Search Results for
"learning"

This study addresses three central research questions (1) How do autonomy and related contextual factors—specifically social relatedness and competence recognition from Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and self-regulation capacity from ego-depletion theory—relate to educational outcomes, particularly given the conflicting predictions from these frameworks? (2) Do these associations differ between the two key educational outcomes: vocational competence and persistence (Outcome-Specificity)? (3) Do these associations vary depending on the domain-specific (company-level) versus domain-general (occupational-level) nature of the educational outcomes (Domain-Specificity)? The sample included 458 vocational education and training (VET) students in Germany (36 % male, 64 % female; Mage = 19.66 years), followed throughout their training programs. Four longitudinal regression models were estimated—based on two types of educational outcomes (competence and persistence) across two domain scopes (company-specific and occupation-wide). Models controlled for time effects and the nested structure of the data (students within classes and schools). Findings indicate that autonomy and related contextual factors—such as social relatedness and competence recognition— show significant positive associations with persistence, but not with vocational competence. Outcome-specific patterns were observed, while domain-specific versus domain-general distinctions were less clear. Despite the dual structure of VET, integration between company-based and school-based learning may blur the boundaries between company-specific and occupational wide learning effects. While the longitudinal design supports temporal analysis, reliance on self-report measures and the absence of experimental manipulation limit causal interpretations. © 2025 The Author(s).

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in project-based learning (PBL) to develop entrepreneurial competencies among secondary education students. A total of two hundred studies identified across three databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO) and published between 2000 and 2024 were analyzed, six of which met the established inclusion criteria. The findings reveal that integrating ICT in PBL significantly enhances the development of entrepreneurial competencies, cross-disciplinary skills, and student motivation. Studies indicate that this integration facilitates the creation of more interactive and applied learning environments, enabling students to develop skills such as creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving within entrepreneurial contexts. However, limitations were identified, including methodological heterogeneity and an uneven geographic distribution of studies. This review provides robust evidence on the effectiveness of integrating ICT and PBL in entrepreneurship education while highlighting the need for further longitudinal research in diverse socioeconomic and cultural settings. © 2025 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.

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).

Case management in the criminal justice system includes conducting psychosocial assessments, identifying risks, developing intervention strategies, navigating services, monitoring/evaluation, and advocacy. Social work and criminology graduates are equally qualified for forensic case management positions, yet the work readiness of these graduates is poorly understood. This study used a simulated client interview in a community corrections context to explore students’ confidence, performance, and the calibration between these. The study used a quantitative, non-randomized pre-experimental design with a pre-and-post online survey via Qualtrics. Participants included a total of 106 social work and criminology students in Australia aged 20–73 years. The results did not find a correlation between confidence and performance, raising questions about how self-efficacy transfers and functions across social work tasks and contexts. Students’ self-reported confidence often did not reflect the assessed performance during the simulation. This was most evident around the skill of engaging in trauma-informed practice and managing ethical dilemmas. The findings highlight difficulties in operationalizing theoretical knowledge into discernible skills for forensic practice. It is recommended that a greater focus be given to adaptive learning to assist graduates with building confidence and skills to support clients within the criminal justice system. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The widespread adoption of virtual and remote laboratories has transformed practical education by offering scalable, safe, and flexible environments for developing technical skills. Despite these benefits, challenges remain in providing timely, meaningful feedback that supports self-regulated learning and improves student outcomes. In this study, we analyze anonymized interaction logs from a virtual laboratory system focused on the Industrial Electrical Control Training Lab, used by 839 students enrolled in Electrical, Electromechanical, Mechanical, or Industrial Automation vocational programs offered by the National Service of Industrial Apprenticeship of Santa Catarina (SENAI/SC, Brazil). We introduce a novel methodology that combines sequential pattern mining (SPM) with automatic performance-based segmentation to analyze student behavior in virtual laboratory environments. Using interaction logs from students containing time-stamped cable connections and interface interactions, we segment learners into performance (High, Intermediate, and Low) based on the z-scores of accuracy and speed, using two strategies: (i) a K-means clustering approach, and (ii) a rule-based decision function. Building on this segmentation, we propose an algorithm to identify frequent action sequences and recurrent error patterns specific to each group. Chi-square tests confirmed significant associations (p < 0.05) between distinct error types and performance levels, and one-way ANOVA validated that both segmentation methods produce statistically distinct clusters. Our findings indicate that students in the high-performance group are likely to refer to schematics beforehand, whereas those in the lower performance group frequently begin with montage connections. These results can be integrated into LA dashboards to support real-time feedback for students and instructors, ultimately enhancing teaching strategies and learning in practical disciplines. © 2013 IEEE.