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This study focuses on identifying the most effective instructional methods of work placement learning (WPL) delivery that industry-based instructors can adopt to enhance students' learning experiences. Employing interview and focus group methods, the authors learned from 39 participants, including 21 higher education students who had undertaken WPL in various industries and 18 industry-based instructors who have been providing placement learning tasks (instructions) to students. Focusing on the four most effective methods identified from the thematic analysis -- namely, exploration, elaboration, engagement and evaluation (operationalised as the 4E instructional methods) -- the authors analyse how the 4E instructional methods contribute to facilitating students' learning experience during work placements. Drawing on experiential learning theory and the findings of the study, recommendations are offered for the adoption of the 4E instructional methods for the effective delivery of WPL tasks to facilitate students' work-related knowledge, skills and attitudes for their future career development and employability.

We build upon the social cognitive career theory model of career self-management (SCCT-CSM) to test the effects of psychological capital constructs (hope, self-efficacy, optimism and resilience) on preparatory and active job search behaviours, mediated by job search goals in a multi-group study of university graduates who undertook work placement learning before graduation and those who did not. Using a two-wave data from 473 university fresh graduates in the one-year national youth service corps (N = 209 who undertook work placement learning before graduation) and (N = 264 who did not undertake work placement learning) in Nigeria, we test an SCCT-CSM-driven model employing structural equation modelling for the multi-group study. The findings revealed positive effects of self-efficacy and optimism on the preparatory and active job search behaviours across both samples but higher effects in the graduates who undertook work placement learning before graduation. Job search goals mediated the effects of self-efficacy and optimism on their preparatory and active job search behaviours in both samples. The serial mediation results show that self-efficacy and optimism indirectly affect the active job search behaviours via job search goals and preparatory job search behaviours. The implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]