Search Results for
"learning"

New Jersey (NJ) Safe Schools Program (NJSS) provides code-required trainings for NJ teachers supervising students in work-based learning (WBL) experiences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased use of chemical cleaning, sanitization, and disinfectant products (CSDPs) led to ventilation and other health concerns. NJSS conducted two surveys of newer NJ WBL teachers between October 2021 and June 2023, with a follow-up in fall 2022 for those who completed initial surveys before summer 2022. This study focused on questions regarding workspace ventilation; respirator and CSDPs trainings; awareness of government resources for safety and health (S&H); and demographics. Over 65% of participant classrooms have operable windows or ventilation systems, while 13% of school salons have ceiling fans. Half of participants didn’t receive training on handling CSDPs, although 90% were aware of government S&H resources. Data suggested teachers have well-ventilated workspaces and are aware of different resources available, which is important to continue post COVID-19. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Reporting findings from action research in Secondary Vocational Schools (SVSs) in Palestine contributes to our understanding of the five criteria that underpin excellence in Work-Based learning (WBL) This paper presents a new model for promoting WBL performance for SVSs in Palestine by focusing on five key indicators derived from previous research analysis and findings for the researcher of this paper, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and the Quality, Cost and Delivery (QCD) model. This paper addresses the question of how to promote WBL in SVSs in Palestine? In-depth interviews with 52 school personnel and 85 students from three SVSs in Palestine were conducted. A five-question descriptive questionnaire was administered to all respondents to assess the five key performance indicators to identify performance gaps. Analysis of the responses provides an understanding of the causes of the gaps and helps provide explanations to develop an action plan to improve performance. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In a rapidly evolving technology and skill-based economy, the development and engagement in practical skills and motivation among electronic technology education students is key to their career readiness and employability. Thus, this study investigated the relationship between initial training experiences and electronic technology education students’ motivation and engagement in practical skill learning. The study employed cross-section and correlational survey method to elicit data from 177 sample of electronic technology education students through structured questionnaires. Path analysis and mediation analysis were used for the data analysis. Results showed that initial training experiences positively and significantly predicted motivation, and students’ engagement in practical skill learning. learning self-efficacy was found to mediate the relationship between initial training experiences and motivation. These findings emphasise the importance of well-designed initial training to enhance students’ motivation and engagement in practical skill development. Thus, this study makes significant contribution to extant literatures. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In today's highly competitive job market, the employability of graduates holds paramount significance. Employers increasingly demand fundamental competencies and diverse employability skills from the current graduates. Studies have highlighted a noticeable gap between the skills employers seek and graduates’ skills upon the completion of their studies. This gap in employability skills significantly impacts graduates, impeding their prospects of securing suitable employment opportunities. The disparities in skills and knowledge have sparked a debate on graduate employability, necessitating further research in this domain. Addressing that, the current study explored research trends, directions, and opportunities related to graduate employability. A bibliometric analysis was conducted on a dataset comprising 2335 journal articles on graduate employability published between 1981 and 2023 in Scopus and Web of Science databases. The results of bibliometric analysis revealed the most influential journal articles based on their publications, citations, and significance in the intellectual network. Through content analysis, this study shed light on the subject's intellectual structure, characterized by four major thematic clusters: (1) the attribution of broader skills to career enhancement; (2) the significance of generic skills (interpersonal, problem-solving, and communication skills); (3) the need for work-related training and employer engagement; and (4) the need for improved curriculum design to build adequate human capital. The study concluded with a discussion of practical policy implications, limitations of study, and recommendations for future research. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

In hospitality management education, diminishing interest in food safety and sanitation education poses challenges compounded by limited awareness of its importance. An immersive learning platform with virtual simulation environments for food safety and sanitation education was developed and integrated into a foodservice management course on a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management curriculum. This paper describes the development and implementation of the immersive learning platform, highlighting its positive impact on learning outcomes to date. The paper underscores the practical use of immersive technology in food safety and sanitation education and suggests avenues for further research to optimize student learning and engagement. © 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Climate change is not geographically homongeneous and disproportionally affects African nations, making the acceleration of knowledge sharing and mobilization among African-centric researchers critical for developing adaptative and preventative solutions. An interdisciplinary approach to environmental education is therefore essential. While mechanisms like short-term international exchange programs have been explored, little research has focused on a cohort-based approach centered on environmental education of international and interdisciplinary doctoral students and early career researchers. Drawing from the literature on international experiential learning and cohort-based models and employing a Theory of Change framework, we report on the outcomes of an innovative four-year environmental education short-term study program in Canada involving three cohorts of post graduate scholars from Sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings demonstrate that an interdisciplinary cohort approach is beneficial in accelerating research capacity for tackling complex problems such as climate change. Furthermore, participating scholars benefited from cross-learning, research dissemination, community engagement, network development, and enhanced soft skills. Recommendations for successfully organizing and delivering a cohort-based international exchange program are also discussed. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Online courses emerged as an important mode for large-scale cross-national teachers' professional learning. However, with most previous research on teacher online professional learning (TOPL) focusing on resource-rich and technology-advanced regions, little attention has been paid to the factors influencing the online learning completion of college teachers in Global South contexts. This study aimed to explore the facilitators and inhibitors of this population's online learning completion in a cross-country program. In seven courses, individual, institutional, and country-level data of 3529 teacher-learners from 99 countries were collected. Forty-two learners were further interviewed. We adopted hierarchical linear modeling to analyze the nested relationships among the individual/institutional/country-level factors and course completion. Results revealed several significant associations between individual/institutional/country-level variables and course completion, as well as several moderation effects. Interviews complemented the analytics results. This study uncovers influential factors of TOPL in Global South contexts and provides practical implications for college teachers' online professional learning. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.

In order to recruit sufficient special education allied educators for children with mild special education needs in Singapore public schools, the government removed the general education allied educators scheme, and offered its incumbents the opportunity to retrain as Allied Educators (learning and Behavioural Support). This qualitative research traced the mid-career identity change process of seven allied educators who accepted this offer. Analysis of interviews using Corbin and Strauss’s grounded theory produced 13 themes grouped into five categories. The five propositions derived from these categories showed how participants managed their resistance to professional identity change by recognising the similarities between their current and new roles and identities; and by experiencing the new role under the mentorship of senior Allied Educators (learning and Behavioural Support). This resistance self-management process resulted in participants’ increased commitment to their new identities. Implications for facilitating professional identity changes amongst educators are discussed. © 2024 National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.

The scope of work-integrated learning (WIL) has expanded and evolved globally and is a recognised pedagogy that enhances graduate employability, strengthens students’ personal attributes, and affords a personalised learning experience. Despite abundant research and discourse on WIL, misconceptions about what WIL is and how WIL educative experiences are enacted continue to prevail, partially due to the absence of a universal definition of WIL. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into WIL curriculum design and educational practices that reflect a recently published inclusive definition of WIL. The importance of pre- and post-WIL for optimising outcomes during WIL is emphasised. A framework for conceptualising the enactment of the WIL curriculum is presented that preserves the flexibility of WIL while establishing a consistent interpretation of what WIL curriculum entails. Consensus on the defining elements of WIL and its enactment will facilitate stronger global collaboration, shared teaching ethos, augmented research impact, and agreement on what constitutes quality WIL. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This study investigated whether and how a teacher guidance model could be applied by researchers to guide Dutch elementary school teachers in learning to conduct practitioner research. The authors’ guidance model is inspired by the cognitive apprenticeship approach and comprises four phases with different guidance strategies to scaffold and fade support for teacher learning. Over the course of three years, two researchers facilitated four teacher teams (7–11 members per team) during three phases of the model. The researchers and teachers both appraised the guidance strategies; teachers also rated their proficiency in conducting practitioner research before and after each phase. Results showed that teachers’ confidence increased and that they considered the guidance strategies valuable. Thus, the teacher guidance model provides a good starting point for researchers aiming to support teachers in learning to conduct practitioner research. Future research should aim to refine the guidance strategies within the model. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.