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This chapter synthesizes Bourdieu's theoretical ideas with empirical data concerned with educational (non-)participation in forms of lifelong education to illuminate how educational inequalities are reproduced throughout the lifecourse. It emerges from two separate studies in England. Study A explores why a group of young adults, living within traditionally working-class communities, choose not to participate in higher education. Study B considers why mature students participate in higher vocational education (HIVE) and how their decision to study this form of higher education specifically is shaped by their working-class backgrounds. Findings are drawn from semi-structured interviews with 12 further education students (Study A) and eight mature students undertaking HIVE qualifications in a further education college (Study B). Both studies took place at large general further education colleges (FECs). Both sites are situated in the North of England, where a large proportion of school leavers in the towns attend the colleges, which are the main providers of post-16 education. The chapter will be of interest to researchers of educational inequality, adult learning and social justice by illuminating how classed forms of (non-)participation can be understood as both 'structured and structuring' over time and through the lifecourse. It will be of interest to adult learning practitioners by providing an example of how social theory can be put to work to help us understand real-life educational problems and practices in new ways. © Nalita James, Kevin Orr and Sharon Clancy 2025. All rights reserved.

Green Changemakers is a regional initiative in the West Midlands of England, an area that encompasses the sprawling diversity of Birmingham, former industrial towns and agricultural countryside. The original vision was to teach educators 'green skills', an outcome that the authors quickly problematized once they gathered in the welcoming surroundings of Fircroft College, an adult education college with a social purpose mission of helping adults to realize their potential, focus on themselves and help them make what once seemed impossible, possible. This beautiful former home and gardens of philanthropist George Cadbury enabled them to step away from busy lives and think together about previously unimagined futures. They began to question what these 'green skills' are. How can a generic approach honour the expertise of subject specialist educators, while enabling them to adapt to an unknown future, enabling students to make and justify sustainable choices? Rather than try to generically teach specialist green skills, they chose to focus on 'changemaking' skills. This chapter explores the rationale behind the Green Changemakers approach and how the authors are trying to put it into practice. 0000-0001-6447-9274, 0009-0009-4373-2512, 0000-0001-6279-9864,, 0009-0001-2171-2985. © Nalita James, Kevin Orr and Sharon Clancy 2025. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Although university education in Germany is without tuition fees, the parental educational background influences the decision to study as well as the choice of subjects, and is linked to challenges that students face during the course of study. However, little is known about these aspects in veterinary medicine. In this study, the differences between the first-generation students (FGS) and continuing-generation students (CGS) in veterinary medicine, as well as the challenges (study entrance, financial situation, concerns about the future), are examined in order to identify any need for supportive action. Methods: The results of this study are based on a survey that was open to all German veterinary students in Spring 2023. Results: Responses from 1,525 students were analyzed (response rate 24%). A considerable proportion of veterinary students (40%) in Germany are FGS. They are more likely to rate their financial situation as poor (20%) or very poor (7%) than CGS (poor: 10%, very poor: 3%). Even though FGS and CGS work for income alongside their studies in similar proportions (FGS: 71%; CGS: 67%), the motivation was different: CGS are more likely to work in order to earn extra money (CGS: 68%; FGS: 49%) and FGS because other sources of income are insufficient (FGS: 34%; CGS: 12%). A similar proportion of FGS and CGS frequently or consistently considers dropping out of university (FGS: 10%; CGS: 11%). However, in FSG this is more often due to financial reasons (FGS: 28%, CGS: 16%). Almost all students have a high school-based university entrance qualification (97%). Final school grades of CGS were better on average than those of FGS. More FGS than CGS had already completed vocational training prior to their studies (FGS: 47%, CGS: 30%). Discussion: In conclusion, FGS and CGS differ in their own educational background and the financial challenges in veterinary education. It is therefore important to create an awareness of challenges related to the social background of veterinary students. Moreover, support services to counteract challenges of FGS (and CGS) are needed. There is a need for further research concerning the associations between parental educational background and academic and professional success in veterinary medicine. © © 2025 Kracht, Doherr and Jensen.

The research evaluates how Al-Baha University programming stu- dents perceive the W3Schools e-learning system compared to tradi- tional classroom methodology. The study measures motivation pat- terns, problem-solving abilities, and learning style preferences to de- termine the effects of e-learning. By combining quantitative method- ologies with qualitative analysis, the research seeks to understand how students perform in programming and their levels of determination in virtual learning environments, as well as their likelihood of continuing with e-learning. Online students appreciated W3Schools for its flexi- bility, easy interface, and clear tutorials but noted issues with internet connectivity. On the other hand, traditional learners disliked the for- mal lecture sessions, particularly their fast pace. E-learning proves beneficial for students due to adaptable schedules and personalized educational content; however, there is a need for further development of technical skills and socialization features. © (2024), (). All Rights Reserved.

Although there are different definitions of leadership, there is a consensus that leadership denotes the ability to lead others as well as oneself to achieve specific goals. Leadership emphasizes multifaceted qualities that can be nurtured and trained by appropriate training and intervention programs (e.g., leadership education). Notably, student leadership programs can enrich students’ experiences, empower them to develop a sense of control over their lives and future, and cultivate qualities and competencies for future leadership roles. Generally speaking, effective student leadership programs can be embedded with diversified content and objectives, applying an integrated approach with action, reflection, learning, and practice to cultivate students’ inward and outward qualities. Despite diversified leadership theories and models adopted, most effective student leadership programs concentrate on teaching leadership knowledge, building students’ various leadership skills (e.g., problem-solving, planning, decision-making, and self-awareness), values, integrity, ethics, and morality, reflecting on one’s behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and values, and providing opportunities for students to perform Service-Learning or community practice under the supervision of mentors. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.

This study utilizes students’ inputs to identify critical factors for employability by using Importance-Performance Analysis. A survey was conducted among fourth-year engineering students who had completed their senior-project course, assessing 22 employability factors across three employability stages: initial placement, maintaining employment, and transitioning to new roles. These factors were categorized into capabilities, skills, and attitudes. A total of 60 and 77 students from the classes of 2023 and 2024 participated. The findings highlight seven factors: applying knowledge for problem solving, critical thinking, analytical and problem-framing skills, applying STEM across industries, technology use in business, lifelong learning, and written communication. The findings align with the industry’s needs for adaptability and resilience of engineering graduates. For the key highlight, students emphasized learning skills over subject knowledge which indicated a shift in their perspective when looking at their careers. Future research will use these inputs to redesign the learning environment. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Reflective writing is considered an important metacognitive skill, especially in vocational education where students must bridge theoretical knowledge and practical experiences. However, meaningful reflection often requires supervision and guidance, as students struggle to make connections between classroom concepts and workplace experiences. While generative large language models (LLMs) have shown promise in such educational applications including personalized learning and writing support, their effectiveness is hindered by inherent issues such as hallucination and lack of personalization. To address this, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) has emerged as a solution to enable models to integrate external information in text generation. While RAG has demonstrated success in various domains, its potential for enhancing reflective writing remains untapped. In this work-in-progress, we introduce Memoire, a writing assistant designed to utilize the capabilities of RAG to support students in reflective writing. By leveraging external knowledge and memory from prior reflections of each student, Memoire helps them write reflections that are both insightful and grounded in accurate prior information. We also conduct a pre-study to evaluate and compare three modalities of providing writing support in the domain of reflective writing from prior works. Finally, we introduce our study design plan for an in-classroom evaluation of Memoire. © 2025 Copyright for this paper by its authors.