Becoming a professional

Abstract

PurposeResearch into the experience of BSc Psychology students and graduates in the graduate transition was carried out to enquire if ontology is central to educational transformation; if professional work experience is important in the process of becoming; and how graduates experience the transition from student to professional. Design / methodologyIn this qualitative longitudinal in-depth interview investigation four one-year work placement students were interviewed twice and five graduates were interviewed at graduation and again two years later. Student transcriptions were analysed thematically and graduate transcriptions received Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). FindingsPlacement students became legitimate participants in professional life. Graduates thought that BSc Psychology should enable a career and were dissatisfied when it did not. Professional psychology dominated career aspiration. Relationships and participation in work communities of practice were highly significant for learning, personal and professional identity and growth. Practical implicationsOntology may be central to educational transformation in BSc Psychology and is facilitated by integrated work experience. A more vocational focus is also advocated.The UK Bachelors degree in psychology is increasingly concerned with employability however becoming a professional requires acting and being as well as knowledge and skills and Barnett and others have called for Higher Education to embrace an ontological turn. This is explored in the context of BSc Psychology student experience and reflection on work placements, graduation and early career development. ) points out, Higher Education (HE) systems have in common that individuals enter, progress as students, leave as graduates and go on to lives with social, economic and political dimensions. The way that individuals are prepared by HE for their post graduation lives, as well as individual experience of the graduate transition, is therefore of interest to a range of stakeholders. Much of this interest has centered on employability.

The Development of Professional Competencies in Ph.D. Candidates in Psychology: A Thematic Analysis Study

“…Various studies have addressed the role of changing position from a beginner to an expert in the formation of professional competencies. For example, Reddy and Shaw (10) stated that the transition from being a beginner to an elite is an important component of the formation of professional competencies. Other studies conducted in other fields have shown that transition from the beginner level to expertise is a step or essential component of the formation of professional competencies (11)(12)(13).…”

How to Support Co-creation in Higher Education: The Validation of a Questionnaire

“…Co-creation stimulates creativity and innovation skills necessary to deal with the issues of the current society (Bovill, 2011;Rill & Hä mä lä inen, 2018). Furthermore, HE alumni experience the transition from being a student to being a professional as difficult (Reddy & Shaw, 2019). Young professionals struggle with different responsibilities and expectations, such as "being pro-active", and using their expertise in professional contexts (Monteiro et al, 2020).…”

Learning trajectories: Comparing the transitions of graduates of “Power Mechanical Engineering” and “Humanities and Social Sciences” programs

“…In relation to becoming an IT professional, Clark et al (2011) proposed that the transition to IT work is best understood by taking fields, habitus, capital, and the interactions between them into consideration. And in relation to becoming a professional in the field of psychology, Reddy and Shaw (2019) pinpointed the importance of searching for oneself, the integration of knowing and acting, and judgment grounded in acting; at the same time, they suggested that teaching alone is insufficient to facilitate the transition.…”