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"Students"

This study aims to explore the role of reading competence in English literacy for vocational students, focusing on its impact on human resource management and the effectiveness of public learning organizations. The method used is a descriptive qualitative literature review to identify the required competence levels, basic literacy needs, and the urgency of developing effective reading skills in preparation for entering the job market. The results show that reading competence goes beyond basic literacy and includes understanding technical materials, specific industry documents, and job-related texts, all of which are crucial for successful navigation in chosen fields as well as the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This study also highlights the fundamental needs of vocational learners, including access to educational resources aligned with their field of expertise, and adequate language support programs for various levels of English proficiency. This research recommends enhancements to vocational curricula, professional development for educators, language support programs, and collaboration between vocational institutions and employers. The implications of this study confirm that reading ability is not merely a skill but a strategic necessity for vocational success that enhances job eligibility and adaptability, as well as supporting growth in human resource management and public learning organizations. © 2025, J. Ilm. Peuradeun. All rights reserved.

The skill of engineering thinking is one of the relevant and in-demand competencies of the pre-service teachers of Information Technology (IT teachers) in STEM education. The aim of the research is to develop the engineering thinking skills for pre-service IT teachers using cross-cutting educational technologies and STEM projects. The paper shows the two students’ authors` projects in which the students master engineering design and develop the teacher guide with worksheets. Professional training skills are developed as a result of the guide enhancement. During the training, observations were carried out between the control and experimental groups to measure academic performance data and identify any differences between them. The practical teachers and the STEM experts were involved to determine the level of the acquired skills. The results showed that the students who participated in the experiment significantly improved their engineering thinking level and provided themselves with the knowledge and skills necessary for a successful career in scientific, technical and engineering fields. The research allowed determining the effectiveness of the approach based on the use of cross-cutting educational technologies in the development of the author's integrated STEM projects. © 2025 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.

While established educational pathways exist in many nations, the Philippines offers a unique opportunity to investigate the development of entirely new ones. Prior to the 2010s, compulsory education only extended through grade 10, with all students on a general track. The implementation of the 2013 Enhanced Basic Education Act significantly altered this system. It extended the basic education cycle to 12 years and introduced the Technical-Vocational Livelihood (TVL) track as an alternative to the traditional academic track during the final two years. This study explores the determinants influencing the implementation of secondary TVL tracks in the Philippines, while also focusing on how stakeholders perceive its viability as a pathway to postsecondary vocational training and employment. The research draws upon Najam's (1995) "5C" framework, which posits that policy implementation is influenced by five key dimensions: content, context, commitment, capacity, and clients. This framework guides the exploration of how these factors interact and impact the realization of the TVL track. A qualitative research approach is employed, utilizing data from interviews and focus groups conducted with key stakeholders from both the K-12 and postsecondary education sectors. Additionally, a document analysis of relevant sources from government agencies is undertaken to provide further context. The findings offer valuable insights into the perceptions of stakeholders regarding the TVL track's effectiveness, challenges faced during implementation, and its potential as a viable pathway for students. © De La Salle University 2024.

This paper examines professional growth of a STEM teacher from the entrepreneurial frame. Using a personal narrative together with a STEM/science lesson package developed by the participant teacher, we unpack a teacher’s professional growth by interpreting her beliefs and actions using characteristics of entrepreneurial thinking. Our analysis and interpretations revealed that risk-taking forms of behaviour manifest as willingness to take calculated risks to make ‘cold’ calls to different organisations to request sharing or learning opportunities. The motivation to succeed stems from a belief that STEM education can improve the lives of students and that all students can learn. Passion for the discipline of STEM and personal beliefs to uplift students propel the teacher to persevere in her professional development despite busy schedules and conflicting demands of school and home. This study and its findings bring a fresh perspective to the idea of teacher agency from an entrepreneurial lens positioning teachers as self-empowered as compared to individuals who depended on the system to provide enablers for professional growth in the teaching profession. While self-empowerment to enact a curriculum is catalytic, teachers’ capacity for change is circumscribed by teachers’ capacity to act and accumulate practical knowledge. These entrepreneurial actions of successful STEM teachers could be used to facilitate teacher reflection on their professional journey. As the narrative approach sought to present an in-depth examination of the relationship between entrepreneurial thinking and teacher professional growth, the generalisability power of the assertions made is limited. The entrepreneurial thinking framework together with narratives from successful teachers enable teachers to locate where they are in their personal professional development and where they can aspire to move towards in their personal goal settings. Future research can examine teachers’ levels of entrepreneurial thinking and compare them against narratives of their professional growth to distil the behaviours that could lead to growth of entrepreneurial thinking. Curriculum leaders can also use the ideas of entrepreneurial thinking for professional growth to counsel and coach their team. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.

Design education embodies distinctive pedagogical practices rooted in experiential learning, frequent interactions between students and instructors, reflective dialogues through project deliverables, and enculturation through activities and encounters facilitated by a physical studio setting. Contrasting the traditional lecture-based format, the design studio fosters a dynamic, participatory environment, making technology-mediated instructional delivery methods more rare and experimental than widely adopted. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden shift to emergency remote teaching, which prompted a critical re-evaluation of both conventional and unconventional teaching methods, thereby leading to a reconsideration of traditional pedagogical approaches. This paper outlines common technology-enhanced approaches in design studios and advocates for blended learning as an effective mode of delivery. Multiple case study methodology was employed to elicit collective experiences, practices and future expectations of studio instructor teams from 12 architecture, design and planning departments across six universities. Findings of the thematic analysis are presented utilising Khan’s octagonal framework. The themes are synthesised in an integrative model to aid instructors in planning and implementing blended design studios, and recommendations are made for delivering blended learning experiences. The distinctive contribution of this study is its effort to develop an inclusive, comprehensive, and overarching model that resonates across various studio-based fields. © The Author(s) 2024.

This study explores the level of engagement with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supported content among students and teachers in learning sciences and basic computing at Rwandan lower secondary schools. Data were collected from ten well-equipped smart classrooms across ten schools. A sample of 394 participants included ten deputy headteachers, 40 teachers, and 344 students. Interviews, classroom observations, and surveys were used for data collection. Findings revealed a significant digital divide among students due to limited ICT literacy, time constraints, and limited access to computer devices. Also, the findings indicate that teachers faced various challenges, including underutilisation of ICT in science lessons, primarily due to inadequate digital competence. The study recommends strategies to enhance students’ digital skills through training programs and foster ICT-oriented teacher communities of practice via professional development to improve digital competence and innovative teaching methods. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.

There is a widespread agenda of improving teaching and learning in higher education by engaging students with educational technology. Based on a large-scale literature review, the article presents 61 specific, research-based recommendations for realising the engagement potential of eight types of educational technologies in higher education. These recommendations can be used, for example, by educators to incorporate specific, available educational technologies into their teaching or as an educational development method to enhance particular forms of student engagement. Based on the evidence, the article points out that some educational technologies have a more documented and sometimes also broader potential to engage the students behaviourally, affectively, and/or cognitively than others and that this likely is related to the extent the technology supports structure, active learning, communication, interaction, and activities on the higher levels on the learning taxonomies. © The Author(s) 2024.

Creative teaching behavior (CTB) is an innovative and creative teaching approach that is relevant in facing the dynamics of vocational education, which continues to develop, especially to produce creative students. Many studies examine the important role of CTB. However, limited information still discusses how to improve CTB by involving important factors such as creative climate, school support, and creative teaching self-efficacy. This study involved 400 teachers from 25 vocational high schools in civil engineering in Central Java Province, and data analysis using the structural equation modeling (SEM) (Smart-PLS) method. The study results revealed that CTB was proven to be influenced positively and significantly by school support and creative teaching self-efficacy. Also, creative teaching self-efficacy partially mediates the effect of creative climate and school support on CTB. The results of this study provide important implications for vocational school teachers to develop creative teaching skills in schools. Building a creative culture in schools, proactive school support and increasing teacher self-confidence are essential steps in creating a dynamic and innovative learning environment in vocational schools. © 2025, Intelektual Pustaka Media Utama. All rights reserved.

In the current educational landscape, the development of critical thinking abilities is becoming increasingly important, especially considering the prevalence of hybrid learning methods. This investigation aimed to evaluate the proficiency of critical thinking skills in students who are immersed in hybrid learning. A descriptive quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing observation, documentation, and critical thinking assessments to collect data from a sample of 60 students from vocational high schools. The findings highlight two main results: firstly, the majority of students demonstrate a low level of critical thinking skills within the hybrid learning context, indicating the need for improvement; secondly, various factors that influence these skills were identified. These outcomes emphasize the challenges associated with acquiring 21st-century skills and emphasize the necessity for collaborative efforts. Both educators and students must enhance their commitment to effective learning preparation, with a particular emphasis on motivation to foster improved critical thinking abilities. This research provides valuable insights for educators and policymakers who are striving to enhance the hybrid learning environment to better cultivate critical thinking skills in students. © 2025, Intelektual Pustaka Media Utama. All rights reserved.

This research aims to determine the role of developing and implementing discovery learning models to develop students' critical thinking skills in mathematical story problems. The search was carried out in the even semester of 2022/2023 with research subjects totaling 30 fourth semester elementary school education students. The research was conducted using qualitative analysis methods with data collection through observation, interviews, and documentation. The discovery learning model is implemented through learning stages, namely training students to use various concepts, principles, and skills they have learned to solve the mathematical story problems they face. The research results show that the discovery learning model has an impact on the development of critical thinking skills because the research's observations of critical thinking abilities result in the capacity to recognize, evaluate, and resolve narrative difficulties as well as to reason rationally and ethically to conclude. The discovery learning model provides students with the opportunity to apply learning based on solving mathematical story problems, allowing students to develop critical thinking skills. © 2025, Intelektual Pustaka Media Utama. All rights reserved.