From Identity Exploration to Future Planning: Empowering Students for Success

Abstract

This Scholarship of Teaching of Learning study used a mixed methods approach in order to assess a pedagogical intervention to improve university students’ future planning. A faculty member and an undergraduate student at a Taiwanese university co-created the intervention. The course emphasized intrinsic motivation, self-exploration, and career-planning competencies. Students reflected upon past learning experiences, evaluated strengths and weaknesses, and engaged with campus resources. Qualitative analysis indicated students’ willingness to adopt effective learning strategies and found the intervention encouraged new techniques. However, procrastination and time-management issues hindered fully implementing relearning techniques. Weekly behavioral observation revealed that most students did not achieve a flow state in daily activities, only engaging deeply under exam pressure or in courses of personal interest. These observations prompted a teaching-strategy redesign. Analysis of university learning plans—students’ personalized plans for academic goals, learning strategies, and career aspirations—demonstrated that students set clear goals, and personal interests and future career development motivated them. However, their time-management and resource-utilization skills were limited. Despite a willingness to invest effort, students struggled with time allocation and balancing academic, extracurricular, and personal responsibilities, highlighting the need to enhance action on plans. Interviews with industry experts revealed students’ awareness of the importance of continuous learning, diverse competency development, and career planning flexibility. They sought foundational professional skills, hands-on experience, and contextualized learning opportunities. Pre- and post-test analyses showed nonsignificant improvements in exploration breadth and depth. Additionally, ruminative exploration decreased, suggesting that the intervention reduced uncertainty and encouraged future planning.