Skip to main content
Log in

Nurturing generic capabilities through a teaching and learning environment which provides practise in their use

  • Published:
Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Results from a programme level survey at a university in Hong Kong were used to select six departments which had good records in developing graduate capabilities. Focus group interviews were conducted with students in the departments to discover which capabilities students thought were important, how the capabilities were nurtured and the influence of the teaching and learning environment on their development. Analysis of the data showed that the findings were consistent with a previous quantitative model. Capabilities were developed if the curriculum made demands on students to practise the use of the capability. Intellectual capabilities were nurtured through active learning experiences, performed in class or for assessment, which required the practise of the capability. Communication and teamwork skills developed through group projects and activities in which communication was practised.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barrie, S. C. (2006). Understanding what we mean by the generic attributes of graduates. Higher Education, 51, 215–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biggs, J. (1987). Student approaches to learning and studying. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biggs, J. B. (1999). Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: The Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Candy, P. C., & Crebert, R. G. (1991). Lifelong learning: An enduring mandate for higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 10(1), 3–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, W. T. (1994). Teaching and scholarship: Adapting American higher education to hard times. Journal of Higher Education, 65(1), 45–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de la Harpe, B., Radloff, A., & Wyber, J. (2000). Quality and generic (professional) skills. Quality in Higher Education, 6(3), 231–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, B. J. (1998). The birth of a new journal: editor’s introduction. Learning Environments Research, 1, 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, N. (2000). Programme specification and its role in an outcomes model of learning. Active learning in higher education, 1(2), 132–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joyce, B. R., Calhoun, E., & Hopkins, D. (2002). Models of learning: Tools for teaching. Buckingham: Open University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D. (1997). A reconcepualisation of the research into university academics’ conceptions of teaching. Learning and Instruction, 7(3), 255–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D., & Leung, D. Y. P. (2005a). The influence of active learning experiences on the development of graduate capabilities. Studies in Higher Education, 30(2), 155–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D., & Leung, D. Y. P. (2005b). The impact of the teaching and learning environment on the development of generic capabilities needed for a knowledge-based society. Learning Environments Research, 8, 245–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D., & Leung, D. Y. P. (in press). Development of a questionnaire for assessing students’ perceptions of the teaching and learning environment and its use in quality assurance. Learning Environments Research.

  • Kember, D., Leung, D. Y. P., & Ma, R. S. F. (2007). Characterising learning environments capable of nurturing generic capabilities in higher education. Research in Higher Education, 48(5), 609–632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leckey, J. F., & McGuigan, M. A. (1997). Right tracks – wrong rails: The development of generic skills in higher education. Research in Higher Education, 38(3), 365–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, D. Y. P., & Kember, D. (2006). The influence of teaching approach and teacher-student interaction on the development of graduate capabilities. Structural Equation Modeling, 13(2), 264–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y., & Guba, E. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Longworth, N., & Davies, W. K. (1996). Lifelong learning. London: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1984). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moy, J. (1999). The impact of generic competencies on workplace performance. Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T. (2001). Cognitive growth in college: Surprising and reassuring findings from the national study of student learning. Change, November/December, 21–27.

  • Pascarella, E., Bohr, L., Nora, A., & Terenzini, P. (1995). Cognitive effects of two-year and four-year colleges: New evidence. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 17, 83–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E., Edison, M., Nora, A., Hagedorn, L., & Terenzini, P. (1996). Cognitive effects of community colleges and four-year colleges. Community College Journal, 66, 35–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, V., & Bond, C. (2004). Undergraduates experiences of critical thinking. Higher Education Research and Development, 23(3), 277–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C., & Bath, D. (2006). The role of the learning community in the development of discipline knowledge and graduate outcomes. Higher Education, 51, 259–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tait, H., & Godfrey, H. (1999). Defining and assessing competence in generic skills. Quality in Higher Education, 5(3), 245–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, P. R., & Bain, J. D. (1984). Contextual differences of learning approaches: The effects of assessments. Human Learning, 3, 227–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1975). Drop-out from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan, L. W. F. (2001). Learning out of the classroom: The influence of peer group work on learning outcome. Unpublished PhD thesis, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

  • Yan, L., & Kember, D. (2003). The influence of the curriculum and learning environment on the learning approaches of groups of students outside the classroom. Learning Environments Research, 6, 285–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, L., & Kember, D. (2004a). Avoider and engager approaches by out-of-class groups: The group equivalent to individual learning approaches. Learning and Instruction, 14(1), 27–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, L., & Kember, D. (2004b). Engager and avoider behavior in types of activities performed by out-of-class learning groups. Higher Education, 48, 419–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, L., & Kember, D. (2005). Contextual influences on the formation and behavior of out-of-class study groups. Curriculum and Teaching, 20(2), 59–79.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by funding from the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Kember.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kember, D. Nurturing generic capabilities through a teaching and learning environment which provides practise in their use. High Educ 57, 37–55 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9131-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9131-7

Keywords

Navigation