Search Results for
"Article"

Informal workplace learning is considered the most widespread form of work-related learning. This form of learning is not institutionally organized, integrated into everyday work processes, or triggered by work-related challenges and problems. Typical informal learning activities include experimenting with one's own solutions, exchanging experiences and obtaining feedback, and work-related reflection. This article provides an overview of research on informal workplace learning. It presents different theoretical perspectives on informal learning. Furthermore, it distinguishes informal learning from formal, nonformal, and self-regulated learning and discusses the possibilities and challenges of operationalization. Further, it looks at the previous findings on antecedents and outcomes of informal learning, which serve as a basis for outlining practical implications for employees, leaders, and HR professionals. Finally, it introduces theoretical, methodological, and empirical research desiderata that form a future research agenda. © 2024 The Author(s).

Introduction Foundations of youth and young adults’ (YYAs) lives were shaken by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores how over a year of pandemic, with several periods of stay-at-home orders, impacted Ontario YYAs and important foundations that influence their development and future wellbeing. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted April – June 2021 during stay-at-home orders. Nineteen Ontario YYAs, age 16–21, were asked how relationships, education, work, and important events had been impacted by the pandemic and public health responses, and how they had coped. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to iteratively engage with data to distill themes. Respondents included: eight high school students, ten post-secondary students, one full time employed. Results Three main themes were identified. First, disruptions to individual agency and life course (theme), included (subthemes): drastic shift to increased time and isolation at home; feeling responsible for others’ health and safety; learning and professional development suffered; precarious employment; and lost beginnings and endings to important transitions. Second, relationships and connectedness changed (theme), included (subthemes): Friendships were altered; family dynamics changed; and international students faced unique challenges. Third, wellbeing and coping (theme), included (sub-themes): stress was high; coping methods were diverse; and connecting digitally was suboptimal. Some friendships were lost; some grew closer. Those in their last year of high school/university in spring 2020 or 2021 lost important transitional endings (graduation, etc.). Those starting post-secondary in fall 2020 also lost transitional beginnings (e.g., leaving home, on-campus experience, meeting new friends). Conclusions There is need for further research to assess long-term impacts, especially among YYAs who had family members at severe risk and those who graduated high school during the pandemic. Public health practitioners should work with high schools and post-secondary schools to develop approaches to limit the severity of altered schooling and important transitions in future upheavals. © 2025 Austin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

The aim of the research is to identify the significant factors which influence employability skills. The research focused on the value of skills such as communication, interpersonal abilities, as well as teamwork. The research aimed to explore the mediating role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between digital skills and employability skills within the context of trainee teachers in the agricultural field. Stratified random sampling was utilised in the process of conducting a cross-sectional survey to 200 Malaysian agricultural trainee teachers majoring in higher education. The important variables were assessed via modified questionnaires. The researchers utilised structural equation modelling to examine the suggested model, resulting in the measurement model to show a satisfactory fit to the data. The findings unveiled a positive detailed exploration of emotional intelligence sub-constructs reveals that the mediating effect is only partial for each specific sub-construct, thus adding new insight to current understanding of the factors involved in this relationship. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

[No abstract available]

Introduction: Scenario-based training (SBT) is a modern, innovative teaching approach that facilitates structured discussions among nurse interns. Well-crafted scenarios are vital for educators to effectively incorporate learning objectives into the training experiences of nurse interns. Objective: This study examined the impact of scenario-based training on nurse interns’ critical thinking dispositions. Methods: A true experimental design, including the study & control groups, was utilized. The study included 120 nurse interns who were selected randomly and classified into two groups: a study group (60 NIs) and a control group (60 NIs). Data were collected using three instruments: a scenario-based knowledge instrument, a critical thinking dispositions scale, and a satisfaction tool. Results: The study results showed that there was statistically significant improvement among the study group, as 13.3% of them had a satisfactory knowledge level at preprogram (χ² = 0.323, p = .389; Cramér's V = 0.052, negligible effect). However, a very strong and statistically significant association was found both immediately after the program at 100% (χ² = 101.538, p < .001; Cramér's V = 0.920) and at the follow-up program at 98.3% (χ² = 97.634, p < .001; Cramér's V = 0.902), reflecting a large intervention effect on knowledge level. There was significant improvement postprogram in enhancing critical thinking dispositions, ranging from medium to large (Cramér's V: 0.321–0.527), as well as higher satisfaction with a percentage of 93.3%, whereas the control group did not exhibit similar increases. These gains were evident immediately after the training and were sustained at follow up, highlighting the effectiveness of SBT. Conclusion: The study determined that there was a positive correlation between SBT and the development of critical thinking dispositions in the study group postprogram implementation. The study recommended continuous assessment of teaching strategies to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of nursing education. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Experiential learning is used extensively in agriculturally related colleges and courses. There is a need to examine how to best structure meaningful learning experiences in order to best prepare the agriculture, food, and natural resources workforce. This study aimed to investigate how different modes of reflection and levels of transfer affect the development of students’ transfer skills over time in an undergraduate animal science course. A 2 × 3 factorial, quasi-experimental design, examined with linear mixed modeling, was used to examine how the two treatment variables (reflection mode and transfer level) impacted students’ transfer skills (the dependent variable) over time. Time (in weeks) had a positive, significant effect on participants’ (N = 123) transfer skill quiz scores. The fixed effect of near transfer had a negative, significant effect on participants’ transfer skills scores as compared to the fixed effect of far transfer. All remaining fixed effects had no significant effect on students’ transfer skills scores. As students spend more time practicing transfer skills, especially to distal contexts (i.e., far transfer), their ability to transfer abstract concepts increases. We recommend that educators who seek to teach for transfer implement intentional scaffolding in which learners progress across multiple levels of transfer context. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

The transition toward sustainable production requires engineering and science education to adopt active, interdisciplinary, and practice-oriented teaching strategies. This article presents a comparative analysis of two educational initiatives implemented in Panama aimed at fostering sustainability competencies at the university and secondary school levels. The first initiative, developed at the Technological University of Panama, integrates project-based learning and circular economy principles into an extracurricular module focused on production planning, sustainable design, and quality management. Students created prototypes using recycled HDPE and additive manufacturing technologies within a simulated startup environment. The second initiative, carried out in two public secondary schools, applied project- and challenge-based learning through the Design Thinking framework, supporting teachers and students in addressing real-world sustainability challenges. Both programs emphasize hands-on learning, creativity, and iterative development, embedding environmental awareness and innovation in both formal and informal educational settings. The article identifies key opportunities and challenges in implementing active methodologies for sustainability education. Challenges such as limited infrastructure and rigid schedules were identified, along with lessons learned for future implementation. Students connected local issues to global goals like the SDGs and saw themselves as agents of change. These initiatives offer practical models for advancing sustainability education through innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. © 2025 by the authors.

Two critical research problems emerge in creative education quality management: the framework misalignment problem, where business-oriented performance metrics inadequately assess design creativity and innovation, and the sustainability integration gap, reflecting limited incorporation of environmental and social sustainability dimensions into excellence models. This review article addresses these problems by developing an initial framework that adapts the Baldrige framework for urban design, architecture, art, and design education with integrated sustainability principles. Drawing on literature review and theoretical synthesis, the article proposes a framework that introduces three key epistemological shifts: prioritizing process over product, supporting non-linear and reflective learning pathways, and recognizing tacit, embodied, and experiential knowledge as central to creative education. The framework incorporates the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core design challenges and introduces innovative evaluation tools, including portfolios with iterative review processes, community feedback loops, and SDG mapping rubrics. This research contributes to the educational quality management literature by offering a systematic framework that bridges business excellence models with creative education paradigms while positioning sustainability as a core educational objective rather than a peripheral concern. © 2025 by the authors.

Blended learning (BL), which offers a learning ecosystem through a combination of face-to-face and online learning components, has positively impacted teaching and learning experiences. However, its role in facilitating employability skills remains underexplored. Drawing on evidence from a qualitative exploratory study based on a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, and observations of students’ engagement in a BL course at a Bangladeshi university, this study examines the effectiveness of BL in complementing traditional face-to-face and purely online learning, while facilitating students’ employability skills in the process. Findings reveal that BL decreases the shortcomings of both face-to-face and online learning by helping students overcome reticent behavior, time constraints, learning inertia, anxiety about engagement, and the risk of dropping out. Subsequently, it improves a range of recognized employability skills among the students, such as critical thinking skills, analytical and problem-solving skills, cognitive and meta-cognitive skills, communication (reading and writing) skills, teamwork skills, technological skills, and time management skills. Additionally, BL indirectly influences their adaptability and leadership attributes. This study provides valuable insights for designing and refining educational strategies that bolster employability among graduates. The paper concludes with an exhortation for further research on this relatively less-explored subject. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

This article compares the changing role of the state in initial vocational education and training (VET) in Germany and Denmark. Scholars have argued that collectivist VET systems face a stark choice between erosion through dualization or state take-over that crowds out decentralized cooperation by firms. Yet, recent work suggests that the state can revitalize the traditional firm-based system of VET through so-called state ‘orchestration’ and soft measures promoting inclusive training. Comparing Germany to Denmark, we argue that there is a second path to revitalization when the state acts as an ‘arranger’, more heavily involved in the provision and governance of VET, and using it for second-chance education. Unlike orchestration, arrangement is only possible where the state itself has achieved some independent capacity in training. We trace this divergence to small policy choices in the 1970s that have had large downstream effects on state capacity and power relations with business. © 2025 The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press and the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics. All rights reserved.