More than you would expect: Development of Graduate Attributes in Student Partners in a Pedagogical Consultancy Partnership Program

Abstract

Graduate attributes are an under-represented field of study in the SaP literature generally and in pedagogic consultancy specifically. This paper reports on a comparative study that reveals gains in graduate attributes (GAs) by Student Partners serving as Pedagogical Consultants in Lingnan University. A total of 8 Student Partners (SPs) rated their own perceptions of the extent to which the Partnership Program, compared to their regular courses, had contributed to the development of each of Lingnan University's GAs. To illuminate the quantitative data, in-depth interviews with the SPs were held, which were recorded and transcribed, then analysed thematically. The eight Student Partners not only judged the Program to help them further develop a range of GAs, but also that on the whole it was doing this more effectively than their regular courses, especially in the areas of Skills and Attitudes (as opposed to Content Knowledge). The interview data further unveil how the partnership practices worked to build different aspects of GAs differently, complementing SPs' regular coursework. SPs' comments show their increased awareness of the attributes and how they were learning to apply them back to their own lives as students, in their everyday lives, and potentially in their future workplaces.