Search Results for
"education"

To help students reach their full potential, additional challenges beyond the standard curriculum may be necessary for some. In Dutch secondary vocational education, education for talented students is organized in two prevalent ways: through participation in honors programs that foster community building and through professional competitions. Given the apparent contradiction and potential tension between community building and competition, this research explores these concepts and their interplay to create optimal learning environments for talented students. A scoping review was conducted, analyzing 101 studies and identifying six overarching themes: Added Value, Characteristics & Conditions, Design & Development, Collaboration, Membership & the Role of Actors, and Enhanced Learning & the Role of Actors. Findings confirmed the benefits of both community building and competition in honors education. Despite a literature gap regarding their combination, this review provides insights into how these concepts can be merged to create enriching learning environments by synthesizing the themes. © The Author(s) 2025.

This comparative case study analysis explores higher education equity in South Africa and Australia, garnering insights from South Africa to inform the implementation of the Australian Universities Accord. This article identifies challenges and opportunities from South Africa that may assist with implementing the managed growth policy framework and needs-based funding model. Four insights were identified. First, Australia should embrace managed growth but minimise equity students’ tuition fees to reduce, not reproduce, inequality. Second, Australia could consider a nested equity approach to intersectional, compounding disadvantage to enable differential redistribution. Third, needs-based funding will provide the opportunity for a ‘fair chance for success’. Lastly, epistemic access, epistemic success, RPL as an equity tool, university and vocational education and training harmonisation and alternative equity student tuition debt arrangements could be explored. The article promotes an uncommon equity alliance between Australia and South Africa, offering a broader view of equity policy and funding options. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This systematic review to identify the distribution of articles from two databases using the science mapping method, and to investigate the preparedness of educators for the development of digital education in economics. The descriptive analysis is used to identify the research trends globally on the development of digital education in the scope of economics worldwide and ROSES (Reporting Standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses) was carried out as a review protocol to conduct Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The frequency of the distribution of the articles based on two databases (Web of Sciences and Scopus). The review synthesizes research from a variety of disciplines, including education, psychology, and computer science, to identify key themes and trends in the literature. The thematic analysis was undertaken on 14 selected articles resulted in three main themes: (1) Adaptation of digital learning, (2) Practices of technological learning; (3) Effectiveness of digital learning. The development of digital education in economics has been driven by advances in technology and the need to prepare students for an increasingly digital and globalized economy. The review concludes with recommendations for future research and practice, emphasizing the importance of a holistic and collaborative approach to technological empowerment in education. © The Author(s) 2025.

A key question raised by the Australian Universities Accord is how the tertiary education system can enhance participation rates and align vocational education and training (VET) with the evolving needs of the labour market. However, the alignment between VET in Schools enrolments and local labour market needs remains unclear. This study investigates the alignment of VET in Schools offerings in Queensland, where participation is highest, with employment across all industries. We analysed the 10 qualifications accounting for over 50% of VET in Schools enrolments in 2022–2023, comparing enrolment data with industry workforce sizes and identifying sectors experiencing skills shortages. The findings reveal areas of significant misalignment, with high enrolments in areas such as fitness, where job opportunities are limited, while critical sectors like health care and social assistance face workforce shortages. We recommend shifting policy from broad educational attainment targets to strategic approaches that prioritise the relevance of qualifications. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This book explores the vocational education programmes of Hong Kong, programmes that are repeatedly noted for their excellence. The book traces the founding and development of the Vocational Training Council of Hong Kong, which was set up in 1982 to offer sub-degree programmes in vocational and professional education and training. It shows how it transformed itself from an institution seen by industry, government and the public alike as not meeting the needs of Hong Kong to one that has spearheaded the development of this form of education in Hong Kong, including offering degree programmes in these areas through its Technological and Higher education Institute. Written by a leading scholar of vocational education with extensive experience of devising and implementing vocational education programmes, it offers this as a valuable resource to students and scholars of education, particularly in an Asian context, as well as of vocational and professional education and training. © 2025 David Lim.

Virtual reality (VR) technology has gained prominence for enhancing educational experiences and outcomes. However, its application in art appreciation remains an emerging area with limited exploration. The primary objective of this study was to assess the needs of middle school students regarding VR applications for art appreciation. To achieve this, 40 middle school students from a school in China participated in the research. Qualitative research methods were employed, utilizing thematic analysis to analyze the data collected from focus group discussions. This approach allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the students’ perspectives and needs related to VR in art appreciation. Based on the data presented, the majority of students expressed boredom with the current art appreciation classes and noted difficulties in understanding artworks. However, there was a palpable excitement about the potential of VR applied to art appreciation. The results of this study indicate that integrating VR tools in art appreciation meets the needs of middle school students. This study provides important insights into the application of VR in art appreciation that can help educators tailor VR experiences to meet the diverse needs of their students. In response to this study’s limitations, recommendations for future research were also addressed. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Introduction: The BOPPPS teaching strategy has gained popularity in medical education in China as a more effective and practical pedagogy. However, its impact on knowledge acquisition and clinical skills in urology education has not been comprehensively evaluated. This study seeks to assess the effectiveness of the BOPPPS strategy in comparison to traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) during clinical internships in Chinese urology education, utilizing meta-analysis for verification. Methods: A cohort of 96 clinical medicine students from Xijing Hospital, engaged in clinical practice at the Department of Urology from September 2022 to June 2023, were stratified into two groups and exposed to identical teaching materials. The experimental group (n=48) was instructed using the BOPPPS model, while the control group (n=48) adhered to traditional instructional methods. Data on student satisfaction and self-assessment of the course were collected through a questionnaire, and end-of-course performance was evaluated through a post-study examination. We used meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the BOPPPS teaching strategy compared to LBL teaching in surgery-related medical education. Results: The experimental group, which received instruction using the BOPPPS teaching model, achieved significantly higher scores in theoretical knowledge assessments and clinical practical skills compared to the control group. Additionally, the experimental group demonstrated greater levels of interaction with both teachers and students, with instructors displaying a higher ability to foster independent thinking among students. Furthermore, the teaching process in the experimental group was found to utilize classroom time more efficiently in comparison to the control group. And we confirmed that the BOPPPS model demonstrated a greater capacity to stimulate student interest in urology and improve their overall proficiency by meta-analysis. Discussion: The BOPPPS model exhibits superior efficacy in clinical teaching of urology, thus warranting consideration for wider adoption and dissemination. © © 2025 Zhang, Gan, Zuo, Han, Shi, Wang, Zhang, Jiang, Wang and Li.

The growing intricacy of IT education requires resources to aid students in choosing specialized pathways. This study investigates the prediction of specialization preferences among IT students at SDU University in Kazakhstan through the application of machine learning techniques. The research contribution is the development of a predictive model that enhances academic advising by incorporating multiple factors, including academic performance, personality traits, qualifications, and extracurricular involvement. The research examined 692 anonymized student profiles and evaluated the efficacy of five machine learning algorithms: Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, Gradient Boosting, and Naive Bayes. Stratified 10-fold cross-validation was utilized to reduce the risk of overfitting. Gradient Boosting attained a peak accuracy of 99.10% in validation; however, its performance decreased to 92.16% on an independent test set, suggesting overfitting. Naive Bayes exhibited the lowest accuracy, recorded at 35.26%. Logistic regression analysis indicated a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.05) among academic performance, extracurricular involvement, and specialization selection. Personality traits and certifications significantly influenced the prediction process. The findings suggest that although Gradient Boosting demonstrates high effectiveness, the associated risk of overfitting requires additional refinement for practical application. The notable impact of academic performance and extracurricular activities indicates that educational institutions ought to prioritize these elements in student guidance. The incorporation of machine learning-based recommendations into advising frameworks enhances the precision of specialization predictions, thereby improving student decision-making and career alignment. © 2025 Department of Agribusiness, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. All rights reserved.

An essential guide to a number of important theories of professional learning, of particular value both to those taking on new responsibilities in relation to initial teacher education (ITE) and those interested in developing new ways of working in partnership. Each chapter provides a concise and critical overview of a key theory and then considers how it might impact on the processes and organisation of teacher education, drawing on key pieces of literature throughout. The book responds to the growth of interest and research in professional and work-based learning including ideas such as communities of practice, activity theory and socio-cultural theory alongside already established models such as those of Schön, Eraut and Shulman. In addition changing models of teacher education mean there are new ways of understanding professional learning as practices, roles and identities are re-established. © 2014 Carey Philpott.

This case study examines an innovative Apprenticeship Academy model from a Construction company (the Company) based in New Zealand. The study, based on interviews with 19 participants including apprentices and staff, reveals how the Academy’s model differentiates itself from traditional apprenticeship programs through the implementation of a dedicated Apprenticeship Development Coach (ADC). Key findings highlight the significance of dedicated mentoring and pastoral care, strong organizational culture, leadership commitment, and structured learning approaches in apprentice development. The Academy’s success is evidenced by high apprentice satisfaction, retention rates, and skill development. The study concludes with recommendations for the wider New Zealand construction sector, including the potential implementation of an Apprenticeship Support Network to scale similar support services across the industry. This model demonstrates how targeted investment in apprentice development can benefit both employers and employees while addressing industry-wide skills shortages. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.