Search Results for
"education"

Cryptography is often considered complex and difficult to learn due to its involvement of intricate and abstract mathematical concepts. The existing media and educational methods currently available do not fully meet the needs for effective and efficient learning in conveying this complex material. Conventional approaches are often insufficiently interactive and engaging for learners, potentially hindering the learning process. On the other hand, Augmented Reality (AR) technology has proven effective as an interactive and accessible learning medium, offering new ways to present complex material visually and dynamically. Therefore, this study aims to develop an Android application that integrates AR technology as an educational tool for cryptography and to evaluate its impact on the general public's understanding of cryptography. This research employs the ADDIE method, a systematic instructional design framework that includes five stages: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Additionally, the study integrates principles from the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to ensure precise and structured development. Additionally, the study integrates principles from the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to ensure precise and structured development. The research findings indicate that AR can effectively serve as an interactive medium for learning cryptography and significantly enhance users' understanding of the subject. Specifically, t-test results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in cryptography understanding (p < 0.05) for both learners with and without prior knowledge, indicating the media's effectiveness across different educational backgrounds. Moreover, the AR-based cryptography learning system was well-received by the public, with User Acceptance Testing results showing an acceptance rate of over 90% in every aspect tested, highlighting its usability and design quality. © 2025 IEEE.

This study examines laboratory training for engineering students with pedagogical profiles in industrial parks. It explores the integration of technical and educational competencies, highlighting benefits, challenges, and methodological solutions. Emphasis is placed on experiential learning, professional identity development, and creating sustainable models that bridge engineering practice with vocational education teaching. © 2025 IEEE.

Introduction: understanding plant asexual reproduction is vital for fostering scientific literacy, especially in agriculture, biodiversity, and sustainability. Yet, students often struggle with these abstract concepts due to limited contextualization and practical application in traditional instruction. This study examined the effectiveness of a Contextualized STEM Approach in improving students’ conceptual understanding, performance, and perceptions. Method: a quantitative one-group pretest-posttest design was employed with 105 Grade 7 students from a public secondary school in Iligan City. Data were collected through a researcher-made pretest and posttest, a perception survey, and performance task scores. Analyses included descriptive statistics and paired t-tests to determine conceptual gains and intervention effects. Results: findings revealed a significant increase in posttest scores (MD =-10,84, t =-40,996, p < 0,001). More students attained Mastery and Proficient levels, while those in the Unsatisfactory category decreased by 20 %. Most groups achieved the Advanced level in performance tasks, demonstrating effective application of propagation techniques. Survey responses showed strong agreement that lessons were relevant, clear, and engaging. Conclusions: the Contextualized STEM Approach enhanced students’ conceptual understanding, performance, and motivation in learning plant asexual reproduction. These results affirm its potential as an effective pedagogical strategy in science education. Future studies may investigate its scalability across varied topics and learner groups. © 2025; Los autores.

English professional communication competence is crucial for fresh graduates to succeed in the workplace and has been identified as a national priority in Malaysia to enhance employability. This study explores key attributes of that competence based on interviews with 12 employers and 9 graduates. Using a basic interpretive qualitative approach, 26 attributes were identified across four areas: linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence. The findings highlight the importance of aligning educational outcomes with workplace demands and offer insights that support curriculum development, targeted instruction, and assessment—informing policy and future research to enhance graduate readiness. © 2025 by the Association for Business Communication

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, the acquisition of practical skills has become increasingly important to meet the demands of the labour market. In vocational education and training, the focus on practical skill acquisition is paramount, especially in fields such as electrical installation and maintenance work, which require a high degree of technical proficiency and competency. Self-directed learning, which places the responsibility for learning on the learners, has gained increased attention as an approach to enhancing students’ engagement and motivation and promoting lifelong learning skills. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of self-directed learning on student engagement in practical skills acquisition in electrical installation and maintenance work in Nigeria. Using a stratified sampling technique, 500 electrical installation and maintenance work students were selected as the sample for the study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to analyze the students’ responses. The study revealed that students’ task value, learning motivation, self-monitoring, interpersonal communication, and planning and implementation influenced their engagement in practical skills acquisition. Also, learning motivation, self-monitoring, planning and implementation but not interpersonal communication influenced students’ task value about practical skills acquisition. The outcomes of the study shed light that student’s motivation to engage in practical learning activity is influenced by their expectancy of success and perceived value of activity. Likewise, this outcome will positively influence the government, teachers, and education policymakers as regards to enhancing practical skill acquisition in schools. © The Author(s) 2025

This article details the design and validation of the Students’ Perceptions of Upper Secondary education Programmes (SPUSEP) instrument, developed to explore Portuguese students’ experiences of transitioning into upper secondary education. The instrument was developed based on a literature review and focus group discussions with students from four upper secondary schools and was tested through a pilot study with 185 students attending the 1st year of upper secondary level in these schools. Reliability and validity were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and a Principal Component Analysis. Furthermore, an independent sample T-test was conducted to examine differences between students in scientific-humanistic and VET programmes, as well as between general and VET schools. The results confirm that SPUSEP is a robust and reliable tool for gathering insights into students’ perceptions of upper secondary education programmes. It captures effectively the various perceptions of different pathways, including concerns about course load, degree of subject choice and learning experiences. SPUSEP can support discussions about and reforms of upper secondary education programmes at institutional, local or system levels, to promote more informed and student-centred educational improvements. © the author.

Purpose This study explores the soft skills learnt during internship programmes in small enterprises and their impact on student employability. Compared to typical internships, this type of internship is not aligned with the student’s areas of expertise. This study examines whether the nonlinear apprenticeship programme (mismatch internship) contributes to the development of student’s soft skills. Design/methodology/approach The subjects were 47 intern students from the Mathematics education Study Program at the Indonesian Catholic University of Santu Paulus Ruteng who participated in the 2022 Independent Campus Competition Program (Program Kompetisi Kampus Merdeka – PKKM) and their mentors from SMBs. The mixed-methods study used questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and documentation. Findings Several soft skills were developed during the students’ participation in this programme, including creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving, communication, collaboration, accuracy, leadership, responsibility, adversity, curiosity, discipline and adaptation and self-management, which are needed during times of employment uncertainty. Research limitations/implications First, this study has not specifically analysed the influence of attribute variables such as gender, learning motivation and work motivation or attitudes towards pre-employment work. Second, no study has examined this internship’s effect on company performance. Some small and medium enterprises are start-up businesses; therefore, the risk of business failure overshadows stringent work demands on employees. Practical implications First, students should be challenged during learning with constructivist and project-based learning approaches. Second, campus partnerships with industrial business fields are essential. Originality/value This study is useful for developing a higher education curriculum that is more adaptive and supports independent learning. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose Sustaining engagement in high-stakes vocational training is a global imperative. This study investigates the interplay between motivation, personal best (PB) goals and multifaceted student engagement (behavioural, emotional, cognitive and agentic) among Indonesian aviation vocational higher education (AVHE) students. Addressing a gap in demanding, non-Western contexts, it examines PB goals’ mediating role, offering insights for high-stakes programmes worldwide. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 267 students (Levels II-IV) across ten study programmes at the Indonesian AVHE institution (N = 668 population). Situational motivation, PB goals and student engagement dimensions were measured using adapted, validated scales. Data analysis utilized partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. Findings The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. Motivation significantly predicted PB goals (large effect) and all engagement dimensions (small effects). PB goals strongly predicted all engagement dimensions (large effects). Crucially, PB goals significantly mediated the motivation–engagement relationship: mediation was moderate for emotional engagement and small for behavioural, cognitive and agentic engagement. This highlights PB goals as a key mechanism translating motivation into active engagement. Originality/value This study makes three primary contributions. First, (Theoretical) it extends motivational theory by empirically demonstrating the potent mediating function of PB goals in a novel, high-stakes vocational context. Second, (Empirical/Contextual) it provides rare empirical evidence from the under-researched, semi-militaristic setting of non-Western AVHE, thus enhancing the global perspective on student engagement. Third, (Practical) it offers transferable, evidence-based strategies for educators and policymakers in demanding educational fields, showing that fostering PB goals is a highly effective pedagogical approach. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose Research on the internationalization of Higher education Institutions (HEIs) in India is rapidly expanding and gaining prominence in academia. Numerous studies have explored various aspects of the internationalization process, such as partnerships, faculty and student mobility, and international campuses, which enhance learning experiences and develop 21st-century global skills. However, existing evidence is scattered, indicating a literature gap and the need for a comprehensive profiling of the field. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting an empirical investigation of the top-ranking Indian management institutions. Design/methodology/approach Using the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) framework and qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with international division heads using NVivo and Python. Findings We identified various dimensions such as research activity, international ranking, joint degrees, and training programs, etc. We also highlight critical challenges such as government funding, language barriers, and academic mobility, among others. Our findings offer practical solutions and strong recommendations for future research, empowering academics and practitioners to leverage the success of internationalization in educational services. Originality/value The exclusivity of this study lies in the fact that we provide a comprehensive empirical analysis of the strategies, challenges, and potential solutions pertinent to the internationalization of Indian Higher education Institutions (IHEIs) and map the prospective benchmarks and total quality standards in the field. No other studies seem to have done so far, to the best of our knowledge. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose The study aimed to clarify how, or if, the quality of paid work undertaken while completing tertiary education affects students’ career development. While most tertiary students work while studying, this is often in more precarious jobs. The study examined the relationships between perceived job precariousness, student agency and the accumulation of career capital. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 273 working students (Mage = 21 years; 75.8% female; Mwork = 22 h per week) and a cross-sectional survey design, we tested a serial indirect effects model in which job precariousness predicted, in turn, perceptions of organisational climate, engagement in job crafting and accumulation of career capital. Findings Higher job precariousness was related to lower social and professional career capital. Job crafting climate and engagement in cognitive and relational job crafting fully explained the relationships between precariousness and social capital, whereas crafting climate and cognitive crafting partially explained the relationship with professional capital. Research limitations/implications The findings have implications for work precarity theory development. However, because the data were survey-based, cross-sectional and from a single university, longitudinal replication using diverse methodology is needed to determine generalisability and to fully test the directions of the effects found. Practical implications The paper provides practical implications for teaching institutions and employers, both of whom have a vested interest in supporting working students to reach their full potential. Originality/value The study contributes to an under-researched area of precarious employment and career development in working students. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited