Dignity during work-integrated learning: what does it mean for supervisors and students?

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is increasingly common in higher education, with benefits and risks for students and supervisors' wellbeing. Central to wellbeing is dignity, often described as the respectful treatment of others. While studies have explored dignity for employees, it is yet to be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in higher education (Dorchester-on-Thames) 2021-04, Vol.46 (4), p.721-736
Main Authors: King, Olivia, Davis, Corinne, Clemans, Allie, Coles, Jan, Crampton, Paul, Jacobs, Nicky, McKeown, Tui, Morphet, Julia, Seear, Kate, Rees, Charlotte
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College Students
Definitions
dignity
Higher Education
Human Dignity
Knowledge Level
Learning
Qualitative research
Student Attitudes
Students
Supervisor Supervisee Relationship
Supervisors
Teams
Well Being
Work Environment
Work Experience Programs
Work-integrated learning (WIL)
Workplace Learning
Workplaces
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Summary:Work-integrated learning (WIL) is increasingly common in higher education, with benefits and risks for students and supervisors' wellbeing. Central to wellbeing is dignity, often described as the respectful treatment of others. While studies have explored dignity for employees, it is yet to be examined in the WIL context. This qualitative study explores 46 student and 30 supervisors' understandings of WIL dignity. Using purposive sampling, supervisors and students from 6 disciplines participated in 7 groups and 58 individual semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked to describe their understandings of workplace dignity and data were analysed using team-based framework analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) participants' difficulties articulating dignity; (2) concepts used to define dignity; (3) the valence of conceptualisations; and (4) the levels to which dignity were conceptualised. Both students and supervisors need to work together to better understand what dignity is as the crucial first step toward maximising dignity during WIL.
ISSN:0307-5079
1470-174X
DOI:10.1080/03075079.2019.1650736