Work-integrated learning in higher education

This chapter presents a scoping review on research related to work-integrated learning (WIL) in higher education. The review addresses themes, main findings, and the general quality of published studies. Altogether, 519 studies were included in the review. Of the studies, 43% were qualitative in nature, 31% quantitative, 18% mixed methods studies, 4% review studies, and 4% unclear. Almost one-third were published in journals which have been evaluated as low-level publication forums, about half were published in basic level journals, and one-fifth in journals evaluated as the leading or top-level forums. Seven main themes of research were identified: (1) practices and pedagogy, (2) experiences and learning outcomes, (3) employability and employment, (4) specific groups of students, (5) international studies, (6) programme evaluations, and (7) emerging topics. While several studies reported functional pedagogical practices and expected learning outcomes, challenges had also been identified. Studies on the employability and employment effects of WIL typically reported positive outcomes. Findings suggest that there is a need to pay attention to WIL in teachers’ and workplace supervisors’ professional development programmes. Further research on employers’ and teachers’ perspectives and comparisons between different fields is needed. Theory development is also welcome.