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Indigenous employment is a crucial but often ignored area of economic and human development in the social sciences scholarship. Most disciplines that engage with Indigenous affairs (e.g., health, education) acknowledge symp- toms of poverty and underemployment but fail to address underlying issues related to work. Disciplines responsible for employment research (e.g., orga- nizational sciences) have historically served government (e.g., the military) or private corporations (i.e., human resources), limiting empirical translatabil- ity to Indigenous experiences. Further, the sparse publications on Indigenous employment available appear in journals that are only tangentially concerned with employment issues and not connected to dedicated Indigenous employ- ment research programs. This article describes a quantitative content analysis on 215 empirical Indigenous employment studies. An inductive coding tech- nique on manifest content derived 25 Indigenous employment-related con- structs. The most frequently occurring constructs included Indigenous career development, (under)representation, cultural (mis)fit between employees and their organizations, and relationships at work. Statistical dimension reduction techniques identified two Indigenous employment experiences trending across the empirical findings: (1) Culturing work, and (2) Negative experiences at work. Culturing work describes how culture impacts partici- pation in employment; for example, work within Indigenous communities, building relationships, and maneuvering work expectations while maintain- ing cultural identity, ethicality, and authenticity at work; while negative work experiences described experiences like overload, discrimination, mental health detriments, role conflict, being devalued, and organizational supports that stifle or facilitate positive work experiences. We discuss how these trends occur across the employment cycle with examples at each employment stage. Directions for future research and practice are presented throughout. © 2026 by Emerald Publishing Limited.

The current education accreditation process poses a significant risk globally to the quality of education due to the increased falsification of academic certificates. Although previous studies have highlighted the potential benefits of blockchain technology in this context, there remains an opportunity towards a thorough investigation into the governance factors that influence the implementation of blockchain technology within the education sector. The accreditation system becomes increasingly important as a result of the emergence of a new learning ecosystem that enables the propagation of academic credits. It fosters an integrative learning approach by facilitating the accumulation of academic credits from a variety of higher education institutions, thereby promoting a learning ecosystem. The fundamental concept is to recognize the existence of a variety of learning pathways and to democratize educationTo this end, we conducted a comprehensive review of existing studies on the governance mechanisms for accreditation in the education sector using Blockchain technology. We identified 63 journal articles using four academic databases (EBScohost, Emerald, insight, Sage Journals, Scopus, Science direct) from 2018 to 2023. The literature appears devoid of proposals for a governance framework even though in the conventional paradigm such a framework is crucial in ensuring authenticity of credentials. © The Author(s) 2025.

Objective: This study explores the influence of physical exercise on self-efficacy in adolescents, focusing on the mediating role of psychological resilience. By analyzing direct and indirect pathways, the study provides insights into the psychological mechanisms linking physical activity and self-efficacy. Method: Data were collected from 1,613 adolescent participants across 15 provinces in China using validated questionnaires to measure physical exercise, psychological resilience, and self-efficacy. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test direct and mediated effects, while multi-group invariance testing examined gender differences. Results: Physical exercise significantly predicts both psychological resilience (β = 0.410, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (β = 0.220, p < 0.001). Psychological resilience positively predicts self-efficacy (β = 0.417, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed that psychological resilience partially mediates the relationship between physical exercise and self-efficacy, contributing 43.85% to the total effect. Multi-group analysis confirmed structural invariance across genders. Conclusion: Physical exercise enhances adolescents’ self-efficacy both directly and indirectly through psychological resilience. It strengthens psychological resilience, which in turn boosts self-efficacy. These findings highlight the key role of physical activity in promoting resilience and building adolescents’ confidence in their abilities. © The Author(s) 2025.

China now hosts the largest vocational education system in the world. However, the Chinese vocational education system has evolved by adopting comparatively more advanced vocational education practices and models from other countries. Despite this, few studies have explored the evolution of vocational education in China between 1840 and 1895. To address this gap, this article examines the development of Chinese vocational education during this period through the lens of educational policy transfer, using Schriewer’s externalization theory as a guiding framework. It argues that, in the context of intense internal and external crisis, China’s vocational education between 1840 and 1895 was not directly introduced. Rather, it emerged through a process in which reformers successively externalized to ‘tradition’ and Western military and civil technology, thereby gaining supplementary meaning and legitimacy for its development. The study calls for further research that integrates comparative and historical approaches to examine how China has developed its own vocational education by selectively adopting and adapting foreign models. © The Author(s) 2025.

University commitment reflects students’ emotional and psychological attachment to their institutions. It is fostered by providing essential resources that empower students to shape their futures. Amidst the increasing demand for universities to bolster students’ soft skills for greater adaptability in the contemporary workforce, this study focuses on examining the connections between skill acquisition and healthcare management students’ commitment levels to their university. Data were gathered by two questionnaires measuring three sets of soft skills acquisition (1) Personal skills (PS) involve a commitment to organizational values, ethical navigation in professional settings, self-awareness, resilience, creativity, self-improvement, and work/life balance; (2) Social skills (SS) encompass clear communication, conflict resolution, networking, multicultural navigation, leadership, and fostering collaborative relationships; and (3) Methodological skills (MS) include adaptability, insightful synthesis of information, continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, proactive decision-making, goal setting, resource management, and results-oriented organizational leadership. The results indicated that students have acquired more methodological soft skills compared to personal or social ones. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results showed that among the categories of soft skills, personal, social, methodological, merely the latter was significantly related to university commitment. Methodological skills, including adaptability, analysis, and decision-making, were directly related to university commitment, aligning with educational and professional goals, offering a stronger connection to academic success than personal or social skills. This study emphasizes the need for higher education institutions to improve their curriculum to better develop soft skills. Prioritizing personal and social abilities alongside technical skills is crucial to preparing students for future career challenges, particularly in healthcare. © The Author(s) 2025.

Over the last decades, research into vocational identity in vocational education and training has in-creased. This increase has led to several conceptualizations of vocational identity and findings of the influences on vocational identity development. In this scoping review we explore how researchers in the field of vocational education and training conceptualize vocational identity and what factors or circumstances have been reported as influential on vocational identity development. We searched four data-bases and found 48 eligible articles for thematic analysis. Based on our thematic analysis, we find that researchers conceptualize vocational identity from three perspectives: Vocational identity as stable and psychological, as dynamic and social or as career related. We argue that each of these positions are symbolic of essentialist, social constructivist and career theoretical conceptualizations respectively. On the subject of factors or circumstances that influence vocational identity we find five themes of factors or circumstances that influence vocational identity development in vocational students: Narratives shaping the perceptions of vocational education and training, the different materialities that are part of vocation-al education and training, work communities, learning or production activities as part of their apprenticeship, the unique characteristics of vocational education and training and the personal characteristics of vocational students. Based on the review, we call for clarity in the conceptualizations of vocational identity to ensure its analytical value, when reporting on influences on vocational identity development. © The Author(s) 2025.

The SMART program improves students’ memory, reasoning, and strategic thinking skills, crucial for academic success and career planning. This study explored the effect of Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) for final-year high school students, aiming to enhance their decision-making abilities and prepare them for University. Based on the literature, nine hypotheses were developed with SMART program implementation therapy as an independent variable with four sub-variables: cognitive skills, professional development, social skills, and academic skills, and their impact on the dependent variable, such as career decision-making. Using a smart partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on 284 high school students, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) was implemented to confirm the measurement model. Path analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Results of the study revealed that SMART therapy significantly enhances cognitive abilities, academic performance, personal development, and social skills, collectively contributing to better career decision-making among final-year high school students. However, the direct impact of SMART on career decision-making was not supported, indicating that additional factors, such as social and emotional influences, play a role. These findings suggest that integrating SMART therapy into high school curricula can better prepare students for future challenges and career opportunities, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education). A collaborative approach among stakeholders, policy support, and innovative practices are recommended to overcome potential obstacles and ensure the successful implementation of SMART therapy in educational settings. © The Author(s) 2025.

People increasingly use videos on the Web for learning, be it for daily tasks in formal or informal educational settings. To enhance this type of learning, scientists are continuously conducting experiments, proposing guidelines, analyzing data, and researching artificial intelligence methods for tool development. In this comprehensive review, we analyze 257 articles (using PRISMA guidelines) on video-based learning from a technological perspective for the period from 2016 to 2021. One of the aims is to identify video characteristics that support learning as explored by previous research. Based on our analysis, we suggest a taxonomy that organizes the video characteristics and contextual aspects into eight categories: (1) audio features, (2) visual features, (3) textual features, (4) instructor behavior, (5) learners’ activities (play, pause, etc.), (6) interactive features (quizzes, etc.), (7) production style, and (8) instructional design. Also, we identify four representative methodological approaches: (1) tool support of video-based learning, (2) controlled experiments, (3) data analysis studies, and (4) design guidelines for learning videos. We find that the most explored characteristics are textual features followed by visual features, learners’ activities, and interactive features. Tools that aid learning through videos frequently utilize text from transcripts, video frames, and images. The learner’s activity is heavily explored through log files in data analysis studies, and interactive features are frequently scrutinized in controlled experiments. As further contributions, we contrast research findings on how video characteristics affect learning effectiveness, report on tasks and technologies used to develop tools, and summarize design guideline trends to produce learning videos. Our findings provide actionable insights for the design of intelligent educational systems that better support video-based learning. © The Author(s) 2025.

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a transformative technology in education, enabling immersive simulations that foster student engagement and improve knowledge retention. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of global trends, research patterns, and challenges related to the integration of VR in educational contexts. Data were collected from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) within the Web of Science Core Collection, including only articles also indexed in Scopus to ensure high-quality and comprehensive coverage. Of the 1220 articles published between 2010 and 2024, 97 met the inclusion criteria based on relevance, accessibility, and methodological rigor. We performed keyword analysis, citation analysis, and thematic mapping using RStudio and the Bibliometrix package. The findings indicate that the United States, China, and the United Kingdom are the most active contributors to VR research in education. VR has been applied across diverse learning modalities, enriching both formal and informal educational environments. However, its widespread adoption faces several barriers, including high implementation costs, health and safety concerns, limited curricular integration, and insufficient educator training. Proposed solutions include strategic partnerships with technology providers and the use of cloud-based infrastructures to reduce costs and complexity. This study offers actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and developers, providing a robust, data-driven foundation for the effective and equitable integration of VR in education. © The Author(s) 2025.

Teaching professional practice, in the sense of the ability to make sound choices in accordance with what is regarded as expected professional conduct within a discipline, is an important part of the development of future professional practitioners. It concerns the teaching of not only relevant theory but also the explicit and implicit dos and don’ts of professional practice. The teaching of professional skills has gradually shifted from traditional apprenticeship approaches to simulation-based training methods. The role of professional educators, as experienced practitioners, is important in optimizing the use of simulations to bridge the gap between theory and practice. As practices and knowledge exchange differ across professions, this article compares three professional fields to explore teachers’ perspectives on what constitutes good professional practice, and how these perspectives shape their choices in simulation-based training. Comparing the qualities that teachers highlight and their choices in terms of practical training (including the choice of technologies) provides a promising angle for better understanding disciplinary presumptions and propositions regarding simulation-based training. This research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with nine teachers from three Nordic bachelor-level professional education programs in maritime science, nursing science, and biomedical laboratory science. Drawing on practice-based and sociomaterial theories, the analysis highlights the close relationship between the professional qualities that teachers prioritize and their choices of training content and mediums. The findings offer insights into the role of teachers as ‘translators’ of intricate relationships embedded in professional practices. They illustrate how teachers work to adapt these practices into sociomaterial, simulation-based training environments that are aligned with learning objectives, educational practices, professional trajectories, and the expected standards of their respective fields. © The Author(s) 2025.