outcomes (LOs) provide an essential foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of higher education institutions (HEIs). LOs have been accepted as criteria for accrediting academic programs; however, little is known about why students vary in their desired outcomes and how experiences in the workplace and learning strategies have different impacts on LOs. Based on social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this study investigated the relationships among work-integrated learning (WIL), learning strategies, institutional and goal commitments, engineering skill self-efficacy, engineering career outcome expectations, lifelong learning skills (LLLs), achievement goal orientation, and LOs. The participant pool consisted of 1,316 undergraduate engineering students from 11 HEIs in Thailand. Hypotheses regarding the causal relationships, including the direct and indirect effects, were examined by using structural equation modeling (SEM). Both the measurement and structural equation models showed a good fit to the data. The results of the SEM indicated that achievement goal orientation, LLLs, and engineering skill self-efficacy had significant positive direct effects on LOs. Learning strategies had a strong direct effect on LLLs and institutional and goal commitments. The practice of WIL in the workplace was an important factor in building engineering skill self-efficacy and LLLs. The mediation analysis indicated that learning experience (i.e., institutional and goal commitments) and psychological factors played important roles in the relationship between learning strategies and LOs. This study confirmed and expanded the SCCT research. Finally, theoretical and practical implications for LO development were identified based on the results.
Highlights
Competition in the present digital era and wage inequality between skilled and unskilled workers [1] increase the pressure on higher education institutions (HEIs) because society and stakeholders demand that HEIs demonstrate their concrete efficiencies and effectiveness
Few studies have explored the relationship between work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences and the development of Learning outcomes (LOs) through learning experience and psychological factors, especially among engineering students
This study is the first investigation in Thailand or other developing countries to apply structural equation modeling (SEM) to systematically examine the relevance of WIL experience and learning strategies for predicting the LOs of engineering students
Summary
Competition in the present digital era and wage inequality between skilled and unskilled workers [1] increase the pressure on higher education institutions (HEIs) because society and stakeholders demand that HEIs demonstrate their concrete efficiencies and effectiveness. Learning outcomes (LOs) are constructed to measure graduate quality and include important statements about the knowledge, skills, and attitudes [5] that students are expected to gain after the completion of a higher education degree [6]. LOs are considered to be an essential foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of HEI professional development through learning experience [7]; for example, LOs are frequently used as important criteria for engineering program accreditation [8]. Studies have indicated that current students often lack a clear understanding of their LOs [9,10,11]
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