Search Results for
"Higher education"

Legal English is a specialized branch of English for Specific Purposes that focuses on the language used in legal contexts. It involves understanding and using legal terminology, drafting legal documents, interpreting legal texts, and engaging in legal reasoning and advocacy. Therefore, teaching and learning legal English render unique challenges, as it requires linguistic proficiency and an understanding of legal concepts and practices. This study explored project-based learning technique (PBL), which was particularly beneficial in legal English because they provide a practical framework for applying language skills in authentic legal tasks. The study employed the mixed-methods approach with the researcher-made survey questionnaire for 385 instructors and semi-structured interviews with 86 university students in English as a foreign language country. The participants expressed their viewpoints on implementing PBL activities to teach and learn legal English. Overall, the instructors and the students had similar perspectives by Instructors’ and Students’ … favouring the practical implementation of PBL activities in teaching and learning legal English to modernize and align with global standards. The comparative analysis of instructors’ and students’ viewpoints indicates that project-based learning activities help learners use legal English in contextually meaningful ways, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Thus, institutions should invest in teacher professional development, providing training on PBL design, assessment, and facilitation. Additionally, implementing PBL activities encourage instructors to reform their pedagogical practices. Whistle, students should be equipped with guidance and support to help them develop the skills needed for successful PBL participation. © 2024, Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI). All rights reserved.

Introduction: Previous research has shown deficiencies in the training of researchers. Objective: To evaluate the perception of the research skills of psychology students belonging to the Research Field from the Behavioral, Cognitive Behavioral and Inter behavioral traditions, and compare it with their level of knowledge about the research process. Method: Eighty-two Psychology students participated in the first application and 70 in the second. A questionnaire was developed to self-assess the perception of research skills and general knowledge of methodology, statistics, and research report writing. Results: The students’ perception was that their investigative skills improved after completing an internship at a distance. Discussion: Inserting students into research groups enhances the development of their research skills, even in a remote model. Some factors involved and the benefits of real situations as a teaching strategy are discussed. © The authors.

This book compares the nature and practice of internationalisation of the curriculum at the policy, institutional, and classroom levels in Vietnam and Australia: the former an Asian, developing, and sending country of international students, and the latter an Anglophone, developed country, and a major education export provider. By examining curriculum internationalisation practices in these two vastly different socio-cultural contexts, the book contributes to the understanding of the magnitude and the range of differences regarding national and institutional responses to the common call for curriculum internationalisation. It addresses the impacts of the latest technological, political, economic, and sociocultural developments and COVID-19 on higher education internationalisation, as well as the digitalisation of international education. Crucially, it responds to a critical gap in the literature by not only investigating curriculum internationalisation policies and their implementation, but how faculty staff and students experience and engage with internationalisation of the curriculum in their home context, and how they position themselves and are positioned by the structural conditions with regard to curriculum internationalisation. The authors utilise document analysis, in-depth interviews, and focus groups from a four-year research project. The research employs a unique conceptual framework combining practice architectures theory and Barnett and Coate's conceptualisation of curriculum as knowing-acting-being. Providing rich inputs for new ways of thinking and doing to enhance educational quality and the learning experiences of all students, the book is a valuable resource for researchers, academic staff, practitioners, leaders, and students in higher education and international and comparative education. © 2024 Huong Le Thanh Phan, Ly Thi Tran and Jill Blackmore. All rights reserved.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze students' response to the use of computational thinking from the perspective of computational tools and to analyze the influence of gender on students' computational thinking skills. Method: Research design using a comparative approach with data collection techniques involved a survey using a Likert scale questionnaire comprising 25 items, covering five dimensions of computational thinking skills: abstraction, decomposition, algorithm thinking, evaluation, and generalization. The study subjects involved five classes: physics, physics education, geography, mining engineering, and vocational-technical education, focusing on students' ability to analyze data using JASP and IBM SPSS. The data analyze methods included: (1). Comparative Analyze; (2). Correlation analyzes (Spearman); (3). Chi-square test. Finding: The results showed that the computational thinking skills of students from various classes varied, with significant correlations between the skill dimensions. Physics and Physics education stood out with exemplary achievements, while Geography and Mining Engineering also showed good progress. The vocational-technical education program displayed nearly perfect correlations in all aspects of computational thinking skills. Meanwhile, from the gender aspect, gender significantly influenced computational thinking skills (Sig<0.00). The analyze highlighted the differences in computational thinking skills between classes and the significant influence of gender. Implication: This emphasized the importance of developing computational thinking skills in higher education and the need for inclusive approaches to enhance computational excellence among students. The implications of this study give valuable insights for improving the teaching of computational thinking in physics education. Steps that might be addressed include identifying and enhancing weak components, such as abstraction and generalization, and using particular tactics to increase students' knowledge. © 2024, Qubahan. All rights reserved.

Purpose: This study aims to asses students’ sustainability consciousness (SC) in relation to their perceived teaching styles in seven public sector institutions in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach: A survey technique was used to collect data from respondents. Grasha’s (1996) Teaching Styles Inventory and Gericke et al.’s (2019) Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire were used to collect data pertinent to teachers’ teaching styles and students’ SC, respectively. This study’s population was 1,986 students studying in seven educational institutions. A sample of 993 students was selected for the study. Out of the 993 questionnaires distributed, only 753 respondents returned the questionnaire completely filled, resulting in a response rate of 75.83%. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data. Findings: The results show that students’ mean scores on environmental and social dimensions were higher compared with the economic dimension. Similarly, students’ scores were relatively higher on the knowledge and attitude dimension while lower on the behavior dimension. Moreover, the expert and formal authority teaching styles were the most prevalent teaching styles. Furthermore, SEM results show that various teaching styles affected students’ knowledge and attitude; however, only the delegator teaching style affects all three dimensions of SC. Research limitations/implications: This research has implications for educational institutions and policymakers to ensure dedicated efforts to promote and integrate education for sustainable development into the educational system and achieve sustainability goals by 2030. Practical implications: The study findings will help future teachers to effectively integrate sustainability education into their classrooms. Originality/value: This research expands the discussion on the effectiveness of various teaching styles on SC in teacher education programs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Purpose: This research aims to understand employers' views and preferences on the assessment of holistic competencies (HCs) in graduates, a topic with existing gaps in literature. With the disparities between higher education practices and employer expectations concerning HC assessment, the study focuses on what employers wish to see in graduates' resumes. As resumes play a pivotal role in recruitment, influencing who gets shortlisted, this research seeks to discern how graduates can optimally make a good first impression. In essence, the study endeavours to enhance knowledge on employers' inferences about a candidate’s HCs and employability skills based on resume content. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive 12-item survey was devised to collect employers' perceptions and expectations of holistic competencies (HCs) assessment. The survey was informed by a synthesis of discussions with employers, teachers and a critical review paper. It aimed to understand employers' HC assessment expectations and bridge the teachers' understanding gap of students' HC achievements. Questions included demographic data, and specifics about employers' perceptions of graduates’ resumes. The survey was hosted on Qualtrics and disseminated via the authors' networks, social media and university departments in Hong Kong, with responses gathered from April to June 2021. Findings: This study reveals that employers value holistic competencies (HCs), especially those developed through work placements and extracurricular activities, as indicators of job readiness in graduates. It is imperative for students to highlight these competencies in their resumes, potentially also demonstrating them through digital portfolios. The research underscores the need for higher education institutions to systematically document and report students' HC attainments. They can support students by informing them about employer expectations, offering writing workshops and resume samples. Integrating experience-based opportunities into the curriculum can also enhance HC development, preparing students for job market competitiveness and readiness. Research limitations/implications: The research limitations include the lack of a widely accepted, standardized method to document and evidence students' holistic competencies (HCs). The implications, however, stress the necessity for students to effectively communicate their HCs to employers, requiring awareness of expectations and adaptability to evolving technologies. Educators and higher education institutions must provide resources and opportunities to students to develop, demonstrate and document these HCs. In the absence of a standardised method for HC reporting, alternative solutions like e-portfolios and platforms like YOCLE can help students gather feedback and present evidence of competencies to prospective employers. Practical implications: The study’s practical implications revolve around enhancing job readiness in graduates. Universities need to bolster their support, helping students understand employer expectations, offering writing workshops, resume templates and resources. Incorporation of platforms like YOCLE can help gather and retain evaluations, while promoting internships and extracurricular activities enhances HC development. Graduates must include work experiences, HC achievements and extracurricular activities in their resumes, even exploring digital portfolios for broader evidence presentation. They should also prepare for digital interactions like Zoom calls or video resumes, adapting to the technological advancements propelled by recent global disruptions. Originality/value: This research provides original insights into employer preferences regarding job candidates' holistic competencies (HCs) in resumes, an area not deeply explored in past literature. Focusing on how resumes can best demonstrate HC attainments, it offers practical guidance for higher education institutions preparing students for the job market. Although the study’s scope is limited by geographical and industry-specific sampling, it provides a foundational understanding of employers' recruitment expectations influenced by resumes. Its value lies in its potential to spur further research into varying contexts and industries, leading to broader implications for graduate employability and resume building practices worldwide. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.