The role of lifelong learning characteristics and learning approaches in preparing students for successful work adjustment

Effectively transitioning into organizational settings is essential to students’ success on a work-integrated learning (WIL) experience. A successful school-to-work transition is measured by the extent to which a WIL student masters tasks and connects to others, otherwise known as work adjustment.  

Students’ lifelong learning characteristics (LLCs) and their work adjustment are linked, according to past studies. LLCs include curiosity, strategic thinking and resilience. How LLCs are linked to work adjustment remains unclear. Students’ approach to learning at work may be a possible link. Approach to learning consists of individuals’ motivations and strategies for learning.  

This study explored whether students’ approaches to learning at work explain the relationship between LLCs and work adjustment. Three approaches to learning at work were considered: 

1. a deep approach: critical thinking, information seeking  

2. a rational approach: organized, detail-oriented 

3. a disorganized approach: self-doubting, struggle to connect information  

Key findings 

• The more students demonstrated LLCs, the more they used a deep approach to learning at work, and the less they used a disorganized approach to learning. There was no significant relationship between LLCs and a rational approach to learning. 

• More use of a deep approach to learning at work was associated with greater work adjustment. Less use of a disorganized approach to learning at work was associated with greater work adjustment. A rational approach to learning was not associated with work adjustment. 

• Approaches to learning are a strong candidate for explaining lifelong learners’ successful organizational entry. 

Does this matter to post-secondary institutions? YES!

These findings are relevant to post-secondary institution (PSI) educators who wish to create opportunities for students to develop LLCs and better support students’ transition from school to work. While opportunities to develop students into lifelong learners are often inherent in WIL programs, it is essential that PSI educators create and/or advocate for such opportunities outside of WIL, such as in the classroom. Educators may help students become lifelong learners through teaching strategies that encourage deep learning and reflection and by fostering a learning environment focusing on engagement with content rather than memorization. By understanding and incorporating this study’s findings into the classroom curriculum, educators can better prepare WIL students for successful entry and adjustment to a workplace.

Does this matter to employers? YES! 

These findings are relevant to employers who wish to create opportunities for WIL students to become organizational insiders. This can be challenging given that WIL employers are often under pressure to quickly onboard students to maximize their output. However, conditions that promote and support learning may affect how students approach learning at work, which may affect work-based learning outcomes. Providing space for students to explore hands-on training during onboarding and engage in meaningful projects early on is helpful for their organizational entry. By understanding and incorporating this study’s findings into the WIL experience, employers can improve all staff performance and outcomes (e.g., retention). They can create an adaptable workforce that is able to succeed in increasingly complex roles. 

What can PSIs and employers do with this information? 

• PSIs and employers can create and advocate for opportunities for students to develop LLCs through authentic work-based experiential education and self-reflection.  

• PSIs can shift the focus of the curriculum from imparting knowledge to offering experiences that help students “learn how to learn” and become self-directed learners. This may be achieved through active, experiential education and by encouraging students to set goals and self-assess.  

• Employers can create conditions that promote and support deep learning in their organizations. This may be achieved by providing access to learning resources (e.g., training) and dedicated learning time for students to explore ideas and tasks outside of their primary role. 

Conclusions

Success in a WIL experience requires that students learn how to adjust to their role and organizational context. The results of this study highlight the need to develop students into lifelong learners as one possible way to prepare them for successful organizational entry and work adjustment. PSI educators and employers should create opportunities for students to develop LLCs within the classroom and workplace.   

How we came to these conclusions  

We conducted 2 surveys with 137 undergraduate co-op students on a four-month work term.  

• Survey 1 was administered within the first two weeks of the co-op work term. It measured participants’ self-reported personal characteristics (e.g., demographics, number of work terms completed) and organizational characteristics where participants worked (e.g., organization size). 

• Survey 2 was administered within the last two weeks of the co-op work term. It measured students’ LLCs, approach to learning at work, and work adjustment, using adaptations of validated survey tools.