Embedding non-placement, community-engaged work-integrated learning in the first year: A curriculum model for vocational identity and belonging

Brooke E Harris-Reeves; Andrew G Pearson

doi:10.21153/jtlge2026vol17no2art2376

Authors

Associate Professor Brooke E. Harris-Reeves Griffith University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9669-8674
Associate Professor Andrew G. Pearson Griffith University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3458-8351

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2026vol17no2art2376

Abstract

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is increasingly conceptualised as a curriculum-embedded process that may include non-placement activities designed to make professional practice visible early in a degree. This study evaluates a first-year, community-engaged WIL model embedded within a sport development degree. The curriculum integrated practitioner interaction, site visits, applied learning tasks, and structured reflection to support students’ early engagement with professional and community contexts. Using a convergent mixed-methods design (n = 89), the study examined whether participation in this curriculum was associated with students’ vocational identity and sense of belonging during transition to university. Health-related degrees, in which professional exposure is typically deferred, were used as a contextual comparison. Students who experienced the first-year WIL curriculum reported stronger vocational identity, particularly in relation to professional belonging and identification with a future profession. Qualitative findings indicated that practitioner interaction, authentic tasks, and guided reflection helped students visualise professional roles and develop clearer understandings of career pathways, whereas students without structured early exposure described a more exploratory first-year experience centred on disciplinary learning and peer connection. The study contributes to WIL scholarship by positioning first-year, non-placement, community-engaged WIL as an identity-forming process rather than solely a late-stage employability intervention. It proposes a scalable curriculum model for supporting transition, belonging, and career development through practice-visible learning.

Author Biographies

Associate Professor Brooke E. Harris-Reeves, Griffith University

Brooke Harris-Reeves is an education-focused academic specialising in curriculum design, employability, and student learning in higher education. She is the foundation Program Director for the Sport Development programs at Griffith University and has led the design and implementation of innovative sport-focused degrees and pathway programs. Her scholarship focuses on authentic learning, work-integrated learning, and curriculum approaches that support professional identity development, student engagement, and graduate outcomes.
Associate Professor Andrew G. Pearson, Griffith University

Andrew Pearson is an education-focused academic in the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences at Griffith University and Program Director of the Bachelor of Medical Science. His scholarship focuses on student transition, employability, vocational identity formation, and curriculum design in higher education. He leads large-scale curriculum innovation and pathway programs in health education, with particular interest in scalable, inclusive approaches to professional learning and student success.

References

Adams, K., Hean, S., Sturgis, P., & Macleod Clark, J. (2006). Investigating the factors influencing professional identity of first-year health and social care students. Learning in Health and Social Care, 5(2), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1473-6861.2006.00119.x

Billett, S. (2015). Integrating practice-based experiences into higher education. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7230-3

Bowen, T. (2018). Becoming professional: Examining how WIL students learn to construct and perform their professional identities. Studies in Higher Education, 43(7), 1148–1159. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1231803

Brabazon, H., Esmail, J., Locklin, R., & Stirling, A. (2020). Beyond employability: Defamiliarizing work-integrated learning with community-engaged learning. Engaged Scholar Journal, 5(3), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v5i3.70364

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238

Crane, P., Brough, M., & Fisher, T. (2019). Openness and reciprocity: Indigenous community requirements for hosting university students. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(4), 703–716. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1576593

Dean, B., Yanamandram, V., Eady, M. J., Moroney, T., O’Donnell, N., & Glover-Chambers, T. (2020). An institutional framework for scaffolding work-integrated learning across a degree. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 17(4), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.17.4.6

Dollinger, M., Corcoran, T., Jackson, D., & O’Shea, S. (2024). Employability for inclusion: the urgent need for a biopsychosocial model perspective. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 46(2), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2023.2258324

Ewing, D. R., & Ewing, R. L. (2017). Leveraging experiential learning to encourage role transition. Journal of Marketing Education, 39(3), 132–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475317724844

Ferns, S. J., Zegwaard, K. E., Pretti, T. J., & Rowe, A. D. (2025). Defining and designing work-integrated learning curriculum. Higher Education Research & Development, 44(2), 371–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2024.2399072

Ferns, S., & Lilly, L. (2015). Driving institutional engagement in WIL: Enhancing graduate employability. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 6(1), 126–143. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2015vol6no1art577

Freudenberg, B., Brimble, M., & Cameron, C. (2010). Where there is a WIL there is a way. Higher Education Research & Development, 29(5), 575–588. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2010.502291

Gilani, D., & Thomas, L. (2025). Understanding the factors and consequences of student belonging in higher education: A critical literature review. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 34. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi34.1385

Goldie, J. (2012). The formation of professional identity in medical students: Considerations for educators. Medical Teacher, 34(9), e641–e648. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.687476

Harris, L., Jones, M., & Coutts, S. (2010). Partnerships and learning communities in work‐integrated learning: Designing a community services student placement program. Higher Education Research & Development, 29(5), 547–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2010.502288

Harris-Reeves, B. (2023). From passion to profession: an employability framework in sport development. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 14(1), 237–247. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2023vol14no1art1762

Harris-Reeves, B. E., Pearson, A. G., & Massa, H. M. (2025). From uncertainty to clarity: A career plan task empowering first-year university students. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 16(1), 127–146. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2025vol16no1art2131

Harris-Reeves, B., & Mahoney, J. (2017). Brief work-integrated learning opportunities and first-year university students’ perceptions of employability and academic performance. Australian Journal of Career Development, 26(1), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/1038416217697974

Harris-Reeves, B., Pearson, A., Vanderlelie, J., & Massa, H. (2024). The value of employability-focused assessment: Student perceptions of career readiness. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 15(1), 186–204. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2024vol15no1art1903

Helyer, R. (2015). Learning through reflection: the critical role of reflection in work-based learning (WBL). Journal of Work-Applied Management, 7(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWAM-10-2015-003

Jackson, D. (2017). Developing pre-professional identity through WIL. Higher Education, 74(5), 833–853. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-016-0080-2

Kahu, E. R., Ashley, N., & Picton, C. (2022). Exploring the complexity of first-year student belonging in higher education: Familiarity, interpersonal, and academic belonging. Student Success, 13(2), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.2264

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815355

Mason O'Connor, K., Lynch, K., & Owen, D. (2011). Student‐community engagement and the development of graduate attributes. Education + Training, 53(2-3), 100–115. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911111115654

Milliken, H., Dean, B. A., & Eady, M. J. (2021). The value of embedding work-integrated learning and other transitionary supports into the first year curriculum: Perspectives of first year subject coordinators. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 12(2), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2021vol12no2art979

Orrell, J. (2011). Good Practice Report: Work-Integrated learning. Australian Learning and Teaching Council. https://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/213987

Peach, D., & Gamble, N. (2011). Scoping work-integrated learning purposes, practices and issues. In S Billett & A. Henderson (Eds.), Developing learning professionals: Integrating experiences in university and practice settings (pp. 169–186). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3937-8_10

Pedler, M. L., Willis, R., & Nieuwoudt, J. E. (2022). A sense of belonging at university. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(3), 397–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1955844

Rowe, A. D., Winchester-Seeto, T., & Mackaway, J. (2012). That’s not really WIL! Building a typology of WIL and related activities. In M. Campbell (Ed.), Collaborative education: Investing in the future: Proceedings of the 2012 Australian Collaborative Education Network National Conference (pp. 246–252). Australian Collaborative Education Network. https://acen.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ACEN-2012-National-Conference-Proceedings.pdf

Sandy, M., & Holland, B. A. (2006). Different worlds and common ground: Community partner perspectives on campus-community partnerships. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 13(1), 30–43. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.3239521.0013.103

Snell, R., Fyfe, S., Fyfe, G., Blackwood, D., & Itsiopoulos, C. (2020). Professional identity development in allied health students: A scoping reivew. Focus on Health Professional Education, 21(1), 29–56. https://doi.org/10.11157/fohpe.v21i1.322

Spencer, B. J., Sriraman, V., Talley, K. G., & Ortiz, A. M. (2018, June 23-27). Board 60: Social cognitive impact of industry internships upon engineering technology students developing professional identity: A case study [Paper presentation]. 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, Utah. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--30070

Tomlinson, M., & Jackson, D. (2021). Professional identity formation in contemporary higher education students. Studies in Higher Education, 46(4), 885–900. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1659763

Trede, F., Macklin, R., & Bridges, D. (2012). Professional identity development. Studies in Higher Education, 37(3), 365–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2010.521237

van Kessel, G., Ryan, C., Paras, L., Johnson, N., Zariff, R. Z., & Stallman, H. M. (2025). Relationship between university belonging and student outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Australian Educational Researcher, 52(3), 2511–2534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-025-00822-8

Virtanen, A., Tynjälä, P., & Stenström, M. (2008). Field-specific educational practices as a source for students’ vocational identity formation. In S. Billett, C. Harteis, & A. Eteläpelto (Eds.), Emerging perspectives of workplace learning (pp. 19–34). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789087906450_003

Wait, M., & Govender, C. M. (2016). Multi-stakeholder work integrated learning model for higher education: A transdisciplinary approach. South African Journal of Higher Education, 30(2), 279–293. https://doi.org/10.20853/30-2-585

Zegwaard, K. E., Pretti, T. J., Rowe, A. D., & Ferns, S. J. (2023). Defining work-integrated learning. In A. D. Rowe, S. J. Ferns, K. E. Zegwaard, & T. J. Pretti (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of work-integrated learning (pp. 29–48). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003156420-4