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Quest of employability of engineering students: an explanatory sequential mixed methods research study

Author

Listed:
  • Amrita Sharma

    (Kathmandu University School of Education)

  • Prakash C. Bhattarai

    (Kathmandu University School of Education)

  • Anthony John Onwuegbuzie

    (University of Cambridge
    University of Johannesburg)

Abstract

Successful transition from universities to the industry is essential for engineering students. The transition becomes comfortable to the students if employers find them to be equipped with the necessary employable skills. However, employability has hardly been prioritized in the research of engineering education. To this end, a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design was employed in two phases to explore the factors of employability and their roles in the engineering streams of civil, architect, computer, electrical, electronics, mechanical, and environmental. In the first phase, a survey was administered to a sample of 314 students. A principal components analysis revealed the following four factors of employability: personal attributes, core attributes, self-management and process attributes, and career guidance. Among these factors, career guidance was more robust in architecture than in the other streams. The second phase of the qualitative case study revealed that the opportunities for exposure, mentorship, internship, and project works in the architecture were greater than that of the computer, civil, and mechanical streams. Consequently, the students from the architecture stream do not face the level of transition to find a job after completing their education compared to students from the other streams.

Suggested Citation

  • Amrita Sharma & Prakash C. Bhattarai & Anthony John Onwuegbuzie, 2023. "Quest of employability of engineering students: an explanatory sequential mixed methods research study," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(5), pages 3991-4011, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:57:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1007_s11135-022-01547-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11135-022-01547-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ramani Gunatilaka & Markus Mayer & Milan Vodopivec, 2010. "The Challenge of Youth Employment in Sri Lanka," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2451.
    2. Samo Pavlin & Ivan Svetlik, 2014. "Employability of higher education graduates in Europe," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(4), pages 418-424, July.
    3. Anthony Onwuegbuzie, 2003. "Effect Sizes in Qualitative Research: A Prolegomenon," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 393-409, November.
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