Search Results for
"education"

This study examines the impact of increased access to higher education on wages, employment, and labor market structure by analyzing establishment-level data. I focus on the quasi-experimental increase in the number of universities and universities of applied sciences in Bavaria since the 1970s and establishment of such higher education institutes under the “Future of Bavaria Offensive” program in the 1990s. I use administrative establishment-level data and find a positive but statistically insignificant effect on median wages resulting from expansion of higher education. While there is a negative but insignificant impact on wages of highly skilled workers, those without an academic or vocational degree experience an increase in wages. I also find that training activities decline immediately after the establishment of a new higher education institution. Further empirical analyses indicate that this decline is not due to fewer slots in apprenticeship training, but rather to a larger number of vacant slots and a higher probability of having vacant slots in apprenticeship training. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.

Innovative teaching strategies such as Gamification, Technology-Enhanced Language Learning (TELL), and Project-Based Learning (PBL) are increasingly recognized for their potential to enhance student engagement and language acquisition in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. While the individual effectiveness of these methods has been widely examined, limited research has explored their combined impact, particularly in elementary-level EFL contexts. This study addresses this gap by investigating how the integration of these three approaches influences young learners’ motivation, participation, and language development. Adopting a qualitative research design, data were collected through semistructured interviews with elementary EFL instructors and classroom observations across multiple teaching sessions. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that gamification significantly increased students’ motivation and fostered cooperative learning environments. TELL tools enriched the learning experience by offering interactive and multimodal resources that facilitated real-time communication and personalized feedback. PBL provided authentic contexts for language use, encouraging students to collaborate, solve problems, and communicate meaningfully, which enhanced their confidence and fluency. Moreover, the combined use of these strategies was found to lower language anxiety and improve the retention of vocabulary and grammatical structures. The findings emphasize the importance of student-centered and engagement-driven pedagogies that support active learning and practical language use. The study also underscores the need for teacher training and curriculum development programs to prepare educators to effectively integrate these approaches into their teaching practices. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on innovative language teaching methods and provides practical insights for educators and policymakers aiming to improve EFL instruction at the elementary level. Future studies are recommended to evaluate the long-term impact of such integrative strategies and examine their effectiveness across diverse educational settings and learner profiles. © (c) 2025 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Further education and training (FET) should form a foundation for increasingly dynamic and digital European economies. Policies aim to support ongoing workforce development and retain as many individuals as possible in the labour market. However, limited existing evidence supports the Matthew effect in this area—FET tends to be more accessible for workers with higher qualifications in better jobs. This study uses data from the EU Labour Force Survey and examines the relationship between individual and job characteristics with FET, as well as its shift during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings confirm that FET is more common among younger and middle-aged workers, those in higher-level positions, workers in larger companies, and those not working under a supervisor. Some of these patterns changed with the onset of the pandemic, notably the link between FET in ICT and higher education becoming stronger. This study identifies several robust factors that influence participation in FET, serving as a foundation for policies that aim to provide accessible, targeted FET opportunities for groups at risk of exclusion in a digitalised labour market. © 2026 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The growth of micro-credentials (MCs) as a distinct form of short learning program is a significant development in global higher education, including across Asia. This chapter explores the internal quality assurance (IQA) mechanisms and practices associated with MCs by examining the current state of MCs development in 10 selected universities in New Zealand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Drawing on interviews with program heads, the chapter synthesizes insights on the purpose, definition, implementation, quality assurance, assessment methods, and challenges related to the delivery of MCs. The findings indicate that most university representatives highlight that the key elements of IQA are flexibility in delivery, practical skills-based assessments, and student feedback. However, common challenges include low faculty engagement, resource constraints, and inconsistent student motivation and enrollment. Lifelong learning is identified as a strategic focus, particularly in Malaysia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, where MCs are considered tools for upskilling and enhancing employability. In contrast, Taiwan places greater emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and curriculum innovation. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.

Internships can effectively develop employability skills for students and foster their education-to-work transition. Internships are particularly beneficial for international students, who often choose to study overseas to enhance their employability and seek migration opportunities. This chapter reports findings from a systematic literature review that examines the empirical evidence on internship experiences of undergraduate international students (UIS) in Australia. Thematic analysis revealed insights into UIS’s perspectives on internship benefits, internship satisfaction/dissatisfaction, and factors influencing their experiences. Findings indicated that UIS faced challenges such as access to internships and support to work and learn in the internship. While the internship experiences varied between international students, they were significantly associated with their international student status. We discuss ways to improve the internship experiences of international students, as a contribution to developing quality skilled immigrants. We also recommend future research directions. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.

Developing sculpting and carving skills among art college students remains a critical problem in art education, where the conventional approaches are not very constructive for creativity, skill generation, and spatial conception development. To overcome this challenge, 3D Virtual Reality (VR) technology was developed for the enhancement of sculpture and carving skills. This research examined the difference between sculpting in a VR environment and traditional clay modeling, including their impact on creativity, skill acquisition, student motivation and participation, learning time, spatial ability, and creativity. A mixed method was used that involved quantitative questionnaires and qualitative interviews, with 532 undergraduate students who were a part of both VR and clay models, focusing on data collection. The result showed that the students were able to perform better in VR environments with enhanced creativity, technical skills, spatial thinking, and higher levels of engagement and motivation when compared to clay sculpting. It was found that VR allowed students to learn and perform complex sculpting processes in a short time, and students were more innovative in the ways they designed sculptures. It was also shown that VR facilitated the acquisition of 3D space and, more importantly, provided an interactive setting that was immersive and promoted creativity. This study demonstrates the use of VR in the field of arts education, providing evidence that VR can change the course of traditional sculpting and carving. The results highlight the VR’s ability to improve technical skills as well as artistic skills. The research indicates that VR improves the process of teaching sculpting techniques and provides a better understanding of the creative function and faster learning of the sculpting process. © Association for Educational Communications and Technology 2026.

Introduction to School Field is a mandatory activity for Information Technology education students at Brawijaya University which is designed to provide practical experience in learning and managing education. This activity aims to develop students’ soft skills and hard skills as preparation for future careers. This study analyzes the effect of PLP on the soft skills and hard skills of students in the Information Technology education Study Program at Brawijaya University. In this study, teacher competence is used as a measurement indicator. PLP is measured using basic competency indicators for school introduction and pedagogical competence. Soft skills are measured through personality and social competence, while hard skills are measured through professional competence. This study uses a quantitative approach with a survey method. Data were obtained from questionnaires distributed to 61 students of the 2021 intake who had completed PLP through regular programs and Kampus Mengajar. The results show that PLP has an influence on the development of students’ soft skills and hard skills. Specifically, PLP is able to explain 39% of the variation in social competence, 33.6% in personality competence, and 50.5% in professional competence. The results of this study emphasize the importance of PLP as a program in preparing students to become professional educators, not only through mastering hard skills but also through improving soft skills. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) encompasses a variety of educational experiences that seek to bridge the gap between academic study and the world of work. However, Design Thinking although widely applied as a pedagogical framework for structuring student multidisciplinary, problem-based learning projects with industry partners, it has not yet been conceptually or empirically examined within vocational education as a model of WIL. This study seeks to position Design Thinking as a systematic approach for organising student problem-based WIL projects. Using qualitative case studies, data were gathered from 37 key stakeholders’ students, faculty, and industry partners across 13 multidisciplinary Design Thinking projects conducted on three continents. Stakeholder perspectives revealed multiple points of convergence between Design Thinking-driven projects and the defining characteristics of effective WIL, including the intentional integration of practice and industry partners into the curriculum, purposeful engagement in authentic work tasks, and the application of major specific knowledge to workplace contexts. The findings suggest that Design Thinking offers a promising framework for enhancing vocational education and training programmes by developing transferable skills such as multidisciplinary problem-solving and creativity prior to students’ transition into the workforce. © 2026 The Vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

Background: Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a pedagogical approach combining classroom learning with practical experience. Despite its growing popularity, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics, trends, and outcomes of intervention studies. Purpose: This systematic review explores the current research on WIL intervention studies, examining publication venues, research aims, methodologies, and outcomes, as well as the implications and challenges. Design/Method: The structured and predefined PRISMA process was used to identify relevant studies published in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, ensuring rigor, precision, and replicability. A typological framework was developed and applied to extract and categorize data from the included studies, which were then synthesized to identify patterns and trends. Results: The review included 22 studies between 2014 and 2023. Although the study quality was generally low across journal articles and conference proceedings, the included studies nevertheless provided essential insights. International interest in this topic is evident, growing, and exploratory, with a potential bias toward individual factors and little consideration of institutional or cultural factors. The methodologies included various approaches, but the lack of unifying frameworks suggests that the outcomes are likely context-dependent. The benefits of WIL were numerous and multifaceted, while the challenges highlighted the complexity institutions and industry partners face. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive overview of current research on WIL intervention studies. The findings highlight the importance of theoretical underpinnings, research aims, and methodologies in WIL research. The results have implications for educators, policymakers, and researchers seeking to improve the effectiveness of WIL programs. © 2026 American Society for Engineering education.

Computer numerical control machine tools (CNC) play a crucial role in modern manufacturing and education. However, traditional industrial virtual training is typically a solitary experience, lacking social interaction. While virtual reality (VR) education offers immersive learning, it often limits opportunities for real-world collaboration, potentially diminishing social and cooperative skills. Additionally, group-based training requires numerous devices, resulting in high costs and low efficiency. To address these challenges, we propose a new educational framework: Cognition-Operation-Assessment. This framework introduces a group-oriented, highly interactive, and evaluable mixed reality (MR) system for CNC machine tool education. By integrating collaborative and interactive functionalities, the system enhances the teaching effectiveness of virtual classrooms, surpassing traditional paper-based and single-player MR learning. Its effectiveness has been validated through comprehensive courses and user experiments. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2026.