Search Results (209)

The sustainable development of teaching expertise in research-intensive universities remains a critical global challenge. This study investigates the distinctive characteristics of expert teachers—exemplary faculty in research universities—addressing their developmental trajectories and motivational mechanisms within prevailing incentive systems that prioritize research productivity over pedagogical excellence. Employing grounded theory methodology, we conducted iterative coding of 20,000-word interview transcripts from 13 teaching-awarded professors at Chinese “Double First-Class” universities. Key findings reveal the following: (1) Compared to the original K-12 expert teacher model, university-level teaching experts exhibit distinctive disciplinary mastery—characterized by systematic knowledge structuring and cross-disciplinary integration capabilities. (2) Their developmental trajectory transcends linear expertise acquisition, instead manifesting as a problem-solving continuum across four nonlinear phases: career initiation, dilemma adaptation, theoretical consciousness, and leadership expansion. (3) Sustainable teaching excellence relies fundamentally on teachers’ professional passion, sustained through a virtuous cycle of high-quality instructional engagement and external validation (including positive student feedback, institutional recognition, and peer collaboration). Universities must establish comprehensive support systems—including (a) fostering a supportive and flexible learning atmosphere, (b) reforming evaluation mechanisms, and (c) facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration through teaching development communities—to institutionalize this developmental ecosystem. Full article

This article addresses the task of building personalized educational recommendations based on a heterogeneous knowledge graph that integrates data from university curricula, job vacancies, and online courses. To solve the problem of course recommendations by their relevance to a user’s competencies, a graph neural network (GNN)-based approach is proposed, specifically utilizing and comparing the Heterogeneous Graph Transformer (HGT) architecture, Graph Sample and Aggregate network (GraphSAGE), and Heterogeneous Graph Attention Network (HAN). Experiments were conducted on a heterogeneous graph comprising various node and relation types. The models were evaluated using regression and ranking metrics. The results demonstrated the superiority of the HGT-based recommendation model as a link regression task, especially in terms of ranking metrics, confirming its suitability for generating accurate and interpretable recommendations in educational systems. The proposed approach can be useful for developing adaptive learning recommendations aligned with users’ career goals. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally disrupted assumptions about entrepreneurship, career planning, and professional development. This study explored how the pandemic influenced the entrepreneurial intentions of undergraduate business students in the United States. Using a qualitative methodology based on in-depth interviews with 31 students at a public Midwestern university, the research interpreted student narratives through the lenses of effectuation theory, resilience theory, and the theory of planned behavior. Findings revealed that many participants reframed entrepreneurship as a strategy for navigating economic uncertainty and enhancing personal agency. Students reported valuing adaptability, resourcefulness, and opportunity recognition, often experimenting with side hustles during the pandemic as a means of resilience. Their entrepreneurial thinking shifted from purely economic motivations toward aspirations for flexibility, self-fulfillment, and purposeful work. The study highlights the formative role of crisis contexts in shaping entrepreneurial identity among emerging professionals. It suggests that entrepreneurship education should move beyond traditional models, fostering skills for navigating complexity and building resilience. In doing so, the findings contribute to broader conversations about youth entrepreneurship, post-pandemic career development, and the evolving demands of the labor market in times of disruption. Full article

Despite progress in inclusive education, students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) often lack valid, tailored tools for career assessment, limiting equitable transitions to adulthood and employment. Closing this gap is crucial for Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which calls for quality and inclusive educational opportunities. This study addresses this need by adapting and validating a 16-item Career Maturity Inventory-Form C (CMI-C) for Chinese post-secondary SEN students (n = 34) in vocational training in higher education. Rasch modeling, supported by exploratory factor analysis, indicated that a two-factor structure—‘career choice readiness’ and ‘intention to seek career consultation’—provided the best fit to the data, rather than the originally hypothesized four-factor model. The results were more consistent with a two-dimensional structure than with prior four-factor frameworks, though both were explored. Two poorly performing items were removed, resulting in a fourteen-item scale with acceptable item fit and reliability indices in this hard-to-reach group. This restructuring suggests constructs such as concern, confidence, and curiosity are closely linked in SEN populations, underscoring the value of context-sensitive assessment. The revised instrument demonstrated satisfactory model fit and internal consistency; however, convergent validity and practical utility should be interpreted cautiously given the modest sample size. While further validation in larger and more diverse samples is warranted, this study offers preliminary evidence for an adapted, inclusive assessment tool that aligns with SDG 4’s aim to promote equity and empower SEN students in educational and career pathways. Full article

Workaholism and perfectionism have increasingly been identified as significant obstacles to effective lifelong learning and skills development, ultimately undermining long-term career adaptability and organizational resilience. This study explores the predictive role of perfectionism and professional workaholism, with a particular focus on their implications for continuous education and occupational sustainability—defined as employees’ ability to remain adaptable and resilient over time. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design, data were collected from 105 participants (54 IT professionals and 51 nurses) who completed standardized measures of perfectionism and workaholism and reported their cognitive–emotional readiness for further training. Four regression models were employed to assess the impact of the three perfectionism dimensions and profession on overall workaholism and its subcomponents (excessive work, compulsive work, supplementary work). Socially prescribed perfectionism emerged as a strong predictor, accounting for over one-third of the variance in workaholism (β = 0.37; R²_adj = 0.368; p < 0.001), while self-oriented perfectionism significantly predicted excessive work (β = 0.25; p = 0.015). Professional domain had no significant effect, indicating the trans-professional nature of these psychological barriers. Additionally, workaholism was associated with reduced cognitive–emotional availability for ongoing training, highlighting its detrimental effects on lifelong learning. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and reliance on convenience sampling. From a practical perspective, the findings support interventions targeting maladaptive perfectionism, aiming to enhance engagement in continuous professional education and foster sustainable work environments, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4 and SDG 8). Full article

Self-realization, a multifaceted concept, has long been a subject of interest in the scientific literature. Given its profound impact on overall well-being and work-related satisfaction, the development of instruments capturing its complexity assumes significant relevance. Therefore, this study presents the development and validation of the META—Measurement for Evolution, Transformation, and Autorealization, a self-report measure designed to assess the propensity for self-realization. The study involved a sample of 634 participants, who completed a survey comprising the META, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Insight Orientation Scale, and 10-item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale. The analyses confirmed the statistical solidity of the three hypothesized sections; Part A (Evolutionary Thrust), including Sense of life, Spirit of service, Self-Authorizing, Self-Centering, and Internal Drive for Realization; Part B (Transformative Adaptation), including Propensity for transformation, Distress to change, Adaptability, and Fullness of the Experience; Part C (Work Attitude), including Social Service and Care, Administrative and Office Works, Entrepreneurship, Customer Service and Hospitality, and Manual activities. Factor analyses supported the structural validity of the three hypothesized sections of the META, and all subscales showed good to excellent internal consistency. Significant correlations between the META dimensions/subdimensions and self-realization or well-being outcomes also emerged. The META showed excellent psychometric properties and may be used in various fields, promoting advancements in research and practices supporting well-being and personal fulfilment. Full article

Despite robust evidence linking career adaptability (CA) to positive vocational and psychosocial outcomes in general populations, research on the CA among individuals with special educational needs (SEN) remains limited. Prior reviews have largely overlooked the distinct challenges faced by SEN populations. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review across five major databases, yielding an initial pool of 81 studies. Following rigorous screening, only eight quantitative studies met the inclusion criteria, reflecting the early stage of the research in this area. The included studies span diverse SEN groups, including individuals with visual impairments, intellectual disabilities, and mental health conditions. CA was consistently found to be associated with adaptive outcomes such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, hope, and career satisfaction. However, the literature is characterized by methodological limitations, notably the predominance of cross-sectional designs, the underrepresentation of neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., ASD, ADHD), and a lack of cross-cultural perspectives and standardized instruments specifically adapted to SEN learners. Future studies should focus on the need for longitudinal and mixed-method designs, contextually cross-cultural research, and inclusive measurement tools. Furthermore, exploring the ecological and emotional predictors of CA; expanding to underrepresented SEN subgroups; and evaluating diverse interventions beyond mentoring are essential to informing tailored educational and vocational support for individuals with SEN. Full article

This study explores how Speech and Elocution Training (SET) activates language potential and fosters career-oriented development among higher vocational students through self-efficacy mechanisms. Through qualitative interviews with four vocational graduates who participated in SET 5 to 10 years ago, the research identifies three key findings. First, SET comprises curriculum content (e.g., workplace communication modules such as hosting, storytelling, and sales pitching) and classroom training using multimodal TED resources and Toastmasters International-simulated practices, which spark language potential through skill-focused, realistic exercises. Second, these pedagogies facilitate a progression where initial language potential evolves from nascent career interests into concrete job-seeking intentions and long-term career plans: completing workplace-related speech tasks boosts confidence in career choices, planning, and job competencies, enabling adaptability to professional challenges. Third, SET aligns with Bandura’s four self-efficacy determinants; these are successful experiences (including personalized and virtual skill acquisition and certified affirmation), vicarious experiences (via observation platforms and constructive peer modeling), verbal persuasion (direct instructional feedback and indirect emotional support), and the arousal of optimistic emotions (the cognitive reframing of challenges and direct desensitization to anxieties). These mechanisms collectively create a positive cycle that enhances self-efficacy, amplifies language potential, and clarifies career intentions. While highlighting SET’s efficacy, this study notes a small sample size limitation, urging future mixed-methods studies with diverse samples to validate these mechanisms across broader vocational contexts and refine understanding of language training’s role in fostering linguistic competence and career readiness. Full article

Aim: This article explores the contributing factors to the decline in the number of auditors globally and aims to provide the consequences and possible recommendations. Auditors play a critical role in ensuring transparency, trust, and credibility of financial statements. However, the profession is experiencing a decline across the globe. The decrease in the number of registered auditors has become a pressing issue, raising concerns about the future of the assurance industry’s ability to maintain the number of registered auditors and continue providing assurance services to public and private entities or companies. Methodology: A scoping-review methodology was adopted to analyse the existing literature on the global decline in the number of auditors. This approach utilises research evidence to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities within the audit profession. Relevant studies were sourced from databases such as ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, as well as the grey literature. Main findings: This study identifies a combination of factors driving the decline of auditors globally. Economic pressures, such as cost reduction initiatives and outsourcing, have impacted the demand for traditional auditing services. Complex regulatory requirements have increased barriers to entry, while technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence, are disrupting traditional auditing roles. Additionally, the profession suffers from negative perceptions regarding workload, remuneration, and work–life balance, discouraging new entrants. Practical implications: The findings emphasise the urgent need for the auditing profession to adapt to evolving challenges. Stakeholders, including regulatory bodies and professional organisations, must address issues such as technological integration, career development pathways, and regulatory simplification. Enhanced public awareness campaigns and training initiatives are critical to attracting and retaining professional talent. Contribution: This study contributes to the limited body of knowledge on the global decline of auditors by creating a broad spectrum of evidence. It highlights actionable strategies to address the profession’s challenges and provides a foundation for future research on sustaining the relevance of auditors in a dynamic global economy. Full article

The construction industry is perceived as an industry that is not viable for females to progress their careers in. Existing research studies focused on retaining senior female construction professionals are lacking. Particularly, the existing challenges and strategies found through a critical literature review were scattered and not specific to the retention of senior construction professionals. Identifying this gap, this study led to an empirical research phase to gather the firsthand experiences of 14 senior female professionals in Australia through semi-structured interviews. Subsequently, the gathered data was analysed through content analysis using NVivo software (2020). This study revealed several barriers, which were categorised into three clusters: culture in construction, disrupted career progression, and difficult working conditions. The results revealed that some barriers were consistent with the broader literature findings, while some were interesting context-specific barriers such as a lack of recognition and respect, a lack of confidence in decision-making, misalignment of childcare and construction hours, and lack of on-site feeding facilities. Similarly, the strategies were also discussed under three categories: to support females to adapt in construction, support them in their return to work from leave, and increase flexible work. Finally, recommendations were provided for individuals, organisations, and the industry to retain female employees in construction. Theoretically, this study advances understanding by identifying barriers and retention strategies specific to senior female construction professionals, framing retention as a multi-level challenge, while practically, the findings inform targeted policies to address gaps in the Australian context and improve gender equity. Full article

The growing number of public one-way and two-way immersion schools (French/German) in the Swiss cantons of Bern, Jura, and Neuchâtel has resulted in an increased need for teachers who are explicitly prepared for those schools. This need led to the thoughtfully conceptualized two-way immersion curriculum “Cursus bilingue/Bilingualer Studiengang,” jointly offered by two universities of teacher education located in the French- and German-speaking areas of Switzerland. This study explores the professionalization process of future primary teachers from Bern, Jura, and the bilingual program who are confronted with professional requirements. A scientific tool, used in a longitudinal perspective (2020–2023), documents how students of the two-way immersion and the French and German programs (n = 1021) weigh these requirements in the competence and challenge dimensions. A linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze their appraisal within each dimension across time and context. Independently of the context, the competence weighting increases for all students between t₁ and t₃. However, the challenge weighting exhibits a peak at t₂ in all contexts, maybe due to the consciousness-raising of faced challenges after half of the program. With teaching internships in two linguistic regions, two-way immersion students demonstrate a capacity for adaptability. Research-based and practitioner-informed implications for an induction program aiming to foster the further professionalization needed to master the new complexities during the career-entry stage are presented. Full article

Background: Healthcare is a dynamic environment for nurses, with early career nurses (ECNs) needing to adapt and learn while also meeting care demands. Effective support systems, mentorship, and continuous professional development are vital in facilitating their transition while navigating competing demands. The aim of this study is to interpret and understand the meaning of ECNs’ professional experiences four years after completing their bachelor’s degree in Australia. Method: A qualitative descriptive design using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used as part of a longitudinal study. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted among twenty-five ECNs between 2022 and 2024 using purposive sampling to recruit ECNs who had graduated four years ago. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data while adhering to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines. Results: Four themes emerged among participants, which encompassed professional growth and unwavering commitment, ongoing professional adaptability, feeling stuck with limited choices, and continual learning amid career challenges and personal life demands. Conclusions: Change is needed to ensure professional learning becomes a shared responsibility among policy makers and healthcare leaders and to ensure that professional learning leads to more nurses taking up further study, thus increasing the safety and quality of care delivered in the healthcare environment. Full article

Emerging adulthood, characterized by identity exploration and optimism for the future, provides a unique context for examining the interactions between psychological and environmental factors that shape career perceptions. Positive future thinking, defined as the ability to imagine and plan long-term goals, is associated with greater resilience and adaptability. Simultaneously, environmental concern emerges as a critical driver of values and perceptions, reflecting commitment to social and environmental well-being. Sustainable careers that integrate personal growth, well-being, and contributions to societal goals are increasingly relevant at this stage of life. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of environmental concern in the relationship between positive future thinking and sustainable career perceptions in a sample of 266 Italian emerging adults (ages 18–29, M = 22.25, SD = 2.21). Structural equation modeling indicated that the hypothesized mediation model fit the data well. The results revealed significant direct effects of positive future thinking on both environmental concern and sustainable career perceptions, as well as a significant indirect effect through environmental concern. These findings highlight the psychological pathways linking positive future thinking, environmental concern, and sustainable career perceptions and provide insights for promoting adaptive and future-oriented behaviors in emerging adulthood. By doing so, this study contributes to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 13 (Climate Action). Full article

With rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and digital transformation, career development is becoming increasingly uncertain and complex. A key strategy for individuals to adapt to dynamic environments is career crafting; however, research on how employees use it to enhance their career outcomes remains limited. Based on the conservation of resources theory and career construction theory, this study posits that career crafting enhances employees’ sense of control by helping them cope with career and environmental changes. This increased sense of control fosters greater career engagement and reduces career turnover intentions. Furthermore, we examine supervisor career support mentoring as a key contextual element shaping career crafting effectiveness. We collected three-wave data at one-week intervals from 232 hospitality frontline employees. Employees reported their career crafting, supervisor career support mentoring, and demographic information at Time 1; sense of control at Time 2; and career engagement and career turnover intentions at Time 3. The results indicate that career crafting improves employees’ sense of control, which enhances career engagement and reduces career turnover intentions. Additionally, supervisor career support mentoring strengthens the indirect effect of career crafting on career engagement and career turnover intentions through its impact on the sense of control. This study enriches our understanding of career crafting and of effectively leveraging its positive effects in organizational management. Full article

Background: Perfectionism is a growing concern among university students, who face high expectations, demanding workloads, and complex academic tasks. These pressures often lead to stress, negatively impacting performance, well-being, and career trajectories. Existing measures of perfectionism and related stress lack focus on their causes and relevance to students. Methods: This study developed and psychometrically tested an inventory assessing the causes (ROOTS), manifestations (MPS-R), and stress (IPSS-R) related to perfectionism. A multicenter cross-sectional online survey was conducted across multiple Italian universities with 469 students. The ROOTS tool was developed, and the MPS and IPSS were adapted following established guidelines. Content validity was examined, and pilot testing was performed. Confirmatory factor analyses tested three-factor models with a second-order factor for each instrument. Construct validity and reliability were also assessed. Results: The ROOTS, MPS-R, and IPSS-R demonstrated strong structural and construct validity, with acceptable reliability. Significant correlations highlighted the interconnectedness of perfectionism’s causes, manifestations, and stress. Conclusions: The Perfectionism Inventory offers a comprehensive tool for identifying causes, manifestations, and consequences of perfectionism in university students. It can help educators and policymakers develop strategies to mitigate its impact on mental health and academic success. Future research should explore its applicability in other populations. Full article