Experiences of real-world learning in higher education: lessons for ‘employability’ and the pursuit of ‘teaching excellence’ in sport curricula

Wilcox, Kim (2022). Experiences of real-world learning in higher education: lessons for ‘employability’ and the pursuit of ‘teaching excellence’ in sport curricula. University of Birmingham. Ed.D.

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Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the process of employability enhancement, specifically the growing trend in collaboration between universities and industry partners in real-world learning provision relevant to employment in the sport sector. UCAS has identified a rise in provision for sports related study in UK HE since 1990 owing to sport’s increasing popularity as a career sector. Indeed, by 2018, the UK represented 25.2% of the European sport labour market. Meanwhile, a performative culture which has tied the concept of ‘teaching excellence’ to ‘employability’ has become a key driver for UK HEIs. However, sport has been classified as a ‘niche graduate occupation’ and this has implications for HE in relation to its role in facilitating the enhancement of employability and preparing undergraduate students for careers in the sport sector. Consequently, HEIs have been encouraged to rethink their approaches to embedding employability in the curriculum by collaborating with sports industry partners in the provision of real-world learning opportunities. Indeed, political discourse has positioned a culture of partnership at the forefront of HE practice, reinforcing the importance of a positive experience of collaboration for all. The review of literature noted a prevalence of studies which sought to identify and disseminate good practice in the development of real-world learning through collaboration. However, research into how collaborative practices cultivate learners capable of transferring knowledge to real-world scenarios is in its infancy. Specifically, the lack of investigation into what employability means to subjects in the context of their experiences of real-world learning has been noted. Focusing on a model of collaboration involving one post-1992 UK university and one industry partner in the sport development sector as an illustrative case for this thesis, this study aimed to understand the meaning of ‘employability’ in the context of real-world learning and explore how the experience of real-world learning influences perspectives on ‘employability’. Taking an interpretative approach and drawing inspiration from the work of Heidegger, Dewey and Derrida, multiple lived truths were explored from the perspective of 117 students, two academic tutors and four industry practitioners involved in the programme. In a crystallised approach to analysis, deconstructive pragmatism was adopted alongside Activity Theory as a lens through which to witness the deconstruction of ‘employability’ in the context of real-world learning in HE. Findings highlighted a series of critical incidents in the stakeholder experience of real-world learning. It is argued that stakeholders’ behavioural responses to such incidents are intertwined with their perception of the various aspects and functions of the real-world learning programme in which they are engaged and that these perceptions are simultaneously influenced by their beliefs about ‘employability’ in this context. Consequently, tension between stakeholders’ idealised beliefs about ‘employability’ and the reality of the real-world learning experiences provided through a university-industry collaboration actually presented challenges in the creation of the employability culture that such a programme of real-world learning demands. I therefore offer a framework which provides a systematic way for educationalists to consider how the operations of a real-world learning programme may be manipulated to constrain or reify the occurrence of those critical incidents which will ultimately influence a stakeholder’s perception of the real-world learning programme and their beliefs or conceptions of ‘employability’.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ed.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ed.D.

Supervisor(s):