Search Results for
"Article"

Studies have examined the reforms in program duration, and socioeconomic status (SES) to proffer possible solutions to alleviate the impact of SES on graduates’ success. However, the impact of SES persists and is aggravated by inequalities and an inflexible TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) pathway to university. This study explored whether a reform in program type and duration may contribute to the SES discrimination of TVET graduates. The sample population comprised 660 graduates from Sichuan Province, China. Secondary data was analyzed via a cross-sectional survey using group regression. The findings showed that the effects of SES on graduates’ success are moderated by program duration (β = −0.383, p < .01), and that the moderating effect of program duration on graduates’ success remains consistent across the three program types: digital-paradigm discipline (β = −0.251, p < .05), low-paradigm discipline (β = −0.889, p < .001), and high-paradigm discipline (β = −0.385, p < .05). Additionally, the nature of the program strongly moderates the success of graduates in digital-paradigm (β = −0.007, p < .05) and low-paradigm (β = −0.003, p < .05) disciplines. This article enriches the discourse on TVET education by suggesting equal education from basic to tertiary education so that the SES effect on education is addressed. The paper argued that educational reforms should prevent SES discrimination and ensure better success for TVET graduates. © The Author(s) 2025

In connection with Russia’s withdrawal from the Bologna Process, approaches to the organization of domestic higher education are being revised. But this mainly concerns the issue of level-based education. At the same time, Russia’s entry into the Bologna Process has led to changes not only in the levels of higher education, but also in some of its other aspects. One of these aspects is the competency-based approach to learning. This article examines the question of whether it is subject to revision in connection with a possible future reorganization of higher education in Russia. To answer this question, the authors assess the current state of the competency-based approach to learning in higher education in Russia. This assessment is determined on the basis of a study of the current level of interpretation of the essence of the competency-based approach and related concepts in scientific and regulatory literature, the degree of development of competency systems used in Russian universities, the current state of the criteria used to assess the formation of competencies, as well as the perception of the competency-based approach by students and university teachers. As a result of the conducted research, both positive and problematic aspects of the application of the competence-based approach to training in higher education in Russia at the current stage of its development are identified and systematized. The article substantiates and brings up for discussion three possible scenarios for the future use of the competence-based approach in the process of further development of higher education in Russia. The opinion on the most appropriate and probable of these scenarios is argued. Recommendations for the implementation of this scenario are substantiated. This article may be of interest to the organization of higher education in universities, as well as to developers of higher education standards. © Дружиловская Т.Ю., Дружиловская Э.С., 2025. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Neurodiversity—an umbrella term encompassing a range of neurocognitive developmental conditions such as autism-spectrum conditions, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders (e.g., dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and Tourette syndrome)—recognizes neurological differences as natural variations of the human brain. As management scholars increasingly explore this dimension of diversity, both researchers and practitioners are gaining a deeper understanding of the valuable contributions neurodivergent human capital can bring to the modern workplace. In this article, which serves as a primer for the special issue on neurodiversity and human resource management (HRM), we present a systematic review of the neurodiversity literature organized by employee lifecycle stage. The review synthesizes the most comprehensive practices at the intersection of neurodiversity and HRM. We then introduce the 13 articles featured in the special issue by positioning them within broader trends that emerged from our review. Moreover, we show how each article advances scholarship and practice in neurodiversity and HRM. We conclude by drawing on insights from both the review and the special issue contributions to offer recommendations for future research and practice that center on fostering more inclusive and effective HRM systems for neurodivergent individuals. © 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

As online teaching continues to be widely recognized and valued in global K–12 education, understanding the factors influencing teachers’ continuance intention is crucial, particularly in light of rising technostress. This study applied an extended COACTIV model to investigate how personal competencies and school environmental factors predict teachers’ intent to continue online teaching. Survey data from 573 in-service teachers in China were analyzed using structural equation modeling to assess relationships among key variables, including technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), attitudes toward technology, teaching goal orientation, self-efficacy, teaching enthusiasm, resilience, technostress, administrative support, and workload. The findings reveal that while technostress and performance goal orientation negatively impact continuance intention, positive attitudes toward technology and robust administrative support enhance it. Moreover, teachers’ resilience, teaching goal orientation, and administrative support indirectly affect continuance intention by mediating technostress. These results provide valuable insights for improving the sustainability of online teaching practices in K–12 education. © The Author(s) 2025. 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 pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Foreign language acquisition significantly hinges on competencies that inform both teaching and learning. Despite the multiple language policies and frameworks like the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), there exists a gap in empirical research on the implementation of language policies by local education authorities in rural areas, where trainers’ needs and trainees’ circumstances are often different. Therefore, this study contributes to bridging this gap by analyzing how competency-based policies are implemented in rural areas via teacher training workshops organized by the local education board and schools. In total, 196 junior and senior high school teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in the rural areas surrounding Hengyang City in China were recruited to participate in the study. A mixed-method approach, consisting of analyzing quantitative and qualitative data gathered from a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, a corpus comprising seven years of education policies, and workshop content, is analyzed in the study. The findings indicate that national language policies did not adequately align with teachers’ needs, and EFL teachers attended relatively few competency-based training workshops, which they perceived to be moderately useful in improving core competencies outlined in the policies. Furthermore, there were discrepancies in the needs of junior and senior high school TOE. The implications of the findings inform our reflection on adjusting the policy implementation structure at the rural level to customize the policies and reinforce competency-based training to reflect the realities of rural area-based parents, students, and TOE. © The Author(s) 2025. 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 pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Spain’s young people are among the most highly trained in the European Union. But despite their qualifications, they face many labour market barriers to obtaining gainful employment. The pandemic has had a strong impact in the country, whose shortage of professional opportunities for young postgraduates is increasingly forcing them to take charge of their lives by practicing mobility to work abroad. Drawing from a qualitative study of 50 Spanish postgraduates with previous experiences of mobility, this article contributes to the existing literature on the geography of young people by examining the concept of ‘proactive resilience’ to show how precariousness obliges them to move, in order to escape vulnerability in search of opportunities to improve their professional lives. I argue that proactive resilience is both a part and a product of precariousness and acts as an engine that pushes young postgraduates to practice mobility, depending on their circumstances: (a) proactive resilience to seek opportunities to work abroad according to their level of training; (b) proactive resilience to move with the support of scholarships to continue training, or after passing competitive examinations. The conclusions highlight the contribution of the article, summarizing the analysis and answering the research questions. Proactive resilience has not previously been researched in this manner, and the findings contribute to refining the framework of post-pandemic youth mobility, as well as suggesting new avenues for future research. © The Author(s) 2025. 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 pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Journal clubs are active learning approaches routinely used within academic research institutes and allied health professions to boost critical thinking, data analysis, and disseminate knowledge of novel research concepts. These group-based discussions regarding scientific literature aim to develop knowledge and facilitate the sharing of expertise. Many of these outcomes align with those highly desired for post-graduation employability. However, they are usually constrained to small defined student groups, with limited reported attempts to deliver journal clubs at scale within the undergraduate curriculum. Therefore, this study sought to compare the pedagogical efficacy of delivering journal clubs as both extracurricular and curriculum-embedded activities and determine if they are translatable into undergraduate curricula. Student feedback was assessed through anonymous surveys upon completion of both the extracurricular and curriculum-embedded journal club sessions. Pre- and post-session surveys were also provided to assess academic literacy knowledge acquisition. Both extracurricular and curriculum-embedded journal clubs had a positive impact on student experience, knowledge acquisition and transferable skill development. Most students stated they learnt a lot from the session (86.5%) with 78.8% stating that they preferred this learning experience to didactic lectures. Students also stated the session enhanced their confidence (76.9%) and teamwork skills (78.8%) and critical appraisal of scientific research (84.6%). Further pre and post-analysis revealed journal clubs significantly increased students’ knowledge of academic literacy. Students who participated in the extracurricular journal clubs scored their enjoyment and enhancement of their employability skills higher than in the curriculum-embedded session. No significant differences were observed when responses were stratified based on socioeconomic parameters. These data show that journal clubs are a valuable pedagogical tool for developing academic literacy and key transferable skills. We also for the first time showcase how journal clubs can be designed and delivered to be an appropriate and scalable pedagogical tool for large taught modules. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

This article uses Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory to conduct a relational analysis of the expansion of academia. Drawing on three case studies from the fields of research (open data), higher education (academization of vocational education), and knowledge transfer (real-world labs), we examine the dynamic interactions between the scientific field and its social environment. Our investigation shows that scientific expansion processes can take very different forms depending on social context. We observe contested incorporations, intrusions, and bridgings that feed back into academia as the hybridization of higher education, infrastructuring of research, and recoding of knowledge. Based on these empirical findings, we propose a relational research heuristic that should enable a better understanding of the multifaceted expansion of science in the future. © The Author(s) 2025.

The transition from technical and vocational education and training to higher education is particularly challenging for apprenticeship graduates. These challenges are not only bureaucratic or logistical but also reflect deeper systemic inequalities. In many countries, apprenticeship routes at the upper secondary level are disproportionately chosen by disadvantaged groups in relation to class, gender, and/or race. As a result, the limited, time‐consuming, and inconsistently regulated progression pathways in place contribute to the reproduction of social inequality. This article examines how such structural barriers are embedded in three national apprenticeship models in England, Germany, and Norway, where access to apprenticeship qualifications is primarily mediated by the labour market. In England, higher‐level apprenticeship routes combine company‐based learning with part‐time participation in institutional education. In Germany, the parallel or “dual” model integrates school‐based and company‐based training, while Norway’s sequential model structures apprenticeships as successive phases in schools and workplaces. In comparing these models, we conclude that despite differences across transition routes and claims to improve permeability, the divide between vocational and academic education persists across all three systems, thereby reinforcing rather than reducing systemic inequality. © 2025 by the author(s).

Vocational education and training (VET) provides skills to young people at risk of social exclusion and efficiently integrates them into labour markets. In addition to structural-institutional factors identified in the field of comparative political economy, this article illustrates that the success of the social inclusion function of VET depends on policy design and implementation. The article analyses the potential of initial VET (IVET) to contribute to social inclusion in a least likely case of a liberal skill formation system: Scotland. Empirically, the analysis is based on reviews of policy documents and reports and interviews with key actors. Quantitative data is used to validate claims and support the findings. The analysis shows that (I)VET policy implementation is hindered by features typical of liberal skill formation systems, though through novel mechanisms uncovered in the analysis. The analysis also uncovers previously unidentified operational challenges. Notwithstanding, the article concludes that high level (I)VET is a viable alternative to academic study, even in unfavourable structural-institutional contexts, and that policy updating serves to maintain inclusivity. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.