A critical examination into the acquisition and transferability of teamwork skills from the university classroom to the workplace: a cultural capital approach

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Copyright: Kalfa, Theodosia
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the increased interest being shown by Australian universities and their business faculties in the development of employability skills for students. Many universities have demonstrated their commitment to translating such interest into practice by elaborating lists of ‘graduate attributes’ to enable the development of generic skills and by encouraging their staff to adopt specific pedagogical tools for such ends. This approach is informed by the assumption that the acquisition and transferability of such skills enhance students’ human capital and, therefore, their employability. This thesis aims to identify the limitations of this perspective and to present a different approach that will enable a critical examination of the notions of skill acquisition and transferability. This thesis draws particular attention to the use of group assignments in the university classroom, which have been assumed to develop students’ teamwork skills. To overcome definitional problems regarding the nature and characteristics of teamwork skills, this thesis draws upon three different sets of scholarship: employability, cooperative learning and teamwork. The use of in-depth interviews with three key stakeholders in the employability debate  students, academics and alumni  throws light on their experiences and perceptions. This triangulation is of particular importance as staff and alumni have been traditionally ignored in employability research. This approach can enhance our understanding of teamwork skill acquisition in the university classroom through group assignments, makes it possible to draw conclusions regarding the appropriateness of this tool for the development of teamwork skills and can illuminate the understated complexities surrounding skill transferability from this context to the workplace. The theoretical framework employed for this investigation is based on Bourdieu's notions of field, doxa, habitus and cultural capital. These concepts emphasise social context and they help to tease out the interstices between technical and social skills. This framework also provides a basis on which to acknowledge the roles of the three key stakeholders. Finally, the conceptual framework elaborated and applied by this thesis provides a way of overcoming the assumption that acquisition and transfer of skills is neutral and a result of objective ability, which informs the human capital perspective.
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Author(s)
Kalfa, Theodosia
Supervisor(s)
Taksa, Lucy
Morgan, David
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Publication Year
2011
Resource Type
Thesis
Degree Type
PhD Doctorate
UNSW Faculty
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