Pursuing a Purpose: The Role of Career Exploration Courses and Service-Learning Internships in Recognizing and Developing Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) undergraduate psychology students were able to articulate while engaging in a career preparation seminar with an embedded service-learning internship. Results from the students’ reflective journals indicated students were able to describe a wide range of KSAs used and gained in their service-learning internship: communication skills, interpersonal skills, and working effectively with diverse populations. Although students were initially apprehensive about the time commitment, ultimately they found it was manageable and worthwhile; they reported enjoying helping others, gaining necessary workplace skills, increasing their knowledge of diversity, and learning more about the value of their psychology degree.