Search Results for
"learning"

Purpose: This study investigated student and teacher perceptions of engine mock-ups as instructional tools in automotive technology education. Design and Methods: A quasi-experimental design with single case study methodology was employed following educational intervention. Participants included two teachers and eight students from an Auto Mechanical Work program in Lagos State, Nigeria. Constructivist learning Theory served as the theoretical framework, emphasizing active knowledge construction through experiential learning. Engine mock-ups constituted the primary intervention, with focus group discussions serving as the data collection instrument. Mock-ups underwent functional validation and pilot testing, while discussions received member-checking for qualitative rigor. Data collection occurred following three weeks of instructional implementation, with transcribed responses analyzed qualitatively for emerging themes. Results: Findings revealed strong alignment between mock-ups and educational objectives, enhanced student cognitive processing and motivation, and meaningful experiential learning opportunities. The tools improved teacher confidence, instructional delivery, and professional competence. Results indicate that accessible instructional materials enhance both teaching effectiveness and student engagement. Conclusion: The study recommends policy development by educational authorities to promote locally manufactured instructional materials across institutions, supporting practical learning approaches in technical education contexts. These findings contribute to understanding effective pedagogical tools in vocational education settings. (188 Words). © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This paper complements retrospective approaches to researching informal learning in the workplace with experience sampling. Since (conscious) informal learning is becoming increasingly important for successfully keeping pace with rapid changes in working environments, a clear understanding of the construct and its precise measurement are essential. This is opposed by the error-proneness of retrospective measurements. The aim of this study was therefore to better understand how employees learn informally by situationally measuring their use of informal learning activities (e.g., searching the internet). Three hundred sixty four full-time employees with desk jobs in various professions completed short online questionnaires twice a day for 8 days about their current work task and the informal learning activities used. A Multilevel CFA with good model fit revealed the same three factors at the situation and person level: learning from oneself, learning from others, and learning from media. Thinking/reflection, professional exchange/co-working with colleagues, and sharing knowledge were most frequently reported. learning activities with media were used comparatively little. These findings underscore the metacognitive role of reflection in informal learning, challenge previous models of informal learning that underrepresent situational antecedents and learning from media, and emphasize the importance of including multilevel data in research. Our research provides human resource development professionals and supervisors with a foundation for promoting informal learning and the society with basic knowledge for familiarizing students with the need for informal learning. This ability to adapt quickly to changing knowledge requirements is crucial to the competitiveness of many industries. © 2026 The Author(s). Human Resource Development Quarterly published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Objective: To evaluate whether an 8-week curriculum structured by the 7E teaching model is associated with improved emergency obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) competencies among first-year residents. Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-center, quasiexperimental consecutive-cohort study at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University (September 2022–September 2024). Consecutive training-year cohorts were compared: the 2022 cohort received traditional training (control, n = 32), and the 2023 cohort received the 7E-based program (intervention, n = 31; elicit–engage–explore–explain–elaborate–evaluate–extend). Outcomes were mapped to Kirkpatrick’s four-level model (reaction, learning, behavior, and results) and included satisfaction, written examination scores, OSCE performance, Mini-CEX trajectories, and selected patient safety/process indicators. Results: Compared with the control group, residents in the 7E cohort reported higher satisfaction (35.10 ± 1.30 vs. 23.22 ± 1.84, p < 0.001; Cronbach’s α = 0.905), achieved higher written examination scores (71.23 ± 4.25 vs. 63.88 ± 5.71, p < 0.001), and demonstrated a higher OSCE excellence rate (80.65% vs. 15.63%, p < 0.001). Compliance with prespecified “golden-hour” emergency process indicators was higher in the 7E cohort (87.09% vs. 59.38%, p = 0.025). Mini-CEX trajectories showed a significant group × time interaction (β = −1.48 per week, 95% CI −1.75 to −1.21, p < 0.001), indicating faster skill improvement in the 7E cohort. Adherence to “golden-hour” emergency process indicators was higher (87.09% vs. 59.38%, p = 0.025). Severe complications occurred in 1/31 (3.23%) versus 6/32 (18.75%), corresponding to a risk ratio = 0.17 (score-based 95% CI 0.03–1.01; Fisher’s exact p = 0.104). Conclusion: The 7E-structured curriculum was associated with improved satisfaction and performance across multiple competency domains. The 7E model shows promise as a structured paradigm for competency-based emergency OBGYN education, although causal inferences are limited by the nonrandomized design and single-institution context. © © 2026 Ling Yan et al. Emergency Medicine International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Purpose – This conceptual paper critically explores the role of apprenticeships in the UK as both potential social levellers and mechanisms of social reproduction. Drawing on theories of capital, social justice, and intersectionality, it investigates whether vocational pathways can meaningfully promote inclusion, economic agency, and identity transformation for underrepresented groups particularly within the further education sector. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a theoretically grounded approach, the paper synthesises key sociological and political frameworks, including Bourdieu’s theory of capital, Fraser’s model of social justice, and Crenshaw’s intersectionality. It engages in critical policy analysis of the Skills for Jobs White Paper and wider vocational education reforms to interrogate how structural inequities, marketisation, and employer-led models shape the apprenticeship landscape. Findings – The paper argues that apprenticeships occupy a paradoxical space: while often positioned as inclusive, work-based alternatives to higher education, they risk reproducing existing inequalities through labour market segmentation, variable quality, and credentialism. However, when embedded in authentic employer partnerships, high-quality provision, and relational pedagogy, apprenticeships can function as transformative sites of social mobility, personal growth, and civic participation. Originality/value – The paper contributes a new conceptual model that frames apprenticeships as potential social justice interventions, rather than solely as economic tools. It also calls for greater investment in FE-based research, the co-design of policy with learners and communities, and a reframing of vocational education as a space of democratic possibility. This reorientation is vital in addressing persistent inequities and realising the full promise of vocational learning in the 21st century. © 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – This study examines how soft skills shape problem-solving capability in work-based learning by integrating Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model. It tests whether personal engagement explains how soft skills influence problem-solving and whether these relationships differ by gender. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected via an online survey from 16, 824 participants enrolled in Indonesia's Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) Independent Study Programme (Batch 7, 2024). The model was estimated using PLS-SEM with bootstrapping. Common method bias diagnostics and measurement invariance testing (MICOM) were conducted before gender-based multi-group analysis (permutation MGA). Findings – Soft skills are positively related to personal engagement, and personal engagement is positively related to problem-solving. Bootstrapped mediation results show that engagement partly explains the effect of soft skills on problem-solving, while the direct association between soft skills and problem-solving remains significant. The permutation MGA indicates that gender differences are mainly observed in the relationship between soft skills and engagement, whereas the relationship between engagement and problem-solving, and the direct relationship between soft skills and problem-solving, are broadly similar for male and female participants. As MICOM did not fully support invariance for the soft-skills composite, gender comparisons involving soft skills are interpreted with appropriate caution. Practical implications – Higher education institutions and work-based learning providers should embed soft-skills development through experiential learning, mentoring, and reflective practice to strengthen engagement and applied problem-solving. Employers and Human Resources (HR) teams can reinforce these capabilities through structured feedback, engagement-supportive supervision, and equitable opportunities to practise soft skills in collaborative tasks. Policymakers may use these insights to refine employability-oriented programme standards. Originality/value – The study provides an integrated SCT–JD–R explanation of how soft skills translate into problem-solving through engagement, supported by evidence from a large national work-based learning dataset and gender-based analysis. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the adoption and impact of activity-based learning (ABL) in the Information Studies department within Oman’s higher education sector. This study examines students’ perceptions of ABL, its effectiveness in enhancing soft skills, creativity and innovation and the challenges faced in its application, particularly in Social Sciences. Design/methodology/approach – Using qualitative methods, focus group interviews were conducted with third- and fourth-year students at Sultan Qaboos University. Findings – The findings of this study reveal that ABL significantly enhances student engagement, practical knowledge and essential skill development. However, there is widespread dissatisfaction with its current implementation, and students advocate for its broader integration across courses. This study also identifies challenges such as theoretical content, faculty resistance and resource management as barriers to successful ABL implementation. Originality/value – These insights emphasize the importance of ABL in preparing students for the modern workforce and highlight the need for strategic improvements in its integration. © 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited

Workplace mentors play a crucial role in supporting degree apprentices, as guides and advocates in the workplace and partners in the tripartite meetings with the university. The mentor can help to facilitate relevant work-based opportunities and identify appropriate credit-bearing workplace projects. So, it is in the interest of the university to provide the mentor with appropriate information and training. This study aimed to establish the current mentor training context within computing apprenticeship degrees in UK universities, with a specific focus on training to support inclusion. Two online surveys gathered the perspectives of workplace mentors (n = 44) and of university staff providing training (n = 13). A review of guidance materials provided to mentors by universities triangulated the picture. Activity theory (AT) facilitated a new way of exploring current training systems to include the actors and influences beyond the immediate collaboration. The main finding is that few mentors felt they were receiving adequate training for the role, with many not receiving any, representing a lost opportunity to learn and share knowledge. The AT analysis highlighted the challenges of ringfencing time for mentoring and allocating responsibility for appropriate training and inclusion strategies among the collaboration partners. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This research investigates the effectiveness of Simulation-Based learning (SBL) in enhancing student comprehension of complex mechanical engineering concepts, such as fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, FEA, and mechanics. The integration of tools like MATLAB, SolidWorks, ANSYS Fluent, AutoCAD, FluidSim, BricsCAD, and GeoGebra allows students to simulate theoretical mechanics and engineering graphics, bridging the gap between theory and practice. Additionally, Machine learning playgrounds offer hands-on AI experience. A key novelty is the development of an Automatic Engineering Drawing Sheet Evaluation Algorithm, utilizing Python-based image processing to automate the assessment of technical drawings, increasing efficiency and accuracy. GeoGebra further serves as a tool for assessing geometric transformations in engineering graphics. Integrating simulation tools into the first-year Engineering Graphics course has significantly enhanced Course Outcomes (CO) and Program Outcomes (PO), particularly PO5 (Modern Tool Usage), with a 94.29% improvement. Tools like AutoCAD and GeoGebra have enhanced student understanding of Orthographic Projections and Isometric Views, reflected in improved test scores and positive feedback. Case studies showcase how these tools align with various POs, highlighting the critical role of SBL in modern mechanical engineering education. © 2026, Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology. All rights reserved.

This paper discusses the transformative potential that liberal vocationalism, aligned with contemporary visions of lifelong and lifewide learning, presents for outdoor learning across institutional and industry settings. Utilising Bernstein’s sociological theory, the paper explores this transformation through an illustrative case study of the relations, knowledges and identities of post-Year10 Outdoor Education in Western Australia (WA). The case study highlights how Outdoor Education in WA has been organised through distinct classificatory relations that exist between government, regulatory bodies and individual industry providers that serve to distinguish Outdoor Education from outdoor learning that is ongoing and able to be pursued by people of any age in many and varied learning contexts. These classificatory relations are shown to be reflected in established qualification and training structures, privileged knowledges and particular subject and learner identities. It is argued that consequently, current post-Year10 Outdoor Education provision has a generated a vision of outdoor learning and vocationalism that constrains learners’ access to and engagement with lifelong and lifewide experiences that can enhance their own and others’ lives. In response, three foci are presented that constitute a heuristic framework via which transformative possibilities can be progressed. The first focus calls for progressive relations between institutional education, industry and community stakeholders in the creative re-design of qualification structures and educational experiences. The second underlies the need for qualification and training structures to enable all learners equitable access to knowledges for lifelong and lifewide learning. The third argues for the construction of new therapeutic identities in Outdoor Education that enables learners to orientate towards an experience of outdoor learning that is autonomous and flexible in both theory and practice. The paper concludes by considering research and teaching directions that can facilitate the realisation of these possibilities. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

To promote gender equity in physics education, it is essential to understand the factors that influence how even pre-service teachers perceive, interpret and make decisions when gender inequities arise in the classroom. This means that we need to pay particular attention to teachers’ professional vision of gender-sensitive physics teaching. The following study examines pre-service teachers’ interest in gender-sensitive teaching and learning, as well as their learning opportunities and teaching experiences as potential predictors of their professional vision. A questionnaire and a vignette test were used for a cross-sectional survey of 586 pre-service teachers in Switzerland. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyse the predictors. The results contribute to the current research on gender-sensitive physics education, highlighting the importance of interest as the strongest predictor, followed by teaching experience and number of learning opportunities. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance for teacher training programs in gender-sensitive science education. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.