Search Results for
"education"

This chapter contributes to the literature on educational borrowing and lending by examining how one specific country, Switzerland, chooses whether and how to promote its dual VET model of education and training internationally. It analyses how such a choice comes about, how different actors position themselves in this debate and for what reasons, and how these actors coordinate among themselves in order to ultimately arrive at a consolidated, jointly defined position. The central finding of the analysis is that, in the case of Switzerland, a consistent position is difficult to achieve because different authorities develop their own positions against the background of their mandates and the regulations in their respective fields of policy. Conflicts between these independent positions are especially evident when it comes to implementing actual projects, which to a certain extent have to be assessed simultaneously from the perspective of different policy fields. © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Oscar Valiente, Srabani Maitra, Philipp Gonon and Matthias Pilz; individual chapters, the contributors.

Psychomotor skills are essential in STEM workforce education, enabling learners to transfer theoretical knowledge into practical application and improving job readiness. However, current teaching methods, particularly lab-based group activities, often fail to fully develop these skills, creating gaps between workforce outcomes and industry expectations. To address this challenge, we designed, developed, and evaluated an Intelligent Tutoring Platform (ITP) aimed at enhancing psychomotor skill acquisition in manufacturing and logistics education. The proposed ITP leverages Extended Reality (XR) to provide immersive, adaptive training environment. To systematically design and develop XR enhanced ITP, we propose a structured methodology that integrates the Design Science Research Framework (DSRF) and the Co-Design Process. This methodology ensures the holistic incorporation of psychological principles into skill training during the design process, resulting in a learner-centered, and adaptive system. The proposed platform utilized real-time feedback, step-by-step procedural guidance, and dynamic difficulty adjustments, simulating real-world training scenarios to enhance engagement and skill acquisition. We evaluated the system through two industrial case studies—wood pallet repair and forklift truck driving—using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design. Results show that learners using XR-enhanced ITP demonstrated greater psychomotor skill acquisition, faster response times, stronger science motivation, and improved self-efficacy compared to traditional lab instruction. These findings highlight the potential of XR-driven platforms to bridge the skills gap and better prepare STEM learners for industry roles. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Background/purpose. The Automobile Parts Manufacturing Industry (APMI) is currently facing rapid changes due to continuous technological innovations. These shifts are reshaping the skills required for future workforce participation in the sector. Consequently, it is essential to prepare students with future-oriented competencies that align with the demands of industry. This study aims to identify the key future skills needed in the APMI and to develop an Outcome-Based education Module (OBEM) that incorporates blended learning methodologies. The research further investigates the effectiveness of the OBEM in enhancing students' future skills. Materials/methods. This research was conducted in three phases as follows: 1) an investigation into the expected future skills required in the APMI; 2) the development of an OBEM; and 3) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the OBEM in enhancing future skills. Results. The research findings revealed that future skills required in the APMI can be categorized into two main groups: Professional Skills and Soft Skills. Based on these identified skill demands, five modules were developed within the OBEM, specifically tailored for the APMI context. Students who participated in the learning process through the OBEM, which integrated OBEM with blended learning approaches, demonstrated statistically significant improvements in future skills required for the APMI. Conclusion. The research findings can be applied to the design of undergraduate courses or developed into training programs aimed at preparing students prior to their participation in work-integrated learning. This approach enhances students' competencies by equipping them with future skills that closely align with the needs of the APMI. © The Author(s), 2025.

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Background/purpose. Islamic Religious education (IRE) in higher education serves as a foundation for shaping students' spiritual insight, moral reasoning, and critical reflection. However, conventional instructional approaches often lack contextual relevance and fail to engage learners deeply. This study explores the transformative potential of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) as a pedagogical innovation to enhance students' comprehension and application of Islamic religious concepts. Materials/methods. A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods design was employed, involving 143 undergraduate students from a public Islamic university in Indonesia. The study began with a pre- and post-test to assess changes in students' comprehension of core IRE concepts, followed by semi-structured interviews to explore student perceptions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Results. Quantitative findings revealed a statistically significant improvement in post-test scores, indicating PBL's effectiveness in enhancing conceptual understanding. Qualitative insights identified four major themes: increased conceptual clarity, improved critical thinking, enhanced classroom engagement, and challenges related to time constraints and facilitator support. These results underscore PBL's capacity to foster reflective and meaningful religious learning experiences. Conclusion. Problem-Based Learning significantly enhances students' comprehension and engagement in Islamic Religious education by fostering critical thinking, contextual understanding, and reflective learning. While previous studies have explored PBL in religious contexts, this research deepens the evidence by integrating quantitative improvements with rich qualitative insights from higher education learners. It highlights the pedagogical potential of PBL in bridging doctrinal understanding with real-life application. The study recommends curriculum-level integration, educator training, and time-structured implementation to optimize its use in Islamic educational settings. © The Author(s), 2025.

The twin transition to a green and digital economy is linked to the need for new skills in the workforce. However, given the scale and speed of change, it is challenging for policymakers, employers, and educational institutions to predict what skills will be in demand and how to create them. In addition to strategic uncertainty, European policymakers are confronted with a diversity of national and regional skills systems and a multi-polar power distribution. Based on our governance framework combining the concept of skills ecosystems with experimentalist governance, we find that policymakers rely on experiments to create and sustain transnational skills ecosystems. These enable local actors to cooperate in a bottom-up way and to develop novel skills solutions. We draw on the iterative policy cycle of experimentalist governance to conceptualize the components necessary for governing transnational skills ecosystems. The expanding European Centers of Vocational Excellence are analyzed to illustrate our argument. © 2025 The Author(s). Regulation & Governance published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Background: The frequent occurrence of public health emergencies in the 21st century has posed significant challenges to global healthcare systems. As crucial members of medical teams, Generation Z nursing interns play a pivotal role in emergency response. However, systematic assessments of preparedness encompassing emergency attitude, professional knowledge, operational skills, and comprehensive competencies among nursing interns remain unexplored. Objective: This study aims to assess the public health emergency preparedness of Generation Z nursing interns in the post-pandemic era and identify key influencing factors, providing insights for optimizing nursing education and clinical training. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 434 Generation Z nursing interns in Zhengzhou, China, from January to February 2025 using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Questionnaire for Nursing Interns, Nurse's Digital Competence Self-assessment Scale, and Professional Identity Scale for Nursing Students. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, Pearson's correlation, and multiple stepwise regression. Results: The total score of public health emergency preparedness of 434 nursing interns was 95.79 ± 11.03, with notable deficiencies in professional knowledge and comprehensive competencies. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that digital competence, professional identity, attitude toward the nursing major, and level of internship hospital were the main influencing factors of emergency preparedness (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings indicate that while Generation Z nursing interns demonstrate a high proficiency in emergency operations and a positive attitude toward emergency response, deficiencies persist in specialized emergency knowledge and psychological intervention capabilities. It is recommended that nursing schools and internship hospitals implement integrated emergency training programs, complemented by enhanced digital competency and professional identity cultivation, to holistically bolster preparedness for future public health emergencies. © © 2025 Duan, Feng, Zhuang, Zhou, Jia, Sun and Zhang.

The ability to think creatively is one of the essential competencies that must be developed in the education process in the modern era. Creative thinking skills can be stimulated through the application of the right learning model. One of the learning models that can help educators stimulate creative thinking skills is the ACCA learning model. The purpose of this research is to analyze and describe the effect of ACCA learning model on improving creative thinking skills. This study used an experimental research design with pre-test-post-three-treatment conducted at one of the State Universities in Makassar, Indonesia. The implementation of ACCA learning model assisted by the Learning Management System (LMS) to optimize the use of technology and improve creative thinking skills. The research instrument used in this study was an integrated essay test of creative thinking skills that had gone through a validity and reliability process. Data collection was based on the results of students' answers at the time of the pre-test and post-test. The statistical analysis used in this study was Ancova test with a significance level of 0.05. The results of the data analysis showed that the ACCA learning model assisted by LMS can improve creative thinking skills. The flexibility offered by this model provides opportunities for students to express themselves and be active in learning and solving problems faced both independently and in groups. Based on these findings, this research can be used as one of the innovative models in empowering creative thinking skills and other skills of students. © 2025, Politeknik Negeri Padang. All rights reserved.

Societal trends such as increased accountability, teacher shortages, and flexibility in learning paths affect the work of teacher educators. This study explores the collective agency of Dutch geography teacher educators as they enact the subject pedagogy curriculum within this rapidly changing context. Whilst teacher agency has been widely studied, research on teacher educators—particularly from a collective perspective—remains scarce. Drawing on Priestley et al.'s ecological approach, this study aims to disentangle teacher educators' collective spaces of agency by means of cultural, structural, and material resources. Using focus group interviews with three teams of geography teacher educators, we identified three key challenges that define their collective spaces of agency: (1) accommodating students' developmental phases, (2) gaining insight into students' internship learning, and (3) the growing divide between subject-specific and general teacher education. Thematic analysis revealed that teams of educators experience a different sense of agency in each of these spaces, depending on their ability to draw on the available resources. Our findings show that teams of educators draw on strong subject teacher identities (cultural resources) and experience collective agency when enacting subject pedagogy at the course level (structural resources). Their sense of agency is weak at the institutional level, particularly in relation to curricular change. This study contributes to a more profound understanding of teacher educators' collective spaces of agency. Disentangling these spaces can help teams of teacher educators to identify the necessary resources to restore their sense of agency in difficult times. © 2025 The Author(s). The Curriculum Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Educational Research Association.

Background and objective General practitioners (GPs) need postgraduate training pathways specific to their needs and integrated into local health environments. This scoping review investigates components of integrated GP training pathways including the barriers and enablers of effective pathways for GP recruitment and retention. Methods This review was guided by methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus databases were searched for articles published between 2013 and March 2024. Included articles were analysed and categorised by thematic analysis. Results Twenty-seven articles were included, resulting in six key themes: (1) place-based training; (2) trainee background and connections; (3) support structures; (4) professional identity; (5) trainee demographics; and (6) family factors. Discussion The components, barriers and enablers of GP training pathways identified will guide development and evaluation of improved integrated training pathway options for GP trainees in Australia. © The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 2025