Search Results for
"education"

Higher engineering institutions strive towards educating globally competent students, and this article examines curricular approaches to global competence education. Based on qualitative interviews, it explores engineering educators' perspectives on student preparedness, their experiences with global competence integration, and their attributions of responsibility for such learning. In its findings, the article highlights educators' doubts about engineering graduates' preparedness for global workplaces. Moreover, it retraces a variety of educators' approaches to integrating global competence learning and highlights the challenges they face in this endeavour. The article further shows how engineering educators perceived global competence education as important and acknowledged their own role in supporting it, but attributed the main responsibility for ensuring students' competence development to institutional management. The article concludes with a discussion on the potential consequences of the educators' perceptions and examines possibilities for a strategic institutional approach to global competence education. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

IMPACT: Skills development for economic growth is an international priority. Vocational education and training (VET) is globally an instrument to deliver skills training to the public. Internationally, public servants working in VET, and specifically in the UK, are not immune to mental health challenges and poor well-being, at significant cost to the public purse. This article argues that VET staff’s well-being should be prioritized and sustained by proactively managing work stress and work–life balance. The authors propose a more strategic, future-orientated and preventative approach. Policy-makers, line managers and human resource professionals would do well by investing in VET teachers’ and administrators’ psycho-social well-being and therefore limit the consequent costs associated with mental health related productivity issues, absenteeism and turnover. A sustainable people management approach, investing in a healthy work-context, will outweigh the costs and harmful effects of performance problems, absences and turnover in the public service. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Enhancing graduate employability is a growing priority in higher education, yet how to conceptualise and assess it remains contested. This study identifies key limitations in employability assessment within the discipline of engineering based on a systematic review of 26 existing measurement instruments. Six critical insights for developing robust measures are identified: 1) conceptual clarity and consensus, 2) discipline (and sub-discipline) specificity, 3) holistic developmental foci, 4) translational rigour in operational definitions, 5) rigorous empirical validation, and 6) robust and apposite reporting mechanisms. Building on these insights, we recommend that employability measurement in engineering shift from short-term industry alignment toward future-oriented approaches that prioritise adaptability and long-term value for graduates, employers, and society. Additionally, higher education institutions should adopt comprehensive, validated frameworks and foster collaboration across academia, industry, and policymakers to improve employability measurement in engineering education. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Primary school students studying in rural areas in Türkiye are among the disadvantaged groups in the context of the principle of equality of opportunity in education. It is thought that providing STEM education to these students plays an important role in providing them with twenty first century skills that are necessary for the age. However, there are not enough studies in the literature on the effectiveness of STEM education for rural students. In this context this research aims to reveal the effect of STEM activities designed according to the 5E learning model by integrating the cooperative learning model in the context of social learning theory on the twenty-first century skills of rural primary school students. The 5E learning model provides a guide for preparing lesson plans in line with the STEM approach because it emphasizes problem-solving skills, is suitable for engineering design processes, and allows the information presented in the course to be associated with daily life. The study was designed according to the time series design. In time series design, more than two measurements are made to determine the change that occurs as a result of the experimental process. According to the measurement data obtained, the direction of the change that occurs in the experimental process is tried to be determined. The study group of the research consists of 19 primary school students studying in a rural school. The "twenty first Century Renewal and Learning Skills" scale was used as a data collection tool. Repeated measures Anova test was used to analyze the research data. As a result of the research, it was concluded that STEM activities had a significant positive effect on the twenty first century skills of rural primary school students. In line with the findings obtained as a result of the research, it can be stated that STEM activities can be effective in developing twenty first century skills of students in rural areas. The important limitation of the study is the use of a one- group experimental design. It is recommended to conduct experimental studies in which the control group is included in future research. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The rapid development of technology has ushered in the era of Society 5.0, a digital-based innovation aimed at addressing the challenges of Industry 4.0. This study examines the policies of Islamic educational institutions in adapting to Society 5.0. The research employs a qualitative descriptive approach with a systematic literature review as its primary method, several platform were used as references such as Francis & Taylor (Routledge) and Science and Technology Index (SINTA). The findings indicate that Islamic educational institutions must prioritize three key areas to remain relevant and practical. First, educators must evolve into innovative facilitators who integrate technology and foster a dynamic learning environment. Second, the learning process should emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, communication, and collaboration to equip students with 21st-century skills. Third, there is an urgent need to develop technology-based infrastructure, including digital learning tools and internet accessibility, to support a modernized education system. Government policies, such as the link and match system, play a crucial role in aligning education with industry needs, ensuring that graduates of Islamic institutions are competitive in the job market. However, challenges such as inadequate educational resources, outdated curricula, and limited technological infrastructure must be addressed. By embracing digital transformation and reforming education policies, Islamic educational institutions can enhance their role in shaping a technologically proficient generation deeply rooted in Islamic values. © 2026, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.

This study investigates the effect of Video Project-Based Learning (VPjBL) on the practical competency of students in multilevel turning. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 66 mechanical engineering students divided into an experimental group (n = 32) that received VPjBL instruction and a control group (n = 34) that followed conventional PjBL. Data collection was conducted through pre-tests and post-tests to measure students’ practical competencies. Results revealed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group’s performance, with a mean post-test score of 87.66 compared to 70.09 in the control group (t = 41.450, p < 0.001). N-Gain analysis further revealed a high category learning gain (0.7155) for the experimental group. Student response analysis showed strong engagement, with 93.75% rating the VPjBL approach as good or very good. The findings demonstrate that integrating video into PjBL enhances students’ competency acquisition and engagement. This research supports the adoption of multimedia-enhanced instructional strategies to improve practical skills training in vocational education. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.

Ordinarily, African countries suffer severe resource constraints. Resource constraints refer to insufficient means to meet sustainable economic growth demands. Regarding entrepreneurial activities, a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem is needed for the large uptake of and sustained interest in entrepreneurship. It is on record that African countries’ dilapidated infrastructure and maladministration, including weak institutions, are reasons sustainable entrepreneurial activities have been less than optimal. The recent COVID-19 pandemic no doubt extended the challenge of entrepreneurship on the continent. Using Pickering and Byrne’s (2014) systematic quantitative assessment technique, we identified, assessed and interpreted available research evidence that assisted us in exploring the impact of resource constraints on African entrepreneurial ecosystem formation, development and growth. We noted that COVID-19 added complexities to perennial questions about making African entrepreneurship ecosystems fit for supporting entrepreneurship development. Although African economies were already constrained in many ways, including their business environment, we conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges and opportunities for business management and entrepreneurship. While businesses could adapt in many cases, several aspects—such as government regulations, consumer behaviour shifts and global supply chain disruptions—were beyond their control. Navigating these uncertainties required agility, resilience and an ability to innovate, but it also highlighted the vulnerabilities and risks inherent in the modern globalised economy. This study synthesised the evidence on how COVID-19 intensified longstanding resource constraints within African entrepreneurial ecosystems, revealing that the compounded effects on business education, infrastructure and regulatory processes not only deepened small and medium enterprise (SME) vulnerabilities but also uncovered context-specific opportunities for resilience and innovation that have not been previously documented. Some implications and recommendations for future research are flagged. However, more importantly, we are convinced that African entrepreneurship has long suffered several political, economic, social and technological challenges that compromised its capacity to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we conclude that a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem is crucial to SME development. As such, this study reinforces the need for the government to reconsider its approach to supporting SMEs. © 2025 SAGE Publications. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

The active participation of community college lecturers in architecture-related Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs is essential to maintaining educational quality and aligning pedagogy with industry advancements. Despite this importance, many lecturers face significant challenges that limit their involvement. This study adopts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach to examine existing research published between 2020 and 2024, sourced from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. A total of fifteen relevant articles were selected through a rigorous process involving identification, screening, eligibility assessment, and inclusion. Thematic analysis was conducted to uncover key issues affecting CPD engagement. The findings reveal persistent barriers, including limited resource access, time constraints, lack of institutional support, technological resistance, and inadequate digital skills. To overcome these challenges, the study offers several strategic recommendations: the development of CPD programs tailored to the unique needs of Technical and Vocational education and Training (TVET) lecturers, enhanced collaboration between academia and industry, increased access to digital tools, and the establishment of institutional structures that promote innovation and lifelong learning. This review not only deepens the understanding of obstacles to CPD participation but also presents actionable, evidence-based strategies to support the professional development and instructional effectiveness of architecture lecturers in community colleges. The study concludes by advocating for future research to explore the impact of CPD engagement on lecturers’ competencies and student performance across diverse program models. © 2026, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.

A change in mindset has taken place in educational institutions, characterised by a growing awareness of sustainability and environmental aspects. Inspired by the UNESCO Global Action Programme, various ministries have allowed to be certified as a School of Sustainability at different levels, albeit on a voluntary basis and without substantial integration to date. As a good example, the implementation process towards a certified School of Sustainability was monitored to promote a change towards sustainability. It was a holistic process that encompassed various areas of school life. Sustainability was not only related to normal school lessons but anchored cross-sectionally. A strategy was developed and opportunities were identified to overcome major challenges to promote long-term change and to permanently integrate principles of sustainability into everyday school life. Projects were defined and divided into three complexity levels of implementation according to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The cross-sectional education for sustainable development (ESD) was established as a holistic school development approach. The school developed itself into a sustainable organization so that what has been learned is put into everyday practice. The everyday school setting with sustainability multipliers became key to changing the mindset of families and thus society as a whole towards greater sustainability. As demonstrated, a concrete implementation concept helps educational institutions to find financial resources and organisational structures, whereby staff qualification and mandatory (not voluntary) certification is key to achieve ‘ESD for 2030’. © 2025 The Author(s). Sustainable Development published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

This article aims to present the results of an analysis of the level of perceived achievement of the complex thinking competency in a population of engineering students at a technological university in western Mexico. The intention was to contrast the levels of achievement perception of this competency and its sub-competencies in two sample groups, one with first-semester students and the other with students in their last semester, to identify if there was an equitable development between men and women. Methodologically, we employed multivariate descriptive statistical analyses, confirming the development gap between genders. Although both men and women perceived developing the competency and its sub-competencies, women had more limited results, which, at the end of their university career, led them to be surpassed by their male peers. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.