Research

Here we share findings into the effectiveness of the Designing Your Life education at Leiden University. Our study indicates that DYL education has a positive effect on students’ confidence and competencies.

Research at Leiden University

While research at various universities indicated positive effects of the DYL approach, very little of it had made it to the status of a peer reviewed publication. To contribute to the career development literature, and to test if our Designing Your Life approach really succeeded in helping students, we set up a scientific study.  

In 2022 and 2023 we gathered data from students who followed the class, as well as from students from a control group. They completed a survey before and after the class, in which they reported how they felt about various topics, on various validated instruments. These included things like how certain they were about their path, how stressed they felt about the career process and if they felt they possessed the skills to shape their career.  

Results

The results were beyond our expectations and showed that students who took the class improved on all the desired outcomes, while the control group made little progress. In jargon, the effect size was large. Specifically, DYL-students: 

• were more certain and less anxious about their future 

• were more confident they could take the necessary career steps 

• had more career competencies, like networking and crafting a career vision  

• had more psychological capital (which includes hope, optimism and resilience)

In short, DYL-students were able to face their future with confidence, because they had a better idea of the possibilities, more tools to navigate their future and felt less stressed about the process itself.  

We’ll keep you updated

The study is currently undergoing peer review and we hope to make it available here soon.