Search Results (17)

This article reflects on a capacity-building project co-designed with two universities in northern Mozambique to strengthen partnerships in the educational sector in addressing local issues of youth unemployment and food insecurity. The project focused on building communities of practice (CoPs) around the three secondary-level schools delivering agricultural education and training with the participation of universities’ lecturers from agricultural universities as well as students and rural communities. These three CoPs became collaborative networks foregrounded in participatory action research that allowed for a joint production of knowledge. Because of this, we propose to frame these CoPs as microcosms of an expanded skills ecosystem that exists on a territorial level and encompasses diverse forms of knowledge. Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, CoPs created opportunities for students to do practical work that is often lacking in training and, especially, to encounter entrepreneurship possibilities that can facilitate education–work transitions. With this experience in mind, we ask ourselves, how can CoPs harness skills development towards the education–work transition for youth in agriculture? Our insights into this question are based on three years of project implementation (2021–2023) and, hopefully, will contribute to better understand the role of vocationally trained youth for Mozambique’s agricultural development. Full article

Voluntary HIV testing and counselling (VCT) in the workplace could reach population groups who may be at risk for HIV but may not readily seek out testing from other services. We conducted a scoping review to understand (a) the nature of evidence related to initiatives and interventions for vocationally active adults on VCT in occupational settings, and (b) any facilitators and barriers to the delivery of and/or engagement with VCT initiatives/interventions in the workplace. JBI scoping review methodology was followed. The protocol was pre-registered. Included studies focused on vocationally active adults (population), VCT interventions or initiatives (concept), and workplaces in any sector or country (context). The review included studies published after 2000, in English, and of any research design. Studies relating to mandatory workplace HIV screening were excluded. MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials were searched. Sources of grey literature included Google Scholar and governmental and organisational websites. One reviewer screened titles and abstracts; a second reviewer independently screened 10%. Data extraction utilised a modified JBI data extraction tool. We identified 17 studies reporting on 12 workplace VCT interventions (20,985 participants, 15–70 years). Studies were conducted in eight countries between 2001 and 2022. Interventions were delivered in organisations of different types, sizes and sectors. Testing included rapid blood tests and oral fluid self-tests. Where reported, the average on-site HIV testing uptake rate was 63%, and the average linkage to care rate was 86.85%. Views of workers, employers and service providers were largely positive. Barriers included being male, masculinity-driven workplace culture, HIV-related stigma, poor knowledge, low risk perceptions, lack of time and low support. Facilitators included on-site testing for convenience and accessibility, rapid and free tests, organisational, managerial and peer support, and embedding HIV tests within general health checks. Evaluation methods varied, although randomised trial designs were uncommon. Despite the limited number of studies, the workplace appears to be a viable route to the delivery of community-based VCT, albeit barriers should be addressed. Reporting quality of interventions and associated evaluations is variable and could be improved with the use of appropriate checklists. Full article

For non-English-speaking nations such as Japan, proficiency in English has emerged as an indispensable skill, particularly in scientific fields like medicine. This research paper extends prior investigations into the motivations of Japanese medical students for learning English and delves into their willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. Importantly, it explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these motivations and communication behaviors. This study reveals that Japanese medical students are strongly instrumentally and vocationally motivated, viewing English as a practical asset for their future medical careers. They also exhibit a strong international posture, demonstrating an eagerness to engage with global cultures through English. Notably, the students’ motivation to study English remains resilient despite the pandemic’s challenges, such as the shift to remote learning and travel restrictions. However, their WTC in English exhibits nuanced changes. While overall WTC remains stable, students’ inclination to give presentations in English decreases significantly, possibly due to reduced face-to-face interactions in virtual learning environments. Additionally, their interest in participating in international events and activities wanes, possibly influenced by pandemic-related travel anxiety. These findings underscore the importance of offering specialized English classes and study abroad/international exchange experiences to sustain students’ motivation to learn English. Full article

As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, its legacy has been to disrupt universities across the world, most immediately in developing online adjuncts to face-to-face teaching. Behind these problems lie those of assessment, particularly traditional summative assessment, which has proved more difficult to implement. This paper models the current practice of assessment in higher education as influenced by ten factors, the most important of which are the emerging technologies of artificial intelligence (AI) and learning analytics (LA). Using this model and a SWOT analysis, the paper argues that the pressures of marketisation and demand for nontraditional and vocationally oriented provision put a premium on courses offering a more flexible and student-centred assessment. This could be facilitated through institutional strategies enabling assessment for learning: an approach that employs formative assessment supported by AI and LA, together with collaborative working in realistic contexts, to facilitate students’ development as flexible and sustainable learners. While literature in this area tends to focus on one or two aspects of technology or assessment, this paper aims to be integrative by drawing upon more comprehensive evidence to support its thesis. Full article

A considerable and growing body of literature has engaged in a critical reading of the nature and substance of shifts in not only the business practices, but the conditions for the very raison d’ėtre or telic identifiability of universities under current strategic political arrangements. Moving beyond the practices of academic economy in the business of higher education that reduce the intellectual worker to academic labourer enduring multiple forms of alienation, the paper considers what kind of critical setting there may be for reimagining the university in non-nostalgic ways. While the paper takes its cues pre-eminently from the Australian Higher Education Provider sector, it draws on the overlapping political theorising particularly from the N. American critics Wendy Brown and Henry Giroux. From their critiques of neoliberalism, the paper argues that asking what universities are for does not fare well when higher education institutions are subjected to neoliberal rationality. Full article

Given the impact of unsustainable practices, work, and living patterns, it has become increasingly important to raise global citizens as stewards of the earth’s life support system. Thus, developing sustainability literacy has become very crucial. A sustainability-literate professional can make sound decisions and act in environmentally friendly, socially acceptable, and economically viable ways. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) arguably has the potential to educate workers, graduates, and citizens alike in developing sustainability literacy since it is regarded in many nations as the supplier of skilled labour. TVET teacher training programmes in Malaysia have been vastly proficient in developing vocationally competent teachers and workers. Still, there remains uncertainty regarding the extent to which these vocational teaching professionals have been trained to develop sustainability competencies and literacies. The implication is that, when technical and vocational teachers responsible for training workers do not possess the requisite competencies to engage in sustainability education, the potential for TVET to become a viable tool for ESD diminishes. Given this backdrop, this study was undertaken to propose a curriculum framework for sustainability literacy for technical and vocational teacher training programmes. Using a modified Delphi method (MDM) consisting of 15 expert participants from Asian-Pacific countries, four important curricular elements for sustainability literacy were identified and defined. These include the learning outcomes for sustainability literacy, teaching competencies for sustainability literacy, pedagogical approaches to foster effective teaching and learning for sustainability, as well as ESD integration strategies. The specific indicators within this curriculum framework were also defined. The paper concludes with vivid implications for practice within TVET teacher training programmes in realising Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Full article

The rapid development of information technology and Internet technology has a far-reaching impact on vocational education. It is possible to accurately and objectively evaluate the training of learners by recording the process data of learners’ realization. The teaching evaluation of traditional vocational skill training requires time, workforce, and educational resources. Due to the limitations of experimental conditions, it is easy to ignore the procedural characteristics of skill training and difficult to implement the procedural evaluation. Based on the above problems, combined with virtual reality and the parts of vocationally skilled auto repair training specialty, using machine learning methods, engineering design of process evaluation method for skilled auto repair training, and takes the secondary vocational auto repair specialty as an example, constructs an evaluation index model based on KSA theoretical model, and evaluates three dimensions: knowledge acquisition, skill mastery, and ability cultivation (knowledge, skill, ability, KSA). The experimental verification of the process evaluator is carried out in the theoretical training evaluation auto repair system (TTE) based on virtual reality. The experimental results can effectively evaluate the practical training of students. The research results of this paper provide a new perspective and reference for the learning evaluation of skill-based training majors. Full article

BackTrack is a multi-component, community-based program designed to build capacity amongst high-risk young people. The aim of this study was to conduct a benefit-cost analysis of BackTrack, which was implemented in Armidale, a rural town in New South Wales, Australia. Costs and benefits were identified, measured and valued in 2016 Australian dollars. Costs were estimated from program financial and administrative records. Benefits were estimated using a pre-post design and conservative economic assumptions. Benefits included education attendance or completion; employment; engagement with health service providers; reduced homelessness; economic productivity; reduced vandalism to local infrastructure; reduced youth crime; reduced engagement with the justice system; and program income generated by participants. The counterfactual baseline was zero educational outcome, based on discussions with BackTrack staff and expert informants. We tested this assumption compared to the assumption that participants had a Year 8 education. There was evidence of significant quantifiable improvements in several outcomes: high school attendance or completion, vocational education attendance or completion, unskilled or vocationally qualified employment and economic productivity. Reduced homelessness, engagement with health services and acquisition of job readiness skills, as well as reduced local infrastructure vandalism and reduced crime were further quantifiable improvements. The net social benefit of BackTrack was estimated at $3,267,967 with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.03, meaning that every dollar invested in BackTrack would return $2.03 in benefits. BackTrack represents a viable funding option for a government interested in addressing the needs of high-risk young people. Full article

Productivity has posed issues for global countries in terms of promoting older employment due to an emergence of questions regarding production efficiency. Individual characteristics result in varying production efficiencies, which in turn provide different levels of productivity. Taking this concern into account, we are here to examine the characteristics of older workers who provide high productivity in order to seek recommendations for fostering decent work for them. We utilized the dataset collected from the pilot service companies in Thailand who participated in a national initiative program for employing older people. A total of 204 older workers and their characters were then observed. Those characters were analyzed by the Generalized Ordered Logit Regression (gologit) model. Empirical findings indicate that allocating work that is related to communication and coordination to older workers would enhance odd ratio of their productivity by as much as 4.79 times compared to general tasks. Furthermore, employing older individuals on a part-time basis tends to generate higher-level productivity than full-time employment. We also found that gender and age differences have no significant effect on productivity in the service sector as people age, and factors related to types of employment, education, health, and financial status are also a precise determinant for the productivity of older workers. This would suggest that the work design for the older workers must be in line with the aforementioned determinants. In addition, the government initiatives utilizing key findings from this study to boost older workers’ productivity should give priority on tax incentives, promoting and advocating for employment equality, and vocationalization programs. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a considerable increase in the use of e-health applications. Shortly after confirmation of the first case of COVID-19 in Poland, the Ministry of Health allowed for the general use of remote physician’s visits (RPVs) as a substitute for traditional visits to the physician’s office. It was estimated that during the first year of the pandemic, as many as 80% of primary care visits were provided remotely, mainly by phone. This study’s main aim was to assess the use of e-health services in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the factors related to user satisfaction and positive assessment of the ease-of-use of RPVs were analyzed. The analysis was based on data obtained from a computer-assisted web-based interviewing (CAWI) survey among 2410 adult Internet users in Poland. The questionnaire consisted of 55 items, including a 16-item European Health Literacy Questionnaire, an 8-item e-Health Literacy scale, a set of questions about the use of and experience with e-health services during the pandemic, and items exploring the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents. Univariate logistic regression models were developed for variables reflecting user satisfaction and the assessment of the ease-of-use of RPVs. The use of RPVs increased during the pandemic by about 200%. Higher health literacy and e-health literacy, older age, higher income, a greater number of e-health services used before the pandemic, and telephone-based remote visits were significantly associated with higher user satisfaction and ease-of-use of RPVs. Respondents using RPVs for renewal of prescriptions were more favorable in assessing satisfaction and ease-of-use. A less positive assessment of satisfaction and ease-of-use was provided by students and vocationally passive persons in comparison to the employed. Finally, the perception of the threat of COVID-19 was associated with higher satisfaction and better assessment of ease-of-use. Persons declaring the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were more likely to be satisfied with remote visits. User satisfaction and the feeling of ease-of-use in the case of remote advice provided by a physician depend on many factors. Significant predictors include selected sociodemographic and economic variables, determinants associated with the perception of the threat of COVID-19, the aims and tools used for the RPVs, and earlier experience with e-health services. Full article

Recently, Japanese medical students are expected to acquire a high degree of English proficiency with the tacit understanding that it will feature in their future profession through interactions with non-Japanese patients and/or engagement with medical research. However, to the best of our knowledge, the motivation of Japanese medical students to learn English as a second language (L2) has not been studied. Using quantitative and qualitative questionnaires, we investigated the L2 learning motivation of second-year Japanese medical students and the degree to which the students have international posture, i.e., their awareness and openness to internationalization. The results revealed that the students were primarily instrumentally and vocationally motivated; in other words, their chief motivation for L2 learning came from an understanding of the usefulness of L2 proficiency for their future profession. The results also showed that the students had strong international posture, as evidenced by a deep desire to communicate internationally and an understanding of the role of English as a tool for global communication. The findings suggest that, to sustain or improve L2 learning motivation, educators should employ study materials that are pertinent to students’ future needs and professions. Full article

With the labor market and work environments becoming increasingly dynamic, the question of how young people can find their way to a sustainable professional future becomes ever more complex. This paper looks from different perspectives at apprenticeships, at their advantages and limitations. The first step is a description of the prerequisites that are necessary for a sustainable career choice. In this respect, the role of career guidance is particularly relevant, as guidance needs to take into account both individual characteristics as well as labor market aspects in order to support a sustainable career choice. Based on a comprehensive critical literature review of current interdisciplinary and international papers, as well as of basic career choice theory literature, the theoretical framework is set out and linked to empirical results. The conclusion emphasizes the high importance of apprenticeships for the holistic personality development of young people and a positive as well as a sustainable effect on their lifelong employment careers. It should be stressed that this success depends, to a large extent, on the structure of the vocational education and training system, on labor market developments, and on individual advanced qualifications in the course of working life. Full article

The author makes a strategic argument for the liberal arts grounded in realpolitik (that is, the “realistic” manipulation of the levers of power). In a time of neoliberal university governance, it is useful for fields of study to base appeals for their continued existence on their utility to their institutions. The growth of equity and diversity initiatives in the academy, particularly in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, gives us a means of making this argument, as the liberal arts have utility in questioning the structures of white supremacy and received history and values. By exploiting the cognitive dissonance between the demands of neoliberal governance and the need for diversity and equity, we can make a persuasive case for reinvestment in the liberal arts. Further, this reinvestment ought to be democratized and carried out through all levels of higher education, including, and especially, non-selective, vocationally oriented institutions. Full article

Background: Public health and health promotion rely on many different interventions, which range from health education and communication, through community mobilisation and changes to environmental conditions, to legal and fiscal actions. The introduction of the increased tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), popularly called sugar tax (ST), and a mandatory programme of vaccinations are the strategies inciting the most vivid discussions in Polish society. The study was intended to assess the determinants of the attitudes of Polish society regarding the ST and to vaccinations. Methods: For the analysis, the data originating from the survey of a representative adult sample of Polish society (n = 1000) was used. The survey was based on computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The assessment of the relationships between the selected variables and the opinions about the introduction of the ST and the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations were carried out using the chi² test and univariate logistic regression models. Results: The acceptance of the ST and vaccination showed a significant relationship to the level of health literacy (HL) but not to eHealth literacy (eHL). Respondents having a higher rather than lower HL; older rather than younger; married rather than singles; retired, or on a disability pension, rather than vocationally active and nonusers of the Internet rather than users were more likely to show an acceptance for both interventions. Those more frequently using health care services and those with chronic diseases showed a greater belief in the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. Conclusions: The relationship between the opinions of the two public health interventions analysed and the sociodemographic variables demonstrated similar patterns. Interestingly, the opinions were associated only with HL and not with eHL and users of the Internet were more sceptical about the interventions. Full article

This paper explores the practices of higher education tutors in blended learning contexts. Significantly, the influence of their perceptions on practice was considered by investigating previous teaching and learning experiences, and their views of the affordances blended learning offers adult learners. The analysis was undertaken in relation to these learners’ perceptions of their tutors whilst studying part-time, vocationally relevant degrees, at a distance. A mixed methods approach was adopted to conduct a detailed exploration of eight tutors’ practice. Data analysis suggested that all tutors had negative experiences of online learning as students with these perceptions appearing to influence their practice. They generally avoided online pedagogies and adopted alternative approaches to their practice, namely a focus on face-to-face delivery with enhanced learner support, which was found to align with their described pedagogical beliefs. These tutors considered online teaching and learning as a deficit in this context. Full article