Establishing Professional Competency and Talent Cultivation Strategies in the Post-Pandemic Generation Based on the Sustainability Education Development

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the UN Summit on Sustainable Development Goals kickstarting ambitious action in September 2015, 193 member states supported and adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the 17 SDGs have become the common core issues for countries worldwide to achieve The Future We Want. However, many countries are enduring scorching climate change, encouraging different people understand and practice the 17 SDGs. Sustainable education/SDG education/ESD focuses on promoting sustainable development with the core values of diversity, inclusion and no one being left behind. This topic intends to discuss the formation of core values of sustainable education/SDG education in adult education. We invite you to share your research on how vocational education, professionalism and further education focus on sustainable education, and how to change our adult learning. In addition, this topic also concerns with the impact of emerging technologies (such as artificial intelligence) in the sustainable education field. It aims to understand how current education responds to new technologies such as ChatGPT, and how educators should cultivate the talents needed for the future world. The topic also includes future scenarios for sustainable education, meta-learning (learn to learn), STEAM learning and talent cultivation, creative thinking and creativity, training (TVET) for sustainable development, professional competency cultivation, and professionalism and vocational education.

Dr. Chia-Li Lin
Prof. Dr. Chi-Yo Huang
Dr. Chihhung Chen
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Education Sciences education	2.6	5.5	2011	26.5 Days	CHF 1800
Healthcare healthcare	2.7	4.7	2013	22.4 Days	CHF 2700
Merits merits	-	-	2021	28 Days	CHF 1000
Sustainability sustainability	3.3	7.7	2009	17.9 Days	CHF 2400
Trends in Higher Education higheredu	-	-	2022	45.8 Days	CHF 1200

Preprints.org is a multidisciplinary platform offering a preprint service designed to facilitate the early sharing of your research. It supports and empowers your research journey from the very beginning.

MDPI Topics is collaborating with Preprints.org and has established a direct connection between MDPI journals and the platform. Authors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by posting their preprints at Preprints.org prior to publication:

1. Share your research immediately: disseminate your ideas prior to publication and establish priority for your work.
2. Safeguard your intellectual contribution: Protect your ideas with a time-stamped preprint that serves as proof of your research timeline.
3. Boost visibility and impact: Increase the reach and influence of your research by making it accessible to a global audience.
4. Gain early feedback: Receive valuable input and insights from peers before submitting to a journal.
5. Ensure broad indexing: Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Order results

Content type Publication Date

Result details

Normal Extended Compact

Journals

All Education Sciences Healthcare Merits Sustainability Trends in Higher Education

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

attachment

Supplementary material:
Supplementary File 1 (ZIP, 620 KB)

18 pages, 3062 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Bridging AI Education and Sustainable Development: Design-Based Research on First-Year Undergraduates’ Systems Analysis for Habitat Conservation

by Yanhong Lin, Jianhua Liao, Ying Zhong, Ling Liu and Shunzhi Zhu

Sustainability 2026, 18(4), 1812; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18041812 - 10 Feb 2026

Viewed by 204

Abstract

Against global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss, sustainable development is the core orientation of engineering education transformation. Cultivating talents with interdisciplinary perspectives, systemic thinking and AI literacy is crucial for implementing the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. However, AI education focuses [...] Read more.

Against global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss, sustainable development is the core orientation of engineering education transformation. Cultivating talents with interdisciplinary perspectives, systemic thinking and AI literacy is crucial for implementing the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. However, AI education focuses on seniors or graduates, with freshmen’s use of AI acting as “cognitive partners” for knowledge construction and complex problem-solving understudied, constraining AI’s potential in fostering early systemic thinking. We present a novel teaching practice integrating generative AI into an “AI-Environmental System Analysis” module, with Sousa chinensis habitat conservation as the case. Using a design-based research paradigm, we evaluated 24 student groups via system analysis briefs, AI usage reflections and course assessment data. Results show that the module effectively guided students to establish preliminary system analysis frameworks, with over 70% of groups identifying complex interactions among environmental factors. Students’ AI applications ranged from information retrieval to scenario simulation, initially forming systemic thinking and responsible AI literacy for sustainable development. This study provides a replicable paradigm for integrating AI and sustainable development education, clarifies the key role of structured instructional scaffolding, and enriches sustainable development-oriented engineering education pathways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Establishing Professional Competency and Talent Cultivation Strategies in the Post-Pandemic Generation Based on the Sustainability Education Development)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 262 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Commitment Under Pressure: The Paradox of Post-Pandemic Workforce Recovery in Canadian Education

by Lesley Eblie Trudel and Laura Sokal

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010004 - 19 Dec 2025

Viewed by 316

Abstract

This study examines how the education sector in one Canadian province has navigated post-pandemic recovery between 2023 and 2025, drawing on cross-sectional survey data from a convenience sample of sector employees in the 2023–2024 (n = 1411) and 2024–2025 (n = [...] Read more.

This study examines how the education sector in one Canadian province has navigated post-pandemic recovery between 2023 and 2025, drawing on cross-sectional survey data from a convenience sample of sector employees in the 2023–2024 (n = 1411) and 2024–2025 (n = 742) school years. The findings revealed selective improvement over time, including increased organizational commitment among teachers and other education workforce members, alongside reduced perceptions of students’ academic, social, and behavioural needs. Teachers indicated no corresponding increases in their perceived frequency of meeting students’ needs, whereas other educator sector employees indicated improvement in this area. In contrast, no year-over-year differences were found in the education workforce members’ and teachers’ stress, coping, well-being or connectedness, and job search behaviours remained high, ranging from 14 to 43%. Guided by the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, these findings suggest that post-pandemic recovery reflects the establishment of a new and complex baseline. The coexistence of improved commitment with persistent job strain signals a paradox of stability amid depletion. Qualitative responses reinforced this interpretation, revealing how educators adapt to ongoing organizational resource constraints and shifting student needs. Together, the findings extend JD-R-informed understandings of post-crisis workforce adaptation and identify implications for leadership and policy aimed at supporting organizational health and workforce sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Establishing Professional Competency and Talent Cultivation Strategies in the Post-Pandemic Generation Based on the Sustainability Education Development)

attachment

Supplementary material:
Supplementary File 1 (ZIP, 134 KB)

27 pages, 1701 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Do School Activities Foster Creative Thinking? An Analysis of PISA Results

by José Hernández-Ramos and Roberto Araya

Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020133 - 23 Jan 2025

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 12228

Abstract

In 2022, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessed the creative thinking skills of 15-year-old students, measuring their ability to generate creative ideas and improve others’ ideas. The present study used a correlational design to explore the relationship between creative thinking test [...] Read more.

In 2022, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessed the creative thinking skills of 15-year-old students, measuring their ability to generate creative ideas and improve others’ ideas. The present study used a correlational design to explore the relationship between creative thinking test scores and the frequency of participation in school activities. Surprisingly, the results show that countries with higher participation in school activities obtained worse results in the global PISA test for creative thinking and scientific problem-solving. Even after adjusting for PISA performance in 2018 and 2022, the increase in school activities did not improve low creativity scores. PISA identified this result as counterintuitive but analyzed it at the student level. However, we examined the phenomenon at the country level, which allows us to suggest another explanation. These findings indicate that such activities may need to be more enriching, focusing more on developing divergent rather than convergent skills. The complexity and cognitive load teachers require to design and carry out highly creative activities may explain these results. This study proposes reconsidering the pedagogical implementation of these activities and incorporating generative artificial intelligence as a fundamental tool to enhance creative development in the educational environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Establishing Professional Competency and Talent Cultivation Strategies in the Post-Pandemic Generation Based on the Sustainability Education Development)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

attachment

Supplementary material:
Supplementary File 1 (ZIP, 254 KB)

11 pages, 588 KB  

Open AccessStudy Protocol

Factors Influencing Dementia Care Competence among Care Staff: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review Protocol

by Jinfeng Zhu, Jing Wang, Bo Zhang, Xi Zhang and Hui Wu

Healthcare 2024, 12(11), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12111155 - 6 Jun 2024

Viewed by 2242

Abstract

Background: Dementia care competence is defined as the ability, acquired through practical experience, to deliver high-quality care services to persons with dementia (PWD). However, many studies only focus on one aspect of competence using qualitative or quantitative research design and have small sample [...] Read more.

Background: Dementia care competence is defined as the ability, acquired through practical experience, to deliver high-quality care services to persons with dementia (PWD). However, many studies only focus on one aspect of competence using qualitative or quantitative research design and have small sample sizes of care staff with dementia. This study aims to conduct a mixed-methods systematic review of the factors influencing the competence of dementia care staff, and explore the relationship between these factors and competence. Methods: This review was designed following the PRISMA-P 2015 statement and methodological guidance for the conduct of mixed-methods systematic reviews from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Seven English and four Chinese databases will be searched to systematically review the existing eligible studies. JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research and Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies will be used to assess the methodological quality of each study. A JBI Mixed-Methods Data Extraction Form will be applied for data extraction. The JBI convergent integrated approach will be used for data synthesis and integration. The synthesized findings will be graded according to the JBI ConQual approach as high, moderate, low, or very low. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO in October 2023 (CRD42023474093). Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Establishing Professional Competency and Talent Cultivation Strategies in the Post-Pandemic Generation Based on the Sustainability Education Development)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1221 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Teacher Agency in the Pedagogical Uses of ICT: A Holistic Perspective Emanating from Reflexive Practice

by Ángela Novoa-Echaurren

Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030254 - 28 Feb 2024

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3465

Abstract

This article discusses a case study on teacher agency about the pedagogical uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The investigation explored a school ecosystem that has developed a model of reflexive practice aimed at promoting teacher agency from a holistic and relational [...] Read more.

This article discusses a case study on teacher agency about the pedagogical uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The investigation explored a school ecosystem that has developed a model of reflexive practice aimed at promoting teacher agency from a holistic and relational perspective. The primary case comprised six sub-cases using ICTs with students and deliberated on these uses by applying the reflexive model promoted within the school boundaries. Data were analyzed thematically. Observations of teaching practices with ICTs, reflexive practice sessions on ICT uses, and interviews with the heads of departments of the observed teachers yielded the relevance of collaborative agency in the context of the digital age as it brings together policy, theory, and practice. In line with the claims of relevant literature, the study shows that an articulated dialogue between these dimensions is relevant for using technologies in education according to the specificities of teachers’ institutional ecosystem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Establishing Professional Competency and Talent Cultivation Strategies in the Post-Pandemic Generation Based on the Sustainability Education Development)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 258 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing Cognitive Function in Older Adults through Processing Speed Training: Implications for Cognitive Health Awareness

by Pai-Lin Lee, Chih-Kun Huang, Yi-Yi Chen, Hui-Hsiang Chang, Chun-Hua Cheng, Yu-Chih Lin and Chia-Li Lin

Healthcare 2024, 12(5), 532; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12050532 - 23 Feb 2024

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 7619

Abstract

It may be possible to enhance adults’ cognitive health and promote healthy aging through processing speed training using the Useful Field of View (UFOV) related activities and software. This study investigated the impact of utilizing UFOV on processing speed improvement in older adults [...] Read more.

It may be possible to enhance adults’ cognitive health and promote healthy aging through processing speed training using the Useful Field of View (UFOV) related activities and software. This study investigated the impact of utilizing UFOV on processing speed improvement in older adults in response to the growing global attention on cognitive health and aging issues. In this quasi-experimental study, 22 individuals (mean age ± SD = 71.9 ± 4.8) participated in the experimental group, and 20 community-based participants (mean age ± SD = 67.1 ± 4.8) were in the control group. The intervention involved ten sessions of UFOV training, each lasting 60 min, conducted twice a week for the experimental group while the control group engaged in volunteer service activities. Measurements of Counting Back, Fabrica, Double-Decision, and Hawkeye were administered to all participants before and after the intervention. The results showed significant improvements in the experimental group for the four measurements (p ≤ 0.01, 0.05, 0.001, 0.001) and non-significant gains in the control group (p ≥ 0.05) for all. Furthermore, mixed repeated-measures ANOVA analysis, with time 1 pre-test measures as the covariate, revealed significant interaction effects between time and group for all measurement indicators (p = 0.05, 0.01, 0.05) except for Fabrica (p > 0.05). In conclusion, these findings support the effectiveness of UFOV cognitive training interventions in enhancing specific cognitive abilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Establishing Professional Competency and Talent Cultivation Strategies in the Post-Pandemic Generation Based on the Sustainability Education Development)

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

 

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

Displaying articles 1-6