Search Results for
"education"

Special education teacher shortages have reached historic highs during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating a long-standing issue in education. Over the past decade, alternative route (AR) pathways have gained traction, offering expedited avenues into the teaching profession. However, the quality and accessibility of these pathways remain underexplored. Our study examines the variability in special education certification AR pathway policies across states, focusing on eligibility, training, and testing requirements. Using descriptive statistics, we analyze changes from 2018 to 2023, as the last database was created in 2018. We sought to determine whether any changes have occurred, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data, sourced from state websites and vetted with education agencies, reveals an increase in testing requirements despite potential barriers for marginalized candidates. Mentorship opportunities during training have also risen, an important feature for supporting novice special education teachers. To address shortages, it’s essential to understand how we prepare and support special education teacher candidates, which requires understanding the changing landscape of special education teacher preparation. © 2026 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Purpose – Drawing the rationales from the sustainable career framework, and in the context of social cognitive career theory, the study examines how Science & Technology and Management graduates' career develop over time, illustrating diverse career patterns, their association with the professionals' gender diversity, career success, and self-employment. Design/methodology/approach – The present study utilised the LinkedIn database to extract the profiles of professionals working in Information Technology companies. The longitudinal data from 1, 161 graduates over a period of 10 years were used for optimal matching analysis (OMA). Findings – The results of OMA depicted four distinct career patterns, which are Related, Partly related, Related with career break and Unrelated sustainable career patterns. We find differences in gender among different career patterns. Furthermore, we observed that professionals characterised by Partly related and Unrelated patterns show more career success than Related career pattern, and for self-employment, we find an insignificant relationship. Research limitations/implications – The study enriches the literature on career sustainability by investigating occupational career patterns of graduates and highlighting the gender diversity perspective. It also discusses the significance of performance management in enhancing the productivity of professionals to achieve career success. Originality/value – The current study provides a novel perspective to sustainable career framework by empirical investigation of career patterns of the Science & Technology and Management graduates over the long term. The findings present practical insights to the organisations and higher education institutions to promote sustainable careers of professionals. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – This study examines how digital pedagogy integration and recognition of prior learning (RPL) frameworks influence educators' ability to deliver innovative curricula in Bangladeshi TVET institutions. It further investigates the mediating role of educator instructional self-efficacy and the moderating effect of institutional resource capacity. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-method qualitative approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review of 20 peer-reviewed TVET articles with semi-structured interviews conducted with twelve institutional stakeholders (Director of TVET Institute, Head of Curriculum Development, Industry Liaison Manager, Senior TVET Instructor, Prior Learning Recognition Coordinator and ICT Training Manager). Thematic analysis and NVivo-assisted coding were used to identify core themes, while Python-based topic modelling and co-occurrence heatmap visualisation were applied to the SLR dataset to map emerging research agendas. Findings – The results show that digital pedagogy integration (virtual labs, blended-learning readiness and multimedia utilisation) and RPL frameworks competency mapping and e-portfolio assessment strongly support improvements in perceived curriculum innovativeness. These relationships are mediated by educator instructional self-efficacy, which is strengthened through professional development, peer mentoring and reflective practice. Institutional resource capacity positively moderates these links by providing technical infrastructure, professional support and industry collaboration. Originality/value – This research extends technology acceptance model (TAM) and social cognitive theory by demonstrating that perceived curriculum innovativeness results from the alignment of institutional innovation frameworks, educator agency and organisational support. The use of Python-based text mining together with qualitative analysis offers a novel moderated-mediation model that supports both theoretical refinement and practical guidance for enhancing curriculum innovation in resource-constrained TVET settings. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

The rapid transformation of the 21st-century labour market requires students to be highly psychologically adaptable, especially in dual education systems where academic and work-based learning occur simultaneously. This study examines resilience as a psychological and pedagogical protective factor among students in dual vocational education and dual higher education programmes. Using a quantitative research design with validated scales measuring resilience, motivation, satisfaction, and stress, the research investigates how individual and contextual factors influence students’ adaptability. The results showed that vocational education and training students exhibited greater resilience, greater learning satisfaction, and lower levels of stress than those in higher education. Regression analysis confirmed that resilience positively contributes to academic success, while supportive mentoring and a structured learning environment enhance emotional stability and motivation. The analysis highlights that autonomy and pressure to perform are associated with higher levels of stress in higher education, underscoring the critical role of mentorship and peer support in improving adaptability. These findings emphasise that resilience is not only an individual capacity, but also a pedagogical and organisational construct; its systematic development should be integrated into the dual education framework to support student well-being, learning effectiveness, and long-term professional adaptation. © 2025 by the authors.

Purpose – This study develops and validates a novel iterative competency development framework to address limitations in current education for sustainable development (ESD) models within professional learning contexts. It responds to the growing demand for sustainability competencies among mid-career professionals and the inadequacy of static, one-off ESD interventions. Design/methodology/approach – Anchored in Kolb’s experiential learning theory, this research adopts the structured–pragmatic–situational methodology to explore iterative learning processes in the post-baccalaureate program for carbon-zero sustainable development in Taiwan. Two rounds of focus group interviews (n = 14, n = 8) were conducted, followed by cross-case thematic synthesis. Findings – Findings demonstrate that sustainability competencies emerge through recursive cycles of experience, reflection, conceptual integration, and application. Key constructs – such as professional identity reconfiguration, sectoral reflexivity and the novel sequencing insight (the prioritization of theory before practice) – underscore the transformative potential of the iterative model. Participants developed strategic, systemic and anticipatory competencies through sustained engagement with real-world challenges. Originality/value – This study contributes a theoretically grounded and empirically tested framework for embedding sustainability competencies into professional education. The model bridges experiential learning with systems-based sustainability competencies and provides actionable guidance for higher education institutions aiming to deliver lifelong, adaptive, and transformative sustainability learning. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

This study explores the individual experiences and perspectives of pre-service teachers regarding the use of e-portfolio blogs during their academic studies. Additionally, it examines the long-term effects of maintaining and promoting e-portfolios after graduation. The students engaged in reflective learning through e-portfolios, using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle as a structured framework for their reflections. This study was conducted at a university in Malaysia and involved diploma-in-education students preparing to become teachers upon completing their program. Data collection occurred both during the study program and again one year after participants’ graduation. Through semi-structured interviews and an in-depth analysis of the e-portfolios of 15 participants, the study identified several key findings. Participants indicated that e-portfolio use extended beyond the classroom, supporting professional growth and strengthening their sense of professional identity. They emphasized that maintaining e-portfolios supported them in developing a clearer professional identity while simultaneously cultivating a credible online presence. Many also viewed their e-portfolio blogs as practical evidence to demonstrate competencies during career applications and interviews. This investigation highlights that e-portfolios offer a practical approach to support continuous and authentic assessment, thereby promoting lifelong learning and encouraging future career advancement. In contrast to traditional assessments, such as quizzes, written tests, or essays, typically administered at the end of a semester, e-portfolios support continual reflection, evaluation, and development. Despite completing formal study programs, e-portfolios remain an important tool. They help share knowledge and experiences through digital media among future teachers, supporting ongoing professional development. In this way, e-portfolio blogs enhance authentic assessment practices and offer practical responses to the challenges posed by AI-driven evaluation in higher education. © The Author(s) 2026.

Research laboratories in universities face a complex challenge: they must manage multiple projects, diverse teams, and tight deadlines, often with limited resources. While the business world has long used agile and quality management tools to navigate such complexity, these methods are surprisingly rare in academic research. In this study, we set out to bridge this gap. We implemented a combined management model, blending agile Scrum practices with proven quality tools like the Ishikawa diagram and PDCA cycle, within a pharmaceutical sciences research lab. Over a six-month period, we diagnosed key issues, created a structured action plan, and introduced an online platform to monitor progress continuously. Our approach led to a significant increase in productivity, with 65% of targeted articles being published or submitted and 75% of general lab activities completed. Perhaps just as importantly, communication improved dramatically, and the lab successfully met all its institutional deadlines. We conclude that this hybrid framework is not just a theoretical idea but a practical and powerful innovation. It provides a tangible blueprint for other research groups looking to enhance their productivity, streamline communication, and build a more adaptive and effective research culture in the face of academic complexity. © 2026 by the authors.

This study explores the core competencies required for sales and marketing roles in the rapidly evolving NEV sector. Adopting an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, it employs a big data-driven approach to construct a competency framework: web crawlers collected NEV-related recruitment data across over 20 major Chinese cities, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model identified core competency items, and a multi-dimensional consensus scoring process via the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) refined the framework. The resulting validated model comprises nine thematic clusters, reflecting a shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales’ traditional skill set. Beyond enriching conventional competencies (customer reception, sales service, CRM, sales support), it highlights emerging capabilities: live-streaming/short-video marketing, digital media operations, and ecosystem-oriented resource collaboration. Further, NGT-based multi-dimensional evaluations (frequency, importance, difficulty) generated a four-quadrant matrix, offering actionable guidance for vocational education and corporate training (VET) curriculum design. Theoretically, this study redefines digital-era automotive sales roles: not mere product sellers, but core actors in user experience co-creation and ecological value integration, which enriches discourse on sales role evolution. © 2025 by the authors.

Technical-Vocational education and Training (TVET) plays a crucial role in providing individuals for the job market, particularly as global educational trends place greater importance on employability and hands-on, skills-oriented education. However, many TVET graduates in the Philippines struggle to find stable jobs. This situation highlights the deeper challenges, specifically in the ability of the graduate to find a job after graduation. It places their experiences in the broader context of the diverse global trends in higher education and employer-specific job qualifications and demands. Using a quantitative method and convenience sampling techniques, the study investigates how the graduates' competencies fit industry demands, institutional assistance's influence, and the effect of economic challenges on their ideal career, considering the role of their field of study, geographical location and English proficiency. The issues underlying deeper challenges are particularly relevant when helping graduates secure jobs. This study explores the factors affecting the job placement of Bachelor of Technical-Vocational Teacher education (BTVTEd) graduates. Significant challenges have been identified, including the belief that fresh graduates lack experience, financial problems, and the limited networking possibilities provided by institutions. These challenges require that TVET programs adapt to remain relevant in the fast-changing job market. Strengthening collaboration in the industry, improving on-the-job (ojt) training, and deepening career assistance services are essential actions in this field. The findings are particularly relevant to BTVTEd programs in economically developing regions, and the study's primary limitation is its reliance on graduate self-perceptions, underscoring the need for future research that incorporates employer and government perspectives. © 2026, Iquz Galaxy Publisher. All rights reserved.

Effective communication in English is a critical behavioral competency for seafarers in a multilingual maritime environment, directly impacting operational safety. However, a gap exists between current Maritime English (ME) training in China and the actual communication demands of global seafaring. This study aims to identify the specific ME skills including linguistic, behavioral, and sociolinguistic dimensions that are most important for on-board performance and safety management from the perspective of pre-service maritime students at Shanghai Maritime University. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining structured questionnaires (n = 313) with in-depth follow-up interviews (n = 10). The results identified 24 highly needed ME skills, particularly focused on areas governing safety-critical behaviors, such as wireless communication, security protocols, and emergency procedures. In addition, based on learner profiling, the study depicts two different learner characteristics: exam-focused and work-focused students, each with different views on the importance of skills. Work-focused students place greater emphasis on the practicality of their skills. The interview data confirms and enriches these quantitative research results. The research findings emphasize that ME courses must be more closely aligned with real-world communicative scenarios and behaviors, prioritize scenario based teaching and practical operations, and tailor differentiated teaching based on learner psychology and behavioral preference. This study offers references for maritime education institutions with similar learner profiles to optimize ME curricula, prioritize secure communication skills, and strengthen industry-education collaboration, thereby enhancing pre-service maritime students’ safety behavior and professional competitiveness in China. © 2026 by the authors.