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"Teaching"

Background: The ASCOT research initiative funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research had the objective to measure vocational competencies in high-quality jobs. To adequately assess these it is important to offer authentic situations, similar to real-life (working) situations. Whether domain-specific problem-solving competencies are a unidimensional or a multidimensional construct has far reaching implications in vocational education e.g., regarding valid assessment of performance in the final exam at the end of vocational training. This article deals with the structure of problemsolving competencies of electronics technicians for automation technology at the end of their apprenticeship. Methods: Realistic problems with the focus on professional activities such as programming (constructive problem-solving) and troubleshooting a programmable logic controller (analytical problem-solving) were employed to measure domain-specific problem-solving competencies. Based on the results structural equation models were calculated and different models are compared for goodness of fit with consideration to content knowledge and fluid intelligence as predictors. Results: Our results document a two-dimensional structure of domain-specific problem-solving consisting of an analytical and a constructive dimension. This twodimensional structure remains stable even if content knowledge and fluid intelligence are included as predictors for the domain specific problem-solving competencies (Figs. 1, 5, 6). Only knowledge areas, which are relevant to the problem-solving situation, were predictive for the analytical and constructive problem-solving competencies. Fluid intelligence has a direct effect on both domain-specific problem-solving competencies but the influence is considerably lower when compared to relevant content knowledge. Conclusion: Based on these findings the final exam at the end of the apprenticeship needs to enclose an appropriate amount of both subdimensions of domain-specific problem-solving competencies. As a practical implication both dimensions have to be supported in addition to the teaching of content knowledge. © 2016 The Author(s).

Good interpersonal relationships between teachers and students are primordial in nursing education. The aim of the study was to understand the perception of the students on the teachers’ attitudes that contribute to their professional education. A qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research was undertaken. The subjects are nursing students in the final course term of four distinct undergraduate courses, two of them from a public university and two from a private university, totaling 72 students. Based on the data analysis, the results permitted the construction of five empirical categories, namely: knowledge of teachers; teachers’ posture; respectability in the teacher-student relationship; ethics in the teacher and student relationship; responsibility in the teaching pratice. It was concluded that, independently of the institution and course, among many teacher attributes, the students particularly value the density of knowledge. © 2016, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. All rights reserved.

Many countries now employ national evaluation systems to demonstrate publicly that universities provide a quality education. However, the current processes of quality evaluation are often detached from the practices of teaching and learning. In particular, those who teach and those who learn still have to be won over to such audit processes. This book argues that it is time for the higher education sector to concern itself with the human dimension so as to develop both academic professionalism and students' commitment to their learning. Based on five completed research projects, which explore academics' and students' experiences and their views of quality evaluation, the book argues that developing the intrinsic values of teaching and learning held by academics and students is key to achieving high quality education. In this book, the author critically reviews the four most frequently used terms related to current quality evaluation: 'fitness for purpose', 'value for money', 'student satisfaction' and 'students-as-customers', and argues for a motivationally intelligent quality approach, emphasising the moral dimension and the intrinsic values of academics and students. The author also outlines an improved quality evaluation system that encourages and increases academics' and students' commitment to teaching and learning. © 2016 Sense Publishers. All Rights Reserved.

Abstract: There is an increasing awareness that teaching is a practice where moral action is inseparable from pedagogical action, and where wise deliberation or reflection on what course of action to take as an educator is an important part of being a good teacher. This article focuses on rethinking the role of narratives as an articulation of such practical knowledge and the enrichment they might bring to a teacher’s pedagogical imagination. Working within a conceptual framework drawing on Schön and Aristotle, the study presents a group of narratives describing successful conflict resolution told by students at a newly launched teacher education program. These are discussed as part of a teachers practice repertoire and the argument is made that the local and personal repertoires of practitioners need to be complemented with elements from the repertoire of others, something systematic research into narratives of teaching in action can be part of. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Schools have an important role in teaching students how to use Social Network Site (SNS) for career purposes. This involves the opportunity for students to practice online career skills. Different types of digital environments are available for schools. There are SNS designed to enable users to interact and network. In addition there are digital environments - like Virtual Learning Environments (VLE's) - designed to support learning processes but with possibilities to network and interact as well. Little is known about how characteristics of these environments may support the development of online career skills. In this study the suitability of four digital environments - two SNS and two VLE's- to practice online career skills was investigated. The concept of affordances was used to relate the characteristics of the digital environments to how they may stimulate the practice of online career skills. Based on this concept a framework was developed to analyse the characteristics of each environment. In addition, these results were compared with the actual use of the SNS by students. The results show that, although the two SNS appear to offer a stronger environment for practicing online career skills, students do not show more online career behaviour in these environments. Implications are discussed.

The aim of this exploratory study is to develop a definition of conceptual understanding for teaching in international business. In international business, professionals face complex problems like what to produce, where to manufacture, which markets to target, and when to expand abroad. A clear definition of conceptual understanding needed to solve such problems would provide design input for international business education. In three cycles, two independent expert panels with backgrounds in academic research, international business education, and international business practice identified and validated key components of conceptual understanding in international business. Key components are the global and local contexts, general and specific business practices, and theoretical business concepts and mechanisms. Other key characteristics include factual knowledge, explanation, and out-of-the-box thinking. © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Purpose: Building Information Modelling (BIM) is becoming the new norm in the AEC industry and also part of many construction project management (CPM) programmes. The purpose of this paper is to address the difficulty and challenges in walking the narrow line between an industry-ready BIM and a BIM that is good for student learning and offers a realistic and practical, but simultaneously achievable, learning environment. Design/methodology/approach: An action research was conducted in an undergraduate CPM education setting. Findings: Key challenges encountered were availability of appropriate teaching and learning resources for BIM; finding the balance between theory and practice, technology and process, and traditional and emerging CPM methods; and facilitating staff’s professional development. Closer look was given to the teaching and learning resources for BIM. Theoretical resources that are available for education in the form of books, articles and websites are easy and straightforward to locate. Likewise, a good share of various tools are available for educational purposes. On the other hand, actual building models represent a challenge in terms of preparing and optimising usage of the model for high-quality educational purposes. Several different approaches for obtaining BIM resources were identified with various challenges and benefits. Originality/value: The results and recommendations will assist educators to better understand and overcome the practical challenges related to BIM education, especially those related to teaching and learning resources. © 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Project-based teaching is nothing new; it originates from the work of authors like Dewey and Kilpatrick. Recent decades have seen renewed interest in this approach. In many countries, it is currently considered to be an innovative approach to science and technology (S&T) teaching. In this article, we present a systematic review of what recent scientific publications teach us about this approach: How is this approach identified in these publications? How is the use of this approach in school S&T justified? What are the main research questions covered by studies in the field? What do these studies on this approach teach us? To answer these questions, we have selected and analysed articles published, between 2000 and 2014, in journals that are specialised in school science and technology education and that are indexed in ERIC database. In the synthesis based on this analysis, we present: (a) the theoretical constructs used by the authors to refer to this approach and the features identified to define it; (b) the justifications for this approach; (c) the research questions covered by studies in the field; (d) the data collection and analysis methods used in these studies; and (e) the main findings. In addition to presenting a synthesis of current research in this field, we offer a critical discussion thereof with a focus on two aspects, namely the way PBSTL is conceptualised and the rigour of the research methods used to ensure the validity of findings. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This research investigates learners’ responses to the use of literature as a means of literacy learning in level 2 Functional Skills in English. Data were gathered by way of observation, questionnaire and informal dialogue with learners. teaching and learning was underpinned by the philosophy of critical pedagogy and was therefore learner-centric. The report concludes that recognition of reading for pleasure, and the inclusion of literature in the Functional Skills in English curriculum, is an effective way to foster learner engagement with literacy learning in the workplace. © 2016 Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education (ARPCE).

In the research on education, the field roughly covered by the concept of Bildung has seen a wide-ranging discussion philosophically but less has been said and done from an empirical and vocational perspective. Bildung includes matters such as: formation of character, ethical and aesthetic knowledge/capability, capacity for wise deliberation and reflection as well as the development of personal autonomy. The focus here is on how narratives about teaching and curricula, both enacted and experienced, can be used to articulate significant aspects of Bildung-related practical knowledge. The empirical basis for this draws on a variety of narrative sources. By presenting, comparing and discussing narratives, it will be argued that there is a number of Bildung-related educational matters, not least in vocational education and training, where a narrative articulation can contribute. These can be differentiated in at least five groups: enriching knowledge of vocational tasks; conceptual development and critical reflection; advancement of practice; development of ‘practice fields’ and the articulation of patterns of vocational Bildung affordances. In distinguishing these different ways in which vocational Bildung as a form of practical knowledge can be enriched through narrative studies, the article contributes to our capacity for doing systematic research in the subject area. © 2016 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.