Objective
The profession of psychology is a challenging and demanding field, particularly for newly registered psychologists entering the workforce. Resilience can be an important factor in psychologists' success and well‐being, therefore this study aimed to explore the concept of resilience among early‐career psychologists by identifying factors and strategies which support resilience and which aspects of work are most challenging for an early‐career psychologist. The study also explored how universities could help graduates to be more resilient.
Method
A sample of 96 early‐career psychologists practising in Australia within various specialisations was recruited, and participants were asked five questions about their resilience and any contributing factors. The research team implemented a qualitative method and formulated the interview schedule with items determined through the literature. Interview data were thematically analysed.
Results
Dominant themes regarding workplace factors that affect resilience concerned leadership, organisational culture, effort–reward imbalance, and emotional labour. Strategies reported to foster resilience in early‐career psychologists included workload management, professional development, utilising peer networks, reflection, exercise, and socialising. Regarding the university training pathway, support from the Australian Psychological Society and colleges was important, as well as greater focus on work placements, supervision, work‐integrated learning, job‐relevant coursework, self‐care education, teamwork, critical thinking skills, work readiness initiatives, career management support, and experience working within multidisciplinary teams.
Conclusions
This study has shown the important role that universities and workplaces play in determining an early‐career psychologist's resilience. These findings have new practical implications for university curricula and organisational practices.
The present study investigated academic procrastination in the context of the 2 × 2 goal achievement theoretical framework within a population of 450 Malaysian undergraduate students, aged 18 to 25 years. Participants completed the Achievement Goal Questionnaire and the Tuckman Procrastination Test. Approach dimensions of both the mastery and performance goal orientations were found to be positively correlated with procrastination, but the avoidance dimensions of the mastery and performance goal orientations were not associated with procrastination. In regression analyses, mastery approach was the strongest predictor of procrastination, suppressing the effect of performance approach. The results suggest that the Western values underlying the achievement goals portrayed by the goal achievement model may not accurately reflect the motivations that are intrinsic to non-Western individuals. Further research is required to either validate such a tool in non-Western cultures or, alternatively, investigate alternative factors that may potentially influence procrastination within this demographic. C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In 2010 the Australian government provided funding under the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) to assist universities to achieve a 20 percent participation rate for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. This funding has allowed universities the opportunity to implement projects towards this end. This study explores the reactions of staff employed in devolving HEPPP projects within Deakin University (DU) and Southern Cross University (SCU). Both universities have a diverse student body, with participation by regional and low socioeconomic status (SES) students at higher proportions than the national higher education average. DU has used its HEPPP funds to establish the Deakin University Participation and Partnerships Program (DUPPP), which comprises community, school and technical/vocational education and training partnerships, embedded academic skills programs, and inclusive support programs. In contrast, SCU, through its i-OnTrack project, is developing a tracking system that will follow cohorts of students coming from diverse backgrounds in order to identify those factors in their life that either impede or boost academic excellence. Key informant interviews of academic staff at both these universities (N=18) were thematically analyzed and compared. Our recommendations for institutional practice across Australia arising from this analysis include: the need to maintain appropriate resourcing for academic staff (especially for casual tutors) to support the kinds of programs that make a difference, to commence intervention programs early at secondary school and prior to the students entering university, and for intervention programs to target all students in order to capture any students who may not be obviously at risk.
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