The evaluation of a career planning course at a Chinese university /

Open in iSearch

Student Theses

2025

Sheng, Meng

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

Graduates’ employability has been one of the primary goals of higher education (HE) in the rapidly changing global context. Employability refers to the ability of individuals to meet the demands of a knowledge-based workforce. Career development education (CDE) courses has been recognized as a powerful tool to support HE students in raising their career awareness, equipping them with the necessary competencies to determine their future career paths, and preparing them to tackle challenges they may face. Although myriad empirical studies have evaluated the effectiveness of CDE courses in the Western context, in China, there is no widely accepted comprehensive evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of these CDE course in terms of their design and implementation practices. This thesis presented an evaluation framework designed for the Chinese context by modifying and adopting evaluation models established and applied in the Western literature. The framework includes three focuses of analysis: content evaluation (referring to the curriculum structure), process evaluation (referring to the context and process of curriculum delivery), and outcome evaluation (referring to the instructors’ and students’ perceptions as well as the students’ career competencies gained). This framework was used to assess one CDE course at a university in Mainland China as a single-case study for this research. A mixed-method approach was adopted for the research design. In Focus One, both the planned and delivered curricula were analysed based on the seven critical factors identified in international literature as criteria for an effective CDE course design. It was found that both the planned and delivered curricula theoretically addressed enough critical factors to ensure effectiveness. However, these observed critical factors were rendered ineffective due to a lack of elaboration, insufficient support from structured content, and misalignment between the components delivered and the terminology defined in the literature. Focus Two evaluated the implementation of the delivered curriculum by examining the instructors’ and students’ perceptions. Four themes of misalignment between the instructors’ and students’ perspectives were identified, each representing a distinct aspect regarding the course’ effectiveness: aims, curriculum content, learning expectations, and teaching approaches. Focus Three assessed the effectiveness of the CDE course by measuring students’ career development competencies using validated scales from previous research. The results indicated that while some of the students’ career development competencies showed statistically significant improvement, they still did not gain concrete, tangible competencies such as career planning strategies, career decision-making approaches, and problem-solving skills. The following factors were identified as reasons: first, the course objectives were not explicitly and clearly addressed; second, the curriculum delivery was inconsistent with poor implementation fidelity; and third, teaching practice and classroom environment did not effectively engage or motivate students. To conclude, the study contributed to the development of CDE course guidelines in China by identifying key factors and elements considered essential by Chinese undergraduates. It also proposed evidence-based pedagogical and curricular strategies tailored to these students’ distinctive learning behaviours and career outlooks, establishing a foundation for designing more effective and contextually relevant CDE courses in the future

LG51.H43 Dr 2025eb Shengm

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/60QyuhWD