Search Results for
"Students"

Purpose – This study examines students' perceptions of gender equity initiatives in Bangladesh's tertiary education, with a focus on science, business and vocational or technical fields. Design/methodology/approach – This research employs an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, combining qualitative insights from open-ended surveys (n = 312) with a quantitative questionnaire (n = 427) to assess support for 13 student-proposed initiatives. Braun and Clarke (2006) guided the qualitative thematic analysis, which identified key concepts, while the quantitative analysis employed chi-square tests and Pearson's R correlations to uncover field-specific trends. Findings – Findings reveals a strong consensus for pedagogical reforms, such as instructor training (71.3% agreement) and inclusive classrooms (71.8%), with vocational students showing hesitance toward cultural initiatives (e.g., 38.5% for cultural events). High neutrality in areas such as mixed-gender sports (39.8%) indicates cultural barriers, highlighting the need for targeted awareness campaigns. Research limitations/implications – This study's limitations include urban sampling bias and potential cultural deference that may affect neutral responses, suggesting the need for broader geographic and cultural analysis in future research. Originality/value – This study offers evidence-based policy recommendations to foster inclusive academic environments, thereby contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) for gender equality. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – This study aims to develop and validate an Industry 4.0 (IR4.0) talent framework for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students enrolled in work-based learning (WBL) programmes, ensuring they are equipped with relevant technical, cognitive, personal and ethical competencies. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In Phase 1, semi-structured interviews with 11 experts identified key talent domains. In Phase 2, a survey of 159 final-year WBL students from four Malaysian polytechnics was conducted. Data were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) to validate the framework's domains and components. Findings – The study validated four distinct and unidimensional talent domains: Intellectual Talents, Proficiency in Work Talent, Individual Talent Potential and Ethical Professional Talent. PCA results confirmed strong construct validity across all domains, with high explained variance ratios and item fit indices, indicating the robustness of the framework. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to Malaysian polytechnic students and may not fully generalise across different education systems or countries. Future research should include cross-country comparisons and longitudinal assessments of framework impact on employability. Practical implications – The framework provides TVET educators and policymakers with a structured model to revise curricula and align WBL programmes with IR4.0 industry demands, enhancing graduate readiness. Social implications – Adoption of the framework can address the national skills mismatch by fostering a future-ready workforce equipped with ethical, adaptable and innovative capabilities. Originality/value – This study presents a validated and holistic IR4.0 talent framework uniquely tailored for TVET-WBL contexts, integrating theoretical and practical insights to inform talent development in the digital age. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – The internationalization of vocational education often pressures institutions to adopt global standards. However, direct replication without systemic adaptation can lead to implementation failure. This study investigates this challenge through a case study of an Indonesian Aviation Vocational Higher Education (AVHE) institution that implemented the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 66/147 curriculum. It aims to dissect the mechanisms of failure to inform more effective, context-aware adaptation strategies. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-methods evaluation guided by the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) framework was used. Data were triangulated from questionnaires with key stakeholders, semi-structured interviews, document review and secondary data including EASA examination results (N = 78 students) and graduate tracer studies. Findings – The evaluation revealed that a context-insensitive adoption strategy led to a cascade of systemic failures: a disconnect between international goals and local market needs (context), critical gaps in lecturer qualifications and structural incompatibilities between curricula (input) and inconsistent pedagogical implementation (process). This culminated in strikingly paradoxical outcomes (product): an exceptionally high graduate employability rate (94.8%) coexisting with a profound cognitive failure, evidenced by an 81% EASA examination failure rate. Originality/value – This study provides a granular, micro-institutional analysis of adaptation failure. It identifies and explains the “employability paradox” as a key outcome of decontextualized policy borrowing, offering a transferable diagnostic model and underscoring the critical need for systemic adaptation over replication for TVET institutions globally. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – In the context of management education’s growing emphasis on employability and student-centered pedagogy, this study aims to explore how faculty mentors’ servant leadership fosters career development outcomes among postgraduate students in the discipline of management. Specifically, it examines the direct influence of servant leadership on students’ career exploration self-efficacy and career decidedness, the mediating role of career exploration self-efficacy and the moderating effect of students’ feedback-seeking behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from 428 final-year postgraduate students belonging to the management discipline across Indian business schools using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized relationships through the partial least squares approach (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS (version 4.1.0.8) software. Findings – The results demonstrate that servant leadership has a significant positive effect on students’ career exploration self-efficacy and career decidedness. Career exploration self-efficacy mediates this link, while feedback-seeking behavior enhances the relationship between servant leadership and self-efficacy. Practical implications – The study provides insights for business schools, management educators and human resource professionals. Encouraging faculty to adopt servant leadership practices can build students’ confidence in exploring career paths and making informed career decisions. In addition, cultivating a culture of feedback-seeking among students can further strengthen the developmental impact of faculty mentorship and enhance self-awareness. These findings align with the goals of responsible management education and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4): Quality Education. Originality/value – This study extends the career self-management (CSM) model into the context of management education and training. By highlighting the combined roles of servant leadership, career exploration self-efficacy and feedback-seeking behavior, it offers a fresh perspective on how faculty mentoring can enhance student employability and career readiness. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

In the new era, applied economics education is evolving with increasing emphasis on practical training. To cultivate high-quality talents equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, educational institutions must continuously improve their teaching strategies. This article analyzes the current state of applied economics education, identifies existing challenges, and highlights the importance of practical learning in enhancing students’ abilities and employability. It proposes strategies such as school-enterprise collaboration, simulation training, and real-world project integration. Moreover, advanced computational algorithms—such as machine learning and optimization techniques—are introduced into teaching practices, offering innovative tools that deepen students’ understanding of economic issues and improve problem-solving capabilities, particularly in data analysis, model building, and evidence-based decision-making. © 2025 IGI Global. All rights reserved.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into language learning has substantially enhanced accessibility and engagement by offering interactive and adaptive experiences. However, many AI-driven chatbots lack contextual relevance, limiting their effectiveness for vocational high school students who require career-oriented language instruction. This study aims to develop and evaluate EduNetPro (Education Network for Professional Learning), a multilingual AI-driven chatbot designed to enhance French language learning among vocational students by incorporating adaptive learning pathways, interactive exercises, and gamification elements. Adopting a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach, this study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative assessments (pre-test and post-test evaluations) with qualitative analyses (student interviews and chatbot interaction logs) to assess EduNetPro’s effectiveness. The findings indicate a 24% improvement in language proficiency, with 80% of students reporting increased engagement and 90% highlighting the efficacy of real-time feedback. Despite these positive outcomes, the chatbot encountered challenges in processing complex dialogues, particularly those involving idiomatic expressions and context-dependent language, emphasizing the need for advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP) models. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on AI in education, demonstrating how chatbot-driven learning can address the unique needs of vocational students by providing contextualized, career-focused language instruction. Future research should further explore AI-driven emotional intelligence, enhanced personalization strategies, and long-term language retention to optimize AI-assisted learning environments. © 2025 by the authors.

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of research methodology, providing invaluable insights for students and researchers in the AEC industry and engineering fields. Through this book, readers learn the theoretical and practical aspects of research design and academic writing, making it an indispensable resource for anyone engaged in scholarly investigation.This book covers a wide range of topics essential to robust research practices. Readers explore identifying research gaps, formulating problem statements, crafting precise research questions, objectives, and aims. This book delves into the philosophical foundations of different research paradigms—ontological and epistemological factors that impact methodological decisions. It also provides an in-depth examination of qualitative methods such as ethnography, grounded theory, narrative analysis; quantitative methods including experimental design, survey techniques; as well as mixed-methods approaches that combine both to yield comprehensive results.In addition to theoretical content, this book offers practical tools like templates for research proposals and checklists for data collection. These resources are designed to aid researchers in efficiently applying their knowledge in real-world settings. The authors emphasize clarity, coherence, and scholarly rigor in academic writing while providing practical techniques to overcome common obstacles faced by researchers.This book is essential for researchers, scholars, students at all levels who seek to enhance their understanding of research methodology. It provides clear guidance on structuring and organizing research articles, performing literature reviews, presenting findings with scholarly rigor. Whether you are a novice researcher or an experienced academician looking to refine your skills or gain new perspectives on methodological practices—this book is tailored to meet your needs.Researchers in fields such as architecture, engineering construction (AEC), environmental design find this work particularly beneficial. Its comprehensive scope guarantees its authenticity usefulness rendering it indispensable literary essential study academic writing methodological investigation. © 2025 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

This article examines student academic performance through the lens of stress-related intersectionality among university lecturers in Ukraine during wartime. It presents empirical research on how professional stress, exacerbated by the military context, affects the pedagogical effectiveness of higher education lecturers and, as a result, student academic performance. The main stress factors identified include work overload, emotional burnout, administrative pressure, lack of institutional support, and war-related challenges such as danger, displacement, and the constant threat of attack. The study, conducted in three Ukrainian higher education institutions located in regions with different security and social conditions, included surveys, interviews, focus groups, and diary keeping with both teachers and students. The results confirm that stress during war significantly undermines the quality of teaching, student motivation and academic performance. The article proposes a set of stress management strategies, including organisational changes, psychological support systems in universities, the development of self-regulation skills, and professional mentoring. The implementation of these measures will strengthen the mental health of Ukrainian teachers and contribute to improving student academic performance in conditions of martial law. © 2025 Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education.

Engaging young individuals through second-chance education (SCE) is crucial for providing alternative pathways to gain relevant qualifications and improve their career and life prospects. This research synthesis aimed to identify patterns that better define why and how SCE can be considered a complement to mainstream education. It focused on the compensation aspect of SCE, emphasizing its role in encouraging a return to education or accessing the labor market. The study systematically examined research articles tackling SCE in Western Europe to reveal unique characteristics, explore students’ experiences, and address its outcomes. Adopting a configurative approach, this study analyzed 68 records organized around three domains: pedagogic design of second-chance education, students’ experience through SCE programs, and measured outcomes of these programs. Results revealed SCE’s student-centered approach, flexibility, and trust-oriented nature, promoting personal growth, social skills, and employability. More longitudinal and quantitative studies are needed to assess long-term effects. © 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).

The cultivation of high-quality engineering talent in newly established undergraduate programs presents significant challenges, particularly in integrating theoretical knowledge with practical and innovative capabilities. This study proposes and implements a “triadic integration” teaching model that synergistically combines project-based learning, interactive teaching, and practice-oriented instruction to enhance students’ engineering competencies in a materials innovation course. Project-based learning forms the backbone of the model, guiding students through progressively complex tasks—from foundational to comprehensive and advanced projects—while integrating engineering-material innovation competitions to create a closed-loop “teach–learn–compete” pathway. Interactive teaching strategies, including heuristic, inquiry-based, and participatory methods, foster a student-centered learning ecosystem that enhances engagement, collaboration, and critical thinking. Practice-oriented instruction translates theoretical knowledge into practical application through laboratory experiments, simulation, and full-cycle research projects, cultivating problem-solving and innovation skills in authentic engineering contexts. The model’s effectiveness was evaluated through student performance, competition achievements, and iterative seminar-based reflection among instructors. Results indicate that the triadic approach not only improves students’ technical competence and innovative capacity but also provides a scalable, replicable framework for curriculum innovation in newly established undergraduate programs. This study offers valuable insights for the design and reform of engineering education curricula worldwide. © © 2025 Sun, Wu, Qian, Xu and Wang.